When it comes to maximizing your email marketing list and furthering your brand name or product in the eyes of the public, you’d be amazed at just how many people go out of their way to get it wrong. This isn’t always intentional, but a mistake made in ignorance can be just as detrimental as something done with malice and forethought.
Proper etiquette and good manners play just as much a part in the online world as they do in the real one. You’ll be surprised at just how far some simple respect and courtesy will take you. Here are some common sense suggestions for making your job easier.
Always Ask Permission – I will never forget the first response I got from somebody whose email addy I put on my list without their permission. Let’s just say they were less than pleased, and not likely to do business with me. Always make sure your clients or potential clients are good with the idea of you contacting them from time to time.
Build Your Email Marketing List Yourself – Yes, this takes time, but it is infinitely more preferable than shelling out good money for somebody else’s list, many of which are from questionable sources, and are highly unlikely to produce good results (no matter how “targeted” or “specialized” the seller may claim them to be).
Building your own email marketing list results in quality contacts from people who have actually interacted with you and have demonstrated an interest in hearing from you again in the future. The most obvious benefit is a better experience for the target audience as well as a much higher conversion rate for your business.
Clear Your List Occasionally – Over time, some email addresses will become inactive, and you don’t want to be sending messages out into limbo. Make sure all addresses are valid before sending out a mailing, and you may want to send out a reminder every six months or so asking people to update their information or profile with you. If people unsubscribe to your list, make sure they are actually taken off; once people hit that unsubscribe button, they logically expect to never hear from you again.
Make Sure You Have Something To Say – Don’t just send out an email blast for the sake of having something to send. If you are running a special or a sale or just introduced a new product, that’s one thing, but stopping by just to say “hi” is always a waste of time and effort.
Don’t Assume That Permission Is Forever – Just because someone granted you permission to send them messages doesn’t mean that said permission will still be valid in a year or two. At least once a year, begin one of your messages with the reminder that “You are receiving this email because you signed up for the mailing list at yourname.com”. You should also give them the option to unsubscribe if they wish.
Never Remain Anonymous – Always include a genuine return email address, one that goes to a live person. This will go a long way towards establishing trust with your clients. A company domain name is one of the single largest trust builders you can ever hope for.
Keep It Simple – Plain text emails work best. Not everybody’s computer can handle some of the graphics-heavy messages that are received. What’s the point of sending a message if it isn’t going to be received?
Make Unsubscription Easy – This should preferably be a link that folks can click once and be done. Directing them to another page where they have to fill something out and enter information that you already have is nothing short of frustrating. Provide a simple opt out option.
Run Through The Spam Filter – Certain words or phrases are tripwires for spam filters, and could easily relegate your great and wonderful message to the trash heap. Before sending, run your message to spam filters such as Lyris’ Content Checker. This can tell you how the spam-bots will read and interpret your message. Eliminate questionable words or phrasing and rewrite your content accordingly.
Take It For A Test Drive – Send the message to yourself first, and then go through it, making sure
everything appears as it should, that links work properly, etc. The last thing you want is for eight thousand messages to go out before you discover that an important link is on the fritz. Trust me on this one.
Don’t CC Your List – Doing this means that everybody’s email address is visible to everybody else, and replies are also far more likely to be sent to everyone on the list. BCC is always the better choice, and whenever possible, you want to personalize your messages, something that is impossible to do when using the CC option.
Remember, make the experience as pleasant as possible for the end user. Take the time to compose and assemble your message, and make sure it works as it should before unleashing it on the unsuspecting public. The end result will be much better for you and your product or service.
