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# The One Thing I Disagree With Most E-mail Marketers About
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/the-one-thing-i-disagree-with-most-e-mail-marketers-about/
- Published: 2014-11-03T10:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2014-11-03T10:00:00.000Z
- Description: By Andrew Jones, Canada-based Artist Manager & Artist Development Advisor. This post originally appeared on Andrew's personal blog, CheckeredOwl.com Everyone should know at this point that e-mail better be a part. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/11/the-one-thing-i-disagree-wit
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, Music Business, Music Marketing, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:38

[![Sweepstake-spam-mail-656x339](https://a2.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01bb07a2d732970d-200wi "Sweepstake-spam-mail-656x339")](http://a2.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01bb07a2d732970d-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

By **Andrew Jones**, [Canada](http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=45.4,-75.6666666667&spn=10.0,10.0&q=45.4,-75.6666666667%20%28Canada%29&t=h&ref=hypebot.com)\-based Artist Manager & Artist Development Advisor. This post originally appeared on Andrew's [personal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal%5Fcomputer?ref=hypebot.com) blog, [CheckeredOwl.com](http://www.checkeredowl.com/the-one-thing-i-disagree-with-most-e-mail-marketers-about/?ref=hypebot.com)

Everyone should know at this point that e-mail better be a part of your [online marketing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online%5Fadvertising?ref=hypebot.com) strategy. While [social media](http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social%5Fmedia?ref=hypebot.com) sites can suddenly change their terms of service, re-evaluate their algorithms or lose they user base, e-mail is always there. **Not to mention the fact that WAY more people actually BUY things from e-mail than any social media site.**

There is a ton of great advice out there for e-mail lists so I don’t feel the need to write “TOP 8 E-MAIL TIPS [MARKETERS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing?ref=hypebot.com) DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW”. My main two pieces of advice are simple:

**#1\. Use [Mailchimp](http://www.mailchimp.com/?ref=hypebot.com) to blast out your e-mails. They make your life so easy AND IT’S FREE until you have over 2000 subscribers!**

**#2\. Speak genuinely. People want to connect with you not just get a flyer.**

Which brings me to my third piece of advice. Something a little different than most of the articles I have read recommend.

**#3\. Don’t “personalize” the “to” field**

[![Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-9.52.01-AM](http://a5.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01b7c6fd9fcd970b-350wi "Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-9.52.01-AM")](http://a5.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01b7c6fd9fcd970b-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

On any decent [e-mail service](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message%5Ftransfer%5Fagent?ref=hypebot.com) there is a section to “personalize” the e-mail with a tag, so you type in “Hey \[FNAME\]!” (or something similar) and the person opening it sees: “Hey Andrew!”.

Sounds great right? Here is the problem, **EVERYONE KNOWS IT’S FAKE!** It’s like those sweepstake letters you get in the mail, you know the ones; they have your name on them, they look like they were written in blue pen from the desk of the CEO, occasionally they will even use non-glossy paper or even pretend to cross out a word. But…they don’t make you want to enter.

Instead, at least for me, they turn me off, they are laughable.

***If you want to be personal, be personal.***

Write me a personal e-mail, I appreciate that. OR Fire me a nice looking [HTML](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML?ref=hypebot.com) update that goes to 500 people and say “Hey Everyone!”.

I’m not offended that your band (or brand) doesn’t write me a personal letter every month, who has time for that? What does bother me is seeing something that says “Hey Andrew” and I think I have gotten a personal note only to discover it’s a mass blast. Just be honest.

***Make the personal personal, make the e-mail blasts communal.***

A communal blast has it’s advantages too! It (if executed well) can help begin to form a community, talk to everyone, together, as a unit. The KISS army approach works! Let people join your tribe!

And then when a key moment hits that’s worth a personal message, send that, personally. **There are no shortcuts to relationships.**

*Andrew Jones is an artist manager and artist development advisor based in Canada. He has also worked as a promoter, booking agent, tour manager, music video director and almost everywhere else in the music industry. You can find his blog at [www.checkeredowl.com](http://www.checkeredowl.com/?ref=hypebot.com) or follow him on twitter: @checkeredowl*

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