I’m adding another experience to the “I never thought it would work” file.
But, last week my relative “sent” me an email. Now I would include the text, but then I thought with the way Google crawls… it may just give the scammers proof their product works. Let’s just say… my relative doesn’t travel! However… the email made it sound like he was having a very rough trip and needed some wired funds to get back home.
I sent my relative an email, “Your email account has been hacked, change your passwords”
Then a funny thing happened. (I mean funny as in curious because it’s actually kinda sad). My relative is an artist in our area that has a loyal following. A different relative owns a business in town and here’s the sad part. When I got to work that day the business had received a few phone calls inquiring if money could be sent to our address so we could forward to him.
Wow! For all the marketing dollars I spend on our legitimate products and services, how on earth can this scam email have generated such a great call to action?! What is it about these emails that make them so powerful?
Well, it’s just like this article states, the scammers narrow the funnel. Apparently the scam artist that send out this email or the countless other emails like, “I need help getting my money out of the foreign country” do so to be unbelievable. We the reader of the email self-select NOT to respond, and that actually helps the scammer. The scammer can focus energy (prey) on the few that do reply. It’s kinda brilliant when you think about it. There is no way they can use an auto-reply system because they must provide personal attention to continue the scam. Making the email outrageous allows a minor percentage to reply and that’s when they can focus!
As a marketer, is there a way to use this type of approach in your marketing?
OH MY GOSH… NO! HOW HORRIBLE.
Now, wait a minute… scamming is bad but their technique of funneling is not. It’s quite smart. We already do it. You send out postcards or emails to your list and wait for “the really interested” to reply and provide them with personalized attention. Funneling is a very useful tactic. The other approach to learn from our scammers is their technique of storytelling. Next time you get one of these emails, read it, I mean really read it… they paint a picture use emotions and draw on your need to help or solve a problem. People genuinely want to help.
That seems like a useful marketing tactic as well. Try it. When you send out your next email become a story teller. Don’t just highlight benefits, but really educate the consumer to what the product can do for them, how it can solve their problem. You might just increase your response rate!
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