I blogged about mass E-Mails in “Please Take Me Off Of Your E-Mail Distribution List” in Sep-2007 but I got the following E-Mail recently which gave me some pause (names change to protect the repentant).
Hi Sean,
How is your summer going? Things are going great here at [XYZ Co]–in the past couple of quarters we’ve grown steadily, been featured in [Famous Magazine], and are starting to really see the benefits of adding a [Engineering Discipline] group to [XYZ Co].
The past two quarters have been fantastic for us. We grew 57% over the same time last year, and our lab in [Country A] has doubled in size. Our [Country B] labs continue to grow, and with our [Engineering Discipline] group, we’re tackling more and more projects.
In April we were recognized as the third fastest growing company in [Region] by [Another Magazine]. You can read the article here: [URL]
One of the big highs for me this summer was being featured in [A Magazine I Have Never Heard Of] in an article about [Country B] companies doing business in Silicon Valley. [Name of Someone I Know] and I spoke with writer [Writer] about our new office in California, the market opportunities, and why we think [Country B] companies have a unique advantage in California. You can read the whole article here: [URL]
Hope business is going well for you and you’re finding time for vacations this summer. If there’s anything we can ever do to help, don’t hesitate to contact me directly.
Cheers,
[First Name of Someone I have Never Met]
I read it one or twice and realized that it was just a horoscope, a one size fits all e-mail broadcast to get 2% of the respondents to smack their foreheads and say “Wow, I haven’t talked to [First Name of Someone I have Never Met] at [XYZ Co.] in a while, I should call.”
I wrote back to [Name of Someone I Know]
Did you put me on this list? I think these faux personal E-mails do much more harm than good.
Better to distribute it as a newsletter where you at least acknowledge that it’s impersonal.
The first and second paragraphs are redundant and it’s all about [XYZ Co.], not any info that I can use.
He wrote back “Point taken, thanks for the feedback.”