I believe that marketing is about nurturing relationships (developing that KLT Factor – know, like and trust). In my book, Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget, I write about the importance of being consistent and persistent in your marketing efforts, but how do you consistently follow up and nurture those relationships when the communication seems to stall? How do you persist without being annoying?
Perhaps your initial contact was at a networking event. You connected with someone and followed up with a LinkedIn invitation. Perhaps that leads to a phone call and/or an email. Your prospect seems interested in pursuing that relationship, but then it happens. Silence.
3 Methods to Get Stalled Email Communications Moving Again
I came across an interesting post by HubSpot that highlighted how to restart stalled email conversations with your prospects. The problem is that, according to a report released by The Radicati Group, in 2015, the number of emails sent and received per day totaled more than 205 billion and that figure is expected to grow to over 246 billion by the end of 2019.
The report also reveals that the number of business emails sent and received per day (in 2015) was 112 billion and that figure is expected to grow to 116 billion by the end of 2016.
Oi vey you might say! So how do you reignite those email conversations where your prospect expressed an interest, but then “went cold?” How do you make your message stand out in the crowded email box? Leslie Ye at HubSpot recommends these 16 creative email subject lines, and here are a few of my favorites to inspire your imagination:
1. Use humor to get attention.
“Are you seeing someone else?” You want to make sure your prospect has a good sense of humor and wouldn’t mind this light-hearted request to see if perhaps they’ve decided to work with someone else. This will give you some closure if they’ve moved on. And, if they haven’t, it might re-open the conversation.
2. Be a resource.
“Here’s that [resource] you were looking for.” If your prospect expressed interest in something you discussed, continue the conversation by updating them with some new information related to that topic.
3. Hold them accountable.
“Still on track for [goal]?” Perhaps you discussed a specific objective your prospect was seeking to achieve. This gives you the opportunity to check in and see if they’re still heading in the right direction.
The most important aspect of developing the KLT factor is being a person that others want to know, like and trust. How are you doing at that?
Next time you write a subject line ask yourself:
- Does it make you want to click?
- Does the subject line connect with the message in the email?
- Does it feel spammy?
Do you have a subject line that has worked well for you? Please share your favorites below.
