Not Far from the Tree

A Monthly Trail guide to eNewsletters for Outdoor Pros

April 3, 2009

Issue # 12

The Sled Run Less Traveled!

Snow!

That's right, it snowed here in Colorado Springs last week. And not just any snow, but blizzard snow. Blowing, cold, nasty snow in the last week of March.

But one person's tragedy is another person's opportunity.

At the beginning of the winter, I purchased a new sled for our family. We've has been waiting to try it out.

And waiting...And waiting. No snow. The waiting led to this question from our 10-year-old son, "Dad, when is it going to snoooowwwww!?" And again...and again...and again.

So when I saw that snow was coming, I was thrilled. Opportunity had arrived and we jumped at it. On Friday afteroon we were off to the park for some serious snow thrills.

Or so we thought. We didn't take into account the wind. The wind blew the snow completely off the hills at the park where we sled. They were mostly bare. There were only two places we could sled in the whole park.

And the entire city was trying to slide down those two runs (or so it seemed).

We got in line and our kids got in a few good runs. They were enjoying themselves but the crowd was crazy and the wait was annoying.

One woman decided she was going to sit in the middle of the sled run to create a jump for her family. Then three boys ran right past us in line so they could race down the hill. Arrrgh! It was maddening.

But (repeat after me) one person's tragedy is another person's opportunity.

I looked around at all those empty hills and decided we would create our own snow hill. We moved snow from the bottom of the hill up the slope. We also made our own jump at the bottom of the hill that was about two feet high. It launched us right into a drift of snow that "cushioned" our landing (Although my sore back and twisted knee might disagree with that description).

It was a lot of work, but it was rewarding. Now we were having fun. No waiting, no crowd, just whoo-hoo!

Then an interesting thing started to happen.

The people who were looking for something different, something a little more adventurous, noticed us on our hill. We blazed a trail that others wanted to follow.

Our actions attracted the adventurous crowd. The three boys who had jumped in front of us came over. Another girl with a sled came over. "Can we get a turn?" (The answer was NO for the boys and yes the girl! Actions have consequences.) The number of people who came over was a small percentage of the whole, but they were ours. No other hill attracted the adventurous folks like the one we created.

It's the same way with an eNewsletter. Sometimes the temptation to go along with the crowd is overwhelming. It's easier to go where others have gone and it takes less work.

But the danger of that approach is that you get lost in the crowd. You don't stand out. And when you don't stand out, there is no reason to read your newsletter or use your services over someone else's. Nothing sets you apart when you're a follower.

But when you lead, magic happens. People follow you.

The way to lead with an eNewsletter is to infuse your newsletter with your unique point of view and your unique voice. Ask yourself these kinds of questions:

  • What are you known for?
  • What kind of experience do you deliver?
  • What is the most important aspect about working with you or your company?
  • What makes you different from your competition?
  • What do your best customers say about you?

To stand out in a crowded email inbox and market, you need to offer something that appeals to your best customers and draws others with the same mindset like we drew those adventurous sledders.

I don't know what your something is without talking to you. But you need to have a something. Marketing expert Seth Godin puts it this way, "What works is leading. Leading a (relatively) small group of people. Taking them somewhere they'd like to go. Connecting them to one another."

Bottom Line: You need to be a leader, not a crowd follower, in your business. The answers to these questions will help you define your unique voice and perspective. Once you carry that over into your eNewsletter and your company, you'll draw a devoted crowd of like-minded individuals. It may be only a percentage of the whole, but that small group is yours. No one can take them away from you.