Fear is a very real thing that can derail your marketing. We’re usually afraid of heights, slasher movies, and clowns, but fear can also stop your marketing.
Why it matters: You need to communicate and connect with people to accomplish your mission. Don’t let fear get in the way.
What it looks like: We’ve all been there. You put together a new strategy. You write up the content. You proofread it. You spellcheck it. You proofread it again. It’s ready to go. Your mouse hovers over that ‘send’ button and the fear kicks in:
- What if you’re just interrupting people?
- What if they’re annoyed and unsubscribe?
- What if this strategy backfires?
OK, breathe. We get it. When we say we’ve been there, we’ve actually been in that exact spot.
Real example: In December of 2022, we had just rolled out our ringless voicemail feature. It was all new and shiny and we wanted to show it off. So our CEO and founder, James Martin, pulled a list of Rally customers, recorded a quick voicemail, and got ready to hit send. And the fear kicked in.
Yep, it happens to us too. Here’s how to overcome it.
5 Ways to Overcome Marketing Fear
- Opt in: Remember, folks opted in to hear from you. They want to hear what you have to say. You’re not spamming anyone, you’re giving them what they want.
- Be realistic: Keep in mind the standard marketing success rates: 5% is a win! Most people will ignore you. To be effective, you have to reach them multiple times. So this one message isn't even likely to break through. This anxiety you're feeling? Get used to it. You need to send a lot of messages.
- Test it: If you’re worried about the response, minimize the impact. Test it with a small group of supporters.
- Go ahead and unsubscribe: If people get mad about your marketing message and opt out, they weren’t going to support you anyway. A contact you can't contact is completely useless. Too often we focus on list growth at all costs. But the reality is quality trumps quantity. A small list that responds is way better than a massive list that never does anything.
- You got this: As you’re ready to click ‘send’ and the fear is creeping in, remember all the work you put into this strategy. You came up with a good idea, you executed well, it’s going to work. Banish the fear and click ‘send.’
Success Story
By the way, that ringless voicemail James sent? It worked out pretty good. We’ve talked to customers who saw that example and wanted to try it for themselves.
“Everybody on our team was like, ‘Hey, did you get a voicemail from Rally Corp? That was pretty cool, we should try this,’” said Jeff Baxter, the vice president of community engagement at HEADstrong Foundation. They tested it with a small group of supporters and had success. It’s now a part of their marketing toolkit.
Get started with Rally today and put fear to rest.
