it’s not the plant’s fault it’s dying

The rough rules of plant care:

• Water the plant at the right time
• Position in the right place
• Provide additional nutrients occasionally
• Repot it when it’s grown too big for it’s pot
• If faced with bugs, tackle them strategically
• Control the environment to suit the plant

It’s all about putting the plant in the right environment. Watering it more or less depending on the seasons and their individual needs, and never ever blame the plant for not thriving in conditions that go against its nature.

If you overwater a cactus, it will die.

If you forget to water a peace lily, it will die.

I view email marketing very similarly:

• Send emails at the right time
• Send the right content to the right people
• Delight your audience with exclusive access/content
• Differentiate based on their customer journey
• Remove inactive subscribers and manage your domain reputation
• Adapt, adjust, test, and always learn from your subscribers

But in the case of marketing, not just email marketing, when something doesn’t work, we often blame the audience and not the environment we’ve created.

But deep down, we know that it’s not the audience’s fault they’re not buying your products and services, it’s largely because of your marketing.

So here’s how you can nurture your email audience like you would a plant:

• Not all plants are the same, and neither are your subscribers. Find out what they want and need.
• Identify different types within your audience with similar characteristics and put them into separate segments/groups.
• Create a care plan for each segment that is (1) valuable for them and (2) works for you and your business.
• Make a plan for when you’ll check on them, water them, etc., and stick to it.
• Do it. Water them, provide additional nutrients, repot, adjust humidity levels, propagate, and invest in your at-home garden.

What do you think of this plant email analogy?