Articles
Strategies On All Aspects Of Marketing And Advertising.
Quick Tips
Small Nuggets Of Information With A Focus On The Tactical Side.
Reports
'How To/When To/Did You Know' Reports On Everything Marketing.
Ad Evaluations
Methods To Determine If Your Marketing Will Be A Hit Or A Dud.
Marketing Quotes
Single Motivating Thoughts Of Wisdom
|
|
|
Marketing Quick Tips
Email Marketing Etiquette 101
1. If It's Not Clearly Requested, Don't Send It: When it comes to newsletters and promotions, Do Not send email to anyone who hasn't personally requested it from you. Don't buy 3rd party email lists that claim to be "100% opt-in." Don't use lists from organizations or clubs that you're a member of. Don't send emails to lists of "prospects" whose emails you 'gathered' from various places. If someone doesn't give you their email in a web-form on your website, requesting to receive emails specifically from you, then they just don't want to hear from you (just like you don't want to hear from the people spamming you about Rolex watches and mortgage rates). If you want to market to a partner's or group's list - ask that they send the email on your behalf. Just don't take their list and use it as if it's yours (even if they freely give it to you to use). You're just going to upset lots of people, and get reported for spamming. And if that happens you can look forward to two huge headaches: getting blacklisted by the major ISPs, and dealing with the federal government for violating the Federal CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
2. Always Provide An Unsubscribe Link:
Yes, no one likes losing a subscriber, but it's better than getting into legal trouble. Give people the opportunity to get off your list - it's illegal not to.
3. Don't Send Too Often:
Sending emails once a month, for most companies, is more than enough. But how often you send emails depends entirely on what you sell and who you sell to. If your recipients expect you to send daily alerts, weekly sales promotions, bi-monthly articles, etc. then obviously - email away. Just make sure you set expectations correctly ... and then keep your promise.
4. Collect Email Addresses Responsibly:
Use Opt-in, not Opt-out. Even better, use double opt-in. How double opt-in works: after people subscribe to your list, you send a confirmation email - one that requires the recipient click on a link before you actually add them to your database. Don't send a "confirmation email" that tells them "You're on the list, click here to unsubscribe." Why? Because people sometimes enter an incorrect email address, either mistakenly, or maliciously. And you don't want to be sending emails to bad email addresses.
5. Use Honest Subject Lines
Throw away the "Copywriting That Sells!" book, and instead use a straightforward, honest subject line, like: "ABC Inc. January Newsletter." Subject lines like, "FREE OFFER INSIDE" are going to get your email sent straight to the junk folder. Your subject line should help people instantly recognize who you are, and therefore trust that your email is not spam.
Quick Tips Index
|
