We live in a world of mass marketing.  With the constant flow of information that we provide social networks and websites about our likes, shopping habits and contact information, we have become easy targets for marketers.  But lost in the e-blasts and banner ads are the personal touches that truly build relationships.  And it is our relationships with our potential customers that drive business.

There are many ways to measure the success of digital marketing campaigns, and one way is click through rate.  If you take an average e-blast, the CTR will be dependent on variables such as target market, size of the blast, content etc.  Most marketers will tell you that a CTR over 20% is fantastic.  More so then open rates, CTR’s measure the prospective customer’s interaction with the email.

Last month, Student Housing Business ran a list of the 30 under 30 for the Student Housing Industry.  So we reached out to all 30 of these individuals to congratulate them on their nomination.  We sent a simple email saying how impressive it is to be listed among the 30 best young professionals in such a vibrant industry.  We congratulated them on their success, wished them luck in the future and told them we hoped to partner with them on future projects. 

The response has been over whelming.  At this point, over 70% of the 30 under 30 have not only responded to our email, but many have written lengthy letters of thanks for the recognition of their accomplishment.  The emails have been sincere and have invited further communication and partnership in future ventures.   Everything we hoped to accomplish in past massive e-blasts has been dwarfed by 30 personalized and sincere emails. 

Why have we seen such an impressive response?  It’s because we got personal.  The sincerity of a personalized email is a unique and valuable tool for connecting with potential customers.   It shows them that they are not just another email address in a giant database, but rather they are a person whom you know by name and whose business and partnership you greatly value.  While this technique can be more time consuming then utilizing other mass marketing strategies, the results are the building blocks upon which great partnerships can be formed.  The constant advertising bombardment to our cell phones, emails and social media sites only magnifies the up-side of getting personal with your prospects.

-Danny Soule