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I Broke Up With Bite Squad Today – Lesson on Over-Messaging Your Clients

Before I get to Bite Squad, let me talk about how I got to Bite Squad in the first place.

I used to order from the front door food delivery service Door Dash once in a blue moon.. when I was feeling especially lazy and didn’t mind paying an extra ten bucks or so for someone to get my food to me. We had an understanding.

Then they started sending me these promo codes in emails and direct text messages. Get 10% off this day or free delivery that day. The problem is that none of the promo codes worked and the direct email links didn’t apply the promo code either. So, I would get all ready to order and it never applied the discount. 

Getting ahold of an employee is tough at Door Dash. I finally was able to submit feedback that basically said “fix this promo code issue or I walk”. They responded and wanted all these screen shots and all types of other information. It was simply too much to deal with. So after several back-and-forths I searched for a replacement. This lead me to Bite Squad.

I actually know a couple people who work for the company and they sing its praises. I gave it a shot. The app isn’t nearly as good as Door Dash, I can tell you that. But, now I could get back to my old relationship of ‘bring me food and I will overpay for it’.. maybe once or twice a month. I’m not rich.

It wasn’t long before I started receiving emails every day from Bite Squad. “Hey, you hungry?”. Then the text messages started. At one point I counted three emails and two text messages from Bite Squad in a 24 hour period. I unsubscribed from the emails and it didn’t give me an option to ask for less emails. It was all or nothing. So, bye bye. But the text messages picked up pace. I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I broke up with Bite Squad merely a week or two after our relationship began. Uninstall App–> Unsubscribe from texts.

This brings to me to the topic of direct text and email marketing. THERE IS DEFINITELY SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH EMAIL AND TEXT MARKETING.  The rule of thumb for how often you should email changes depending on what your product line is and what group of people you are messaging.

If you have a product which people buy a lot of and possibly re-sell and they need to be updated every-time you get in new shipments, cool. Email them no limit. But if you have a regular product, like all-natural deodorant, auto-parts or whatever, once a month should be your standard.

If you email your general list for your service or product bi-weekly you are really pushing the edge. If you email or text weekly, you will most likely be getting a great deal of unsubscribes.

You have to put yourself in the shoes of the people receiving those messages. Are you telling them about a truly great deal that only happens once in a while? Or are you bugging them because you need sales? People are pretty savvy and they can tell these things.

The bottom line is if you are messaging your subscribers like a stage 5 clinger, chances are your email marketing campaign will be a failure. People just opt-out and go away.

Epilogue: I have Uber Eats. Pretty cut and dry and no virtual stalking.