Comments on: A Cheap Way To Stay In Touch With Your Customers http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/email/a-cheap-way-to-stay-in-touch-with-your-customers Home Of The Billion Dollar Product Manager Where You Too Can Learn To Be A Wildly Successful Product Manger Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:57:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/email/a-cheap-way-to-stay-in-touch-with-your-customers/comment-page-1#comment-876 Dr. Jim Anderson Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:39:32 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1273#comment-876 Tom: Ouch! You make a good point. I don't have a magical answer, but lately I have become fascinated with the world of copywriters -- the people who get paid to convince us to open an envelope or email that has been sent to us. Sure, in the world of direct mail they might be peddling junk, but I'm starting to think that their techniques might provide some guidance to how we should be building our communications with our customers. I guess getting paid by the word is a powerful motivator to make each word count...! Tom: Ouch! You make a good point. I don’t have a magical answer, but lately I have become fascinated with the world of copywriters — the people who get paid to convince us to open an envelope or email that has been sent to us. Sure, in the world of direct mail they might be peddling junk, but I’m starting to think that their techniques might provide some guidance to how we should be building our communications with our customers. I guess getting paid by the word is a powerful motivator to make each word count…!

]]> By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/email/a-cheap-way-to-stay-in-touch-with-your-customers/comment-page-1#comment-875 Dr. Jim Anderson Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:36:09 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1273#comment-875 Larry: I 100% agree with you. The trick here is that if you do it right, it's a powerful tool, if you do it wrong, then you've shot yourself in the foot. What seems to work the best is if you make sure that any email that you send to your customer is loaded with useful info. They may or may not take action based on that, but you won't come across as spamming them. Nice words, just really, really hard to do correctly...! Larry: I 100% agree with you. The trick here is that if you do it right, it’s a powerful tool, if you do it wrong, then you’ve shot yourself in the foot. What seems to work the best is if you make sure that any email that you send to your customer is loaded with useful info. They may or may not take action based on that, but you won’t come across as spamming them. Nice words, just really, really hard to do correctly…!

]]> By: Tom Hamilton http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/email/a-cheap-way-to-stay-in-touch-with-your-customers/comment-page-1#comment-874 Tom Hamilton Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:52:39 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1273#comment-874 Jim - Great observations. Many times the most simple and accessible methods of communication are the ones we use every day. Two observations: 1. Much like other forms of social networking you really need to have already established a relationship with individual, actual people first in order to really get the benefit of direct email. Otherwise you run the risk of appearing to be cold calling spam. 2. In our age of instantaneous, always on communication the quality of our content has decreased dramatically. We write emails and respond to them at the speed of thought, which can lead to shoot from the hip decision making and half baked planning. Sometimes I really wonder if we are any more effective than back in the days of the inter-office memo delivered in those old yellow folders. Sure we communicate more often and more quickly today, but is the quality of those communications any better? Jim – Great observations. Many times the most simple and accessible methods of communication are the ones we use every day. Two observations:
1. Much like other forms of social networking you really need to have already established a relationship with individual, actual people first in order to really get the benefit of direct email. Otherwise you run the risk of appearing to be cold calling spam.
2. In our age of instantaneous, always on communication the quality of our content has decreased dramatically. We write emails and respond to them at the speed of thought, which can lead to shoot from the hip decision making and half baked planning. Sometimes I really wonder if we are any more effective than back in the days of the inter-office memo delivered in those old yellow folders. Sure we communicate more often and more quickly today, but is the quality of those communications any better?

]]> By: Larry McKeogh http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/email/a-cheap-way-to-stay-in-touch-with-your-customers/comment-page-1#comment-871 Larry McKeogh Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:29:12 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1273#comment-871 E-mail marketing has become an effective tool for companies to reach the Internet generation, but a new study warns that one-too-many irrelevant e-mails may risk driving consumers completely away from a brand or product. http://bit.ly/7WOsl2 My personal approach is to use with caution. There may be other ways to interact with your customer base like Twitter / Facebook, etc. Good reminder though, thanks. E-mail marketing has become an effective tool for companies to reach the Internet generation, but a new study warns that one-too-many irrelevant e-mails may risk driving consumers completely away from a brand or product.
http://bit.ly/7WOsl2

My personal approach is to use with caution. There may be other ways to interact with your customer base like Twitter / Facebook, etc.

Good reminder though, thanks.

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