{"id":45278,"date":"2019-01-04T10:55:48","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T15:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=5074"},"modified":"2019-09-20T04:33:05","modified_gmt":"2019-09-20T08:33:05","slug":"voice-email-marketing-holiday-cards-survey-invitations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/voice-email-marketing-holiday-cards-survey-invitations\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Voice: What’s Wrong With Your Email Marketing, Holiday Cards, and Survey Invitations"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past month, my inbox has been overflowing with the voices of marketers in festive holiday style. It\u2019s nice to get real cards in my real mailbox from real people I really know, but most of this digital pile has gone straight to the trash.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

But don\u2019t people love seasonal greetings? Yes and no. If you want people to actually read your emails — and, yes, your survey invitations! — you gotta have voice. With that in mind, check out these three buckets…<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

What\u2019s Voice Again?<\/h2>\n

When you hear my voice, you know it\u2019s me.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

This totally straightforward concept is a powerful tool you can use to review and improve your writing, marketing-focused or otherwise.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Voice is the golden thread that flows through language. It reveals something about the author, connects to the audience, and connects to the topic. It\u2019s why some of those holiday cards you received sounded like they were from real people (probably because they were!).<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Type 1: Polished to a Chill<\/h2>\n

You know those houses where everything is put away, where there\u2019s nothing on any horizontal surface and it\u2019s impossible to tell anyone lives there at all? That\u2019s this type of message.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Sure, it\u2019s clean, but that\u2019s about it. It might be stylish, but it\u2019s impossible to tell anything about the personality of the occupants. Who are they? What are they into?<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Marketing messages and survey invitations that sacrifice personality for brevity and class are missing out. There\u2019s nothing for readers to connect with, nothing to grab attention and nothing to inspire action.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Still, it\u2019s clean, though, right?<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Type 2: Doublestuffed Overshare<\/h2>\n

These messages come fully loaded — and not always in a good way. These are the holiday cards that explode out of the envelope with extra inserts and end up leaving glitter everywhere.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

First, there\u2019s the content: So much! It\u2019s nice to get a personal catching-up email from someone you actually know, but when it\u2019s a marketing stranger pouring out a heart full of irrelevance, it\u2019s hard to get as excited.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Then, there\u2019s the style. Rather than the clean and simple Polished version, this type glories in bells and whistles and animations and pop-ups. No fear of color or sharing here, declare these bold choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Finally, the call to action — or calls to action. These kinds of messages have links, redirects, and all kinds of CTAs, all screaming PICK ME!!<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Sharing is caring, sure, but sometimes it\u2019s too much.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Type 3: ICU<\/h2>\n

Sure, it sounds like this type requires surgical precision, and maybe it does. This is the holy grail of messages: something that comes from a (seemingly real) person directly to another (definitely real) person. It doesn\u2019t have to be long and it doesn\u2019t have to be fancy.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Simply put: I see you! You\u2019re real, and so am I!<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Much like the idea of \u201cme-mail\u201d, we know that people like to get messages that connect to them personally. Sometimes tech tools like mail merge<\/a> work (Hi Melissa!), but real engagement requires more.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Striking the right balance is tricky, but critical.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

If you\u2019re thinking back to the last holiday greetings or email invitations you sent out and you realize you\u2019ve lost your voice, start here:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Identify your real purpose in connecting. <\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Consider the specific needs, interests, and preferences of your audience.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Check your content and design against your style guides, including everything from hex codes to preferred voice and tone.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ready? Get started on your next survey invitation<\/a> or holiday card with confidence — and with voice!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    For the past month, my inbox has been overflowing with the voices of marketers in festive holiday style. It\u2019s nice to get real cards in my real mailbox from real people I really know, but most of this digital pile has gone straight to the trash. But don\u2019t people love seasonal greetings? Yes and no. If you want people to actually read your emails — and, yes, your survey invitations! — you gotta have voice. With that in mind, check out these three buckets… What\u2019s Voice Again? When you hear my voice, you know it\u2019s me. This totally straightforward concept is a powerful tool you can use to review and improve your writing, marketing-focused or otherwise. Voice is the golden thread that flows through language. It reveals something about the author, connects to the audience, and connects to the topic. It\u2019s why some of those holiday cards you received sounded like they were from real people (probably because they were!). Type 1: Polished to a Chill You know those houses where everything is put away, where there\u2019s nothing on any horizontal surface and it\u2019s impossible to tell anyone lives there at all? That\u2019s this type of message. Sure, it\u2019s clean, but that\u2019s about it. It might be stylish, but it\u2019s impossible to tell anything about the personality of the occupants. Who are they? What are they into? Marketing messages and survey invitations that sacrifice personality for brevity and class are missing out. There\u2019s nothing for readers to connect with, nothing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":5081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,194],"tags":[273,60,242,296,257],"yoast_head":"\nGet Voice: What's Wrong With Your Email Marketing, Holiday Cards, and Survey Invitations - Sogolytics Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fake mail from fake people? Nobody wants that. 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