Here’s an example of a typical email I receive multiple times daily from social media experts on behalf of their clients. The company that sent this one says on their website that they, “track, measure and analyze everything – making sure our team delivers exactly the right message, authentically and transparently, to the right audience.”
In practice, do they measure up to that standard?
Hey Ed Kohler,
Strange start. Not a common way to address someone. Especially from someone who claims to be a Deets reader:
I love your blog!
Thanks?
I like your post about your ‘Recent Bike Trips Around Town.’
Looks like he read the most recent post.
I think its interesting how you documented where you stopped and what you ended up getting. From the looks of your destinations, it seems as we have the same interests when it comes to good eats.
He does appear to have read at least one post on the site.
I am a huge fan of great food but I like to save money when I can.
Wait, what? That post wasn’t about saving money. It was about biking around town.
Honestly, who doesn’t like spending less to get a great experience in a great city?
Based on focused grouping a whiteboard session feel of that question, I imagine the answer is “no one.”
That’s why I think you and your readers would love to learn more about LivingSocial.
That’s why? It’s not because you’re being paid to spam people?
Every day, LivingSocial will offer an amazing deal (we’re talking up-to-90%-off amazing) for local restaurants, bars, spas, theaters, and more.
That’s already good, but I hope you like sugar, cause Visa is sweetening deals over the next couple months.
You hope I like sugar? Are you sure that’s an authentic thing to say to this “right audience”?
When the Visa Deal of the Day is on, you score a deal for your friend! This Friday (7/30) and next Monday (8/2), when you buy a Living Social deal with your Visa card, you’ll get another deal to give to a friend! Simple as that.
That seems like something LivingSocial could tell me in their email or on the site next to the deal. I think we could both agree that I wouldn’t be swayed by this offer if I didn’t want the deal. So, why are you emailing me about this?
Now, if the deal could speak for itself, it’d say, “I’m pretty great.”
Anthropomorphic spam is kind of creative.
As it stands, though, we need your help to spread the word about these deals to your readers.
Or, you don’t have an audience of your own, don’t want to spend money on advertising, or have convinced your client that spamming bloggers is the what social media is all about?
Go to LivingSocial now and get ready for the Visa Deal of the Day in your city: livingsocial.com
Get ready? I can barely contain my excitement.
If you aren’t able to cover the deal as a post, then we would like to have your permission (pretty please?) to post a comment to the last post on The Deets with the offer.
Why would I want you to post information about this to a post I wrote about local bike trips?
I look forward to hearing from you and let me know if you have any questions!
Great!
Socially yours,
Huh?
[I removed the employee’s name.]
Visa Outreach Team
Thanks, Visa Outreach Team, for engaging me in this social conversation. Color me informed.
Here is a bit more on “Activation Outreach” from the sending agency’s website:
Key to effective execution is having a dedicated and professional outreach team that deeply understands the platforms being used. This is critical on two levels. First, you need to know the subtle and effective ways to maximize impact on each platform. Second, each platform has it’s own rules of engagement. Only by being an integral part of the platform ecosystem can you make sure that engagement is both respectful and effective.
“Subtle and effective” sounds sleazy to me. I’m more interested in transparent and effective. Or honest and effective.
Here’s an idea that social media experts may want to consider trying: When emailing bloggers who don’t appear to pimp products as often as mommy bloggers or Target Rounders, consider sending an email that says something like this:
Hey Ed,
According to some our social media software, you appear to have written about Groupon in the past and have a decent readership. Given that, would you be interested in hearing about an offer involving a Groupon competitor that’s partnering with a credit card company?
If so, let me know.
If you’re not interested in this, but may be interested in future PR news, could you let me know what sort of topics or companies interest you so I can hit you up with the right stuff?
Thanks.
Name
& Company Name
& Phone Number
& Twitter Account
That would work much better with me, and I have a hunch that others may prefer something like that as well. Go ahead and steal it if you agree, social media experts.
Social yours,
Ed
What? You mean those comments about what a great blog I have. “One of the best around”, as one guy who wanted me to review his new CD said, aren’t so true?
Deva-stated…
Wow. Did that first schmoozy email make you want to smack someone?
I got mine yesterday! …and here I thought they liked MNBeer! I fired back suggesting I send them ad rates… No response 😉
@Sank, sorry to burst your blogger bubble.
@Ren, I mostly feel bad for our future Don Drapers who find themselves in cube-lands spamming bloggers for a living. Faking authenticity is not easy.
Here’s two more examples:
…and…
Then, I tweeted.
Here’s mine:
I love it.
“Socially yours”- That sh*ts gold.
I mean it’s engaging, leading – how many closed questions were asked?
do you like saving money? – hells yeah
wouldn’t you like to help friends save money? – aww yes
you like strangling baby kittens right? – aww wait wait don’t answer that
do you like deals so good they can almost talk for themselves – check
Where do I sign up, right? I mean that’s some grade A scripting.
Ziggler and Gitomer better watch out.
Heh. If only I had the time to write up each and every one of these I get and then promptly mark as spam.
Got one overnight:
I responded saying no I wouldn’t post it, that I’d delete the comment if they left one, and then a link to this post. Michael Lee (“Michael Lee”?) responded with a “Duly noted – I will not post.” But no “sorry ’bout that” or anything.
Now that some of the names have been included, I noticed something else:
Wilson Liang, Vince Morales, Michael Lee, Joel Dominic and all these other people sending virtually the same email from the “Visa Outreach Team” all appear to be pseudonyms for one of these people, unless they’re truly outsourcing this in a Mechanical Turk-like way.
Maybe it’s this Michael Lee
http://www.20daypersuasion.com/
I would guess that they are real people doing a mindless task for an “internship”
I sincerely apologize if you feel that Socialarc has abused the social media contract. We pride ourselves in not spamming on behalf of our clients and work diligently to ensure that we are creating relationships with bloggers rather than spamming them. We always ask permission, and do not blindly post.
We can and should have done a better job and I really apologize to all of you. Our company takes this very seriously. Be assured that we have taken a very close look at our outreach messaging and are committed that this does not happen in the future.
Also, I assure you that we are real people. We are all full-time employees that are passionate about using word-of-mouth marketing to help promote our clients and add value to the community. For us, being real and transparent is core to our ethics.
We generally receive very positive reactions when outreaching to bloggers in the course of our clients’ campaigns, and the LivingSocial offer was no exception. We make a very strong effort to only reach out to bloggers who would be genuinely interested in our clients’ offers, or where we feel the message would truly add value to the community, but we clearly were not meticulous enough in this instance.
Thank you for helping us improve and please feel free to contact me directly with any other questions or concerns.
Aaron Mann
President
Socialarc
Twitter: @aaronmann
Aaron.mann@socialarc.com
Aaron, thanks for commenting. I have no doubt that there are many bloggers interested in participating in offers like this. Figuring out the best way to reach them must be no easy task. You’re company is definitely a step above astroturfing commenters, which I do appreciate.
Ed,
Thanks for your comments. We do try, which doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t improve. Thanks again for pointing things out.
Aaron
But, but, but…they say the team ‘deeply understands the platforms being used’…does this mean you don’t deeply understand (or appreciate being) you are the platform being used?
That’s super interesting – I actually saw them announce that on the site this morning and you’re right – that was enough for me. I also like that you not only called out what you didn’t like about the email, but also stated what would’ve caught your attention (and been more genuine).
Doniree, I forgot to check out what the killer deal on Livingsocial was this morning. Thanks for the reminder. It’s actually a repeat of the same offer from May 17th.
You have to send this to the Bad Pitch Blog. I’m too lazy to look up its URL.