Like many mascots, Sparky the Sun Devil doesn?t talk.? But it turns out he?s quite a writer.? During the football season, Sparky sends alumni of Arizona State University email updates on the team.? I understand that these updates are designed to boost school spirit and generate more donations.
I was surprised to see the most recent update was more than 1,700 words. That?s more than four pages.? All this… about a loss.
The message, suffers from a common problem in email marketing, which is a lack of focus.? The mascot writes about how fans are important, a coach?s high salary is justified, the creation of a charitable foundation, how the team won in a loss, and a bunch of other stuff.
Somehow, I don?t think this rambling email is from Sparky.? I suspect that it?s crafted by committee that has multiple objectives.? This group may think that because of my association with the university, I have the time to invest in a long email.
And while I read the message, if I see a similar one, I?ll likely immediately hit the delete button.
In email, it?s critical to:
- Get to the point.
- Make one point.
- Assume that you are competing for your readers attention with many other things.
- Let the reader know why the information is important.
- Give them an action.
