This is Why Your Texts Get Ignored.
Have you ever felt a little sour and ignored, that you sent a broadcast message to your contacts and most of them didn’t even respond?
Before you conclude that they are impolite, consider that your message was perhaps, impersonal.
Rather than just send a broadcast saying "Happy New Year" or some general, or worse, forwarded well-wish to a list of contacts on your phone, try this:
"Chike, happy new year", "Season's greetings, Rita". "Happy new year, Adenike". You can then add whatever prayer or well-wish you want to the greeting.
At this point you might be thinking, ''You're saying I should greet every single contact by name? Seriously?"
Not exactly. You can limit it to those that mean a little more to you.
Or at least, depending on your relationship with the person, you can use titles like 'bro', 'sis', 'ma', or 'sir'.
For example, you can categorize all your male friends and send a new year's broadcast to them saying, "Happy new year, bro"; that will be better than just saying "happy new year." If you do that, you will get more replies to your message.
You can also apply this to your business; rather than sending impersonal greetings or adverts to your clients/prospects, you can use email marketing apps that can automate the inclusion of their names in their emails e.g. Convertkit, MailChimp, etc.
Here's the thing: Though to you, you're sending a message to a crowd, your audience receive it as individuals. So it's important you personalize it.
Impersonal broadcasts are like village town cries; they're okay for passing information to a crowd but they are weak for connection with an individual. To connect with an individual you have to call their name.
To connect with your contacts and not make them feel you sent a photocopy of the same message to a hundred people, you have to mention their names.
Yes, it's a little more work, but it's worth it.
Where applicable, go a step further and appreciate them for the previous year. For example:
"Happy new year Amina, thanks for how you stood up for me in school when others mocked me. It meant a lot to me. Your friendship helped me grow my self esteem."
Or maybe it's your staff or team member, "Happy New year Tope. Your contribution to the team last year was invaluable. (Mention some ways he contributes to the team) Keep up the good work."
Or let's say it's your mother, "I should say this more often Mom, thanks for always having my back, especially when life gets rough, you've been a lifesaver. (Mention some instances where she came through for you). Happy new year, Mom"
The point is this: as much as possible, strive to make your greetings personal whether it's for a new year, birthday, or other notable events.
In today's digital global village where we are talking more but connecting less, sending warm and personal greetings is an effective way of getting people's attention and connecting with them because in effect you're telling them they are not just another contact on your contact list, but they are a person— you know them and you just thought about them.
It's a new season and over its course you may intend to send greetings to your contacts, celebrating notable days in the year with them. Go ahead and send your greetings, but this time, not another town cry in the village square, but a real connection with a human being.
Do you want to become a person who has a deeper connection with people or with your loved ones?* Check this: oasistraining.com.ng
Make this year one of real connection with those in your life.
Cheers to a brilliant new year filled with God's great grace, mercies, and favor for us all. May we discover Him more this year, and in discovering Him, may we discover ourselves.
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If you enjoyed this article, you may like this too: A Word of encouragement changes everything (The teacher who almost died by suicide): https://link.medium.com/4CiA1xBI4vb
And this: Your biggest opportunity may be right in front of you: https://link.medium.com/JhxCHDPN4vb
Why we lose opportunities for progress and remain stuck: https://link.medium.com/pevexJWN4vb
How to step into the new year unafraid (Getting the courage to act when you're afraid): https://medium.com/@adebayodipo/how-to-find-the-courage-to-act-when-you-are-afraid-20619b2142f8
