Hi NAME,
It’s certainly true that personalization of emails can often help with engagement.
You’ll notice I don’t use first names much to start my emails. But sometimes I might use your name in the body. With a NAME here or a NAME there.
But… sometimes email marketing folks latch onto ideas like personalization. Because they heard it can help increase conversions by some big percentage. And then they go a bit nuts with it.
They might open with a personal greeting and someone’s name (like I did). And also include that in the body of the email once, or twice (or more!).
I’m sure you’ve seen that before haven’t you, NAME?
Being bombarded with your own name like that becomes kinda sleazy. At least that’s how I feel about it.
A better way… if you want to use personalization in emails…
And not annoy the heck out of people by overusing their names, is…
To think of it like opening a text message conversation on your phone.
You might say “Hi NAME” to start with.
But would you say their name again after that?
Would you launch into something like…
Hope you’re doing well, NAME.
Would you like to grab a coffee tomorrow, NAME?
And, NAME, I know how much you love your Venti Frappucino. So, NAME, shall we head to Starbucks this time?
Sound good, NAME?
Ridiculous.
But proves the point, doesn’t it, NAME? 😆
A better way, is to only take personalization as far as you would with a text. Or an email to a friend.
You might say “Hi NAME” at the start. And that’s it.
Or maybe don’t use it at the start, but throw it in if it helps at the end. Perhaps asking a question. Like…
“What do you think, NAME?”
And… if you’re ready to build your email list… go here…
EmailForTheWin.com
Chris Milham