Mass email is yielding me nothing. All I get is low data capture and abysmal return rates. Here’s what I found:

• The lure of mass email is dead. It is neither enticing nor promising.
• My messages get lost in spam.
• My audience finds it irrelevant.
• I can’t fool my audience anymore. Cute, catchy subject lines have become passe’.

So, why is mass email not working? Here’s why:

• My audience wants personalized text messages and instant communication through social networks.
• My audience is afraid of blanketed, unpersonalized emails.
• My audience has become desensitized to mass email and they don’t want it anymore.

What are my options?

• Segment my audience.
• Make messages informative, personal and relevant. If you want to invite someone to attend an alumni reception, tell them what’s meaningful to them. They can hear the Dean speak, they will learn new things, bring a prospective student or a family member.
• Use text after getting permission.
• Use social media instead of mass email.