Are you using email to reach prospects?
Are you getting results?
Email is a cost effective way to get your information into the hands of potential clients. The problem is, if you don’t do it correctly, you’ll get no response, or worse, they could label you spam.
I’ve heard some acts say email doesn’t work. In the past, I had heard that same complaint about postal mailings. But face the facts – people are doing it and succeeding.
It isn’t luck either.
You have to know what you are doing.
And in this article, I’m going to offer some insights to help you become more effective marketing your show through email.
Booking Gigs By Email
Think about how many emails you get a day. If you are like me, chances are you delete a bunch without ever looking at them.
You may open it if you know the person, but what makes you open others?
The Subject Line.
Mistake #1 is not crafting your email subject line to attract the attention and interest of the recipient.
This is the most important part of your email. If the email doesn’t get opened, it doesn’t matter what is inside.
When you craft your subject line, you need to think like your prospect or client. Do they care if you are booking your summer? No. Do they care if you are an award winning ventriloquist? Probably not.
So what do they care about?
Looking good in front of their bosses? A reliable performer? A happy audience? People thanking them for contracting the perfect entertainment? A riveting presentation?
You need to figure this out and craft a short, direct, eye catching subject line. One that will stand out in their mailbox as they scroll through the clutter. One that will make them open the thing instead of hitting the delete button.
Another way to catch their attention is to include their venue’s name in the subject line.
One thing you must be careful about is including words in your subject line that will trigger spam filters. Words & phrases like: Act Now, Affordable, & Dear (name), will keep your prospects from ever seeing your email.
Click here for a helpful list of over 100 words that will Trigger Spam Filters. – https://www.simplycast.com/blog/100-top-email-spam-trigger-words-and-phrases-to-avoid/
The Hook
Mistake # 2 is there is no hook. I always enjoyed singing (badly) along with the radio when Blues Traveler’s The Hook came on.
“The hook brings you back, on that you can rely…”
A hook is copy that grab’s your reader’s attention and interest. In an email, the hook must be at the very beginning to keep them reading.
If they have to “fish” around to find out why you are emailing, you will lose them.
You must establish that your message is relevant to their needs right away.
The Length
Mistake #3 is that many emails are too long.
People are too busy these days. A short sweet email that gets to the point and creates interest is solid gold. For more details, include a link to continue the conversation indepth.
What Is It About?
Mistake #4 is talking about yourself.
Get ready for this next statement because it is going to hurt.
Clients don’t care about you. Or your puppets. Or your show.
Clients care about themselves. What do they get for hiring you? What is the benefit of hiring you over someone else?
Turn your features into benefits. In fact, we can talk about that in another article.
Testimonials
Mistake #5 is not providing relevant testimonials.
You probably know that what others say about you is much more important than anything you can say about yourself.
Testimonials are important and go a long way to establishing your credibility.
But, a testimonial for a birthday party will have no bearing on the client hiring you for a corporate event. In fact, it will make them question if they should consider you at all.
Keep things simple for your potential clients. Don’t make them think. Present yourself as the solution to their problem and make sure everything lines up to do just that.
Playing The Odds
Mistake #6 is sending out a limited number of emails.
Here are some email statistics:
The average open rate for personalized messages is 18.8%. Unpersonalized – 13.1%
Lets say you send out 100 personalized marketing emails. With an average open rate, of 18.8%, only 18 people will read them.
The average click through rate is about 3%. So out of those 18 people, .054 people may click to your site. Not even one person. And you wonder why your phone isn’t ringing?
As with any advertising, you are playing a game that has odds. To beat the odds, you must have a plan in place.
You need to be certain that you are getting your message in front of people that could use your service. Your list must be highly targeted.
- Even at that, some may not need your service now.
- They may be busy and not able to respond.
- It could be a budgeting issue.
- Some may not feel comfortable responding to a single email.
If you really want to book gigs through email, you must send thousands of emails to the right contacts.
Do you need a bigger contact list? Try this.
Clear Call To Action
Mistake #7 is having too many conflicting calls to action.
- Click here for more information …
- Call now …
- Go here to read what clients are saying …
- Follow me on FaceBook & Twitter …
WHAT?
Focus. You want to have one thing in mind when you write this short email. What should they do next?
If the offer is simple, they could call you right then.
If you feel they will need more information, send them to a specific web page. On that web page you will continue the conversation you started in the email. Don’t just send them to your website. You need to speak to their needs, remember?
Do you ask them to do that one thing once? No. You offer the link several times. Once near the start, once in your closing copy and once in a P.S. below your signature.
Make it easy to do.
Keeping Things Clean
The final mistake (#8 in case you are counting) is to keep your email list clean and up to date.
If you email to a bunch of bad email addresses, or people mark them as spam, your emails will start finding it harder to get through. (Electronic algorithms track everything.)
People leave businesses. They stop volunteering in groups. Almost every market has turnover. You need to stay on top of this. I recommend you go over your list once a year. It is worth the effort.
I hope you found this information helpful. If you have any questions or would like to share your own email strategies, make sure to comment below!
