"Goats in Trees" and "Underwater Dogs"
In 2018, I found myself in a fascinating discussion with a European event organizer.
During a marketing seminar, the topic of email marketing was broached. Specifically, the number of marketing emails you should send for your event.
So I asked, "how many emails would you feel comfortable sending?"
The gentleman's response, "around 5 to 10 emails."
To which I replied, "how about sending 20 to 30 emails?" His answer was a firm, "No."
Because the event organizer was a good sport, I decided to dig a little deeper. So I asked, "why wouldn't you want to send more than 5 to 10 emails?"
Because, in their personal opinion, they consider sending too many marketing emails "spam."
This is a prime example of applying one's personal beliefs to an entire target market. During our debate about email frequency, one of the event organizer's team members chimed in ...
The team member mentioned an event in the United Kingdom. That event sent, "an email almost every day and sold out months in advance." Am I saying you should email every day? No. There is something much more important at play.
This "email frequency" story illustrates the importance of not applying one's personal bias (team bias, or Board bias) to your target market.
Why "goats in trees"? Because while walking around and waiting for a booklet to print at an office supply store, I found a "Goats in Trees" calendar. My initial reaction was one of disbelief. "Nobody's going to buy that!" But sure enough, there it was a full-color calendar of goats in trees. Next to the goat's calendar, "underwater dogs!"
A simple Google search will show you there is an entire line of books, t-shirts, puzzles, and coffee mugs dedicated to "goats in trees." Apparently, they've been selling "goats in trees" calendars since at least 2010.
Please remember. Just because you believe or are put off by something, doesn't mean your target market feels the same way. In some cases, the people who you are trying to appeal to might have an entirely opposite belief than your own. And that's an opportunity cost for your business or event!
Additional Email Event Marketing Resources
Below are some additional email event marketing articles on how you can be a great email marketer for your next event ...