You have to laugh really – I mean, how can I take people seriously when they send spam that is so off target?
Let me share the laugh with you!
I received an email from someone who tried to be my friend and show how good he is at internet marketing – mind you, he isn’t good enough to find my name on my website and use it in an email! He does point out that he has my contact details, including phone number, from my site though.
This email was about word constructions - a professional writing service in Australia and his email includes the following (in blue – the black text is my response!):
I see that you’re not ranked on the first page of Google for a childcare centre search. And this is a problem for me why?
I’m not sure if you’re aware of why you’re ranked this low but more importantly how easily correctable this is. I’m guessing it’s because I don’t have a childcare centre or use that keyword? If he found me through that keyword, it says a lot for my childcare articles though!
There’s no reason you can’t have a top three ranking for the keyword childcare centre based on your site structure and content. You have a very nice site. Perhaps the fact I don’t have a childcare centre (or a website about childcare) is a good reason not to rank top three? And if you don’t know that, I have no reason whatsoever to believe you have looked at my site to know it’s good!
I didn’t send this email out to very many people (oh please!) but I am currently reaching out to a list of your ‘keyword competitors’ (If their keyword is ‘childcare centre’, they aren’t my competitors at all) as well. But I do favor your website because I can see your website monetizing the targeted website traffic the keyword childcare centre can deliver. If you truly believe my site is best placed to maximise this keyword, you REALLY have no idea about relevant content and keywords – and I REALLY don’t want to make use of your ‘help’ and ’skill’.
He followed this up with four requests to call me, and one to call him. Sure, Jason, call me so I can tell you how little you really know, at your long distant phone cost!
Hopefully that gave you a laugh, too.
If you want a serious message from this, here are some real marketing tips:
- be relevant – don’t contact a business about something they don’t offer
- be honest – adding blatant lies makes it likely you’ll be caught out and lose whatever credibility you may have had
- if you claim to have viewed my site, then have the courtesy to find and use my name
- don’t overstate your importance – if Jason is so successful and owns the 1,000s of sites he claims, why does he need to spam people around the world to get further business? Again, it just destroys your credibility if your claims and behaviours don’t match
Here’s to lots of laughs and very little spam in our lives!
If you suddenly found yourself with an extra 30 minutes, what would you do with your time? Would you waste it, fill with with the ordinary or do something different?