Writing for an audience of one

Sitting here on the dock, watching the early-morning boaters log some much-needed lake time, you have no idea how grateful I am to call home this little slice of heaven you know better as Smith Cove.

My wife and I always knew we’d end up in the mountains by a lake, but for some reason I always pictured it in Montana, or maybe Tennessee. I guess I spent so much time in the Deep South that New Hampshire just wasn’t on the radar. Until suddenly it was.

Don’t worry, this note isn’t about me. It isn’t about living on the lake, or how that came to be. No, this note is far more interesting than that.

You see, this note is not about the content, but rather the note itself.

I am a subscriber to dozens of company newsletters. I'm a regular reader of dozens more. In any given month, I come across more than 50, so I can say with certainty that most fall into distinctive categories.

The List. These newsletters are a laundry list of upcoming events. Sometimes in calendar form. Often with no lead in, introductory note or salutation of any kind. Three hit my inbox yesterday addressed with some variation of "Dear Sir.”

The Reminder/Invitation. These notes want me to register, RSVP, mark my calendar or save the date. About half of them are from organizations I've never heard of, inviting me to events on the other side of the continent, stating that "you are receiving this invitation because . . . " Yesterday, one such invitation landed in my inbox with no actual content, just a jpeg image of a coupon to save $250 off of the $2,500 registration fee for a conference I'd never heard of.

The Update. Many of the notes I receive read like year-end Christmas letters — you know the ones I'm talking about. They're a year-in-review from an organization I haven't actually heard from since, well, last year's year-in-review. The two things these letters seem to have in common are their generic "Dear Friend" introduction and their closing appeal for money.

Needless to say, I am not generally a fan of newsletters that fall into these broad categories. Honestly, I don't think anyone is. Even the folks responsible for them don't like them very much.

These people know they need to reach out. They know staying in touch with customers and prospects is a good idea. They’re just not clear on how to do it effectively.

Email marketing, newslettering, blogging . . . these can be inexpensive, highly effective “force multipliers” for organizations looking to maximize audience interaction, grow membership, improve sales and hold the line on expenses. This level of communication is a key component of any successful marketing plan.

But it has to be well executed.

Take this note for example. If I’ve done my job, it’s professional yet personable. More to the point, this note is NOT a hard-sell. Sure, it alludes to marketing, and mentions, subtly in passing, that I am a marketing executive at a newspaper. But this note isn’t selling you e-marketing, it is demonstrating how to DO e-marketing.

Most importantly, this note's format is not a list, a calendar, a reminder or update. There's nothing generic about it. In fact, it's not even a broadcast newsletter.

It's a personal note from me to you. Just you.

OK, we both know that's not exactly the truth. The truth is, this is a personal note from me to you. But it's also a personal note from me to tens of thousands of other individuals.

And no, that is not a gimmick. It is the secret to well-written, well-received, actual connections. I don't write newsletters for mass audiences. Every note I write is a note prepared for an audience of one.

I'm not writing this note for 1,000 people. I'm writing it to you. I am not standing at a podium addressing a large crowd. You and I are sitting at the coffee table discussing it between ourselves. That's how I picture it when I sit down to write.

Look, great marketing is all about building relationships. Whether you’re sending an email, posting to social, or placing an ad in The Sun. I can’t say it any plainer than that. Focusing on your audience of one may not be the easiest way to go about it, but it can be the most effective — and highly cost-effective — tool in your toolbox.

If, for instance, this note does its job, it will leave you with a positive impression of me, and by extension the great newspaper I work for. It may prompt you to pick up the paper more often, or subscribe to one of our newsletters. If everything goes according to my nefarious plan, and the day comes when you need professional marketing assistance, this note might even prompt you to give me a call.

That is the power of a well-written post focused on an audience of one.

And you know the best thing about this style of marketing? The worst possible outcome is that we get to know each other a little better. And that’s a pretty good outcome.

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Don't let Jeffrey M. Peyton's accolades, business accomplishments or cool demeanor fool you. The Sun's regional director of marketing has wing-walked on an airplane at 700 feet, co-piloted the Goodyear Blimp, swam with sharks, and managed to obtain paperwork officially declaring him “legally sane.”