Wahm Forum - Your "Work-at-Home Moms" Support Group

christina · Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:28 am Lessons to Learn: Email Marketing

Email marketing done correctly can be very effective. Email marketing done incorrectly can make you many enemies online and cost you thousands of dollars.

There are certain things one must do in order to market via email.

1. Get people who want your info
2. Send them your info in an appropriate manner

That's it. Or is it? First of all there are actual "rules" to sending ads and newsletters via email. How quickly does your spam folder fill up in your email account? How many of those annoying spam emails slip through and end up in your regular Inbox? What makes them bonafide spam?

1. You didn't ask for the info
2. You don't know the person and therefore have no prior relationship with them
3. A physical address of the sender is nowhere to be found in the email
4. There isn't a way to opt out (unsubscribe) from the sender's list
5. Subject line is misleading (often it is downright vulgar)
6. Header information is false

If you take part in email marketing make sure you do the opposite of the list above.

1. Make sure the person asked to receive information from you (look into double opt-in lists where the person has to confirm that they really want to receive the info)
2. If they haven't subscribed to your list, then you better at least have a previous relationship with them
3. Be sure to include your physical address at the bottom of your email
4. Always and I mean always include instructions on how the person can unsubscribe from your list (opt out)
5. Make sure your subject line reflects the contents of your email message
6. Do not alter your email's header info

If you fail to follow any of those rules, you will be in violation of the CAN-SPAM act. You can learn more about that by clicking here: CAN-SPAM. If you are found to be in violation of any of the above you could be fined a huge amount up to $11,000! :eek:

Here are a couple of personal stories on how NOT to market via email. ;)

As usual I was going through the hundreds of email in my Inbox when one stood out to me. The email subject and name of sender matched. It sounded somewhat familiar so I opened it. This is how it started,
"Good morning,

I am contacting you because you were referred to me by Marketing 2000 as someone who may be interested in a new Direct Sales Opportunity. There is no start up cost or monthly minimum orders to maintain...."

The email went on to tell me about the business opportunity. I thought, "Huh? Who or what is Marketing 2000 and how did I get on someone's list??" I contacted the person who sent it, but they didn't respond. I posted to a group online inquiring about the company. The owner saw the post. Incidentally she was the one who sent the email. She replied and tried to tell me that she wasn't sending spam.

On the contrary, it was spam. According to her she didn't know that what she did was wrong. She paid for this program that searched the net for people interested in a home business. Well, nowhere online am I listed as being interested. However, I am certainly online advertising my business.

Was she wrong? Did she spam me? Absolutely! The program she bought harvested my email address. This is how spammers get email addresses in the first place (it's one way). Then she sent me an email when I had no previous relationship with her and I obviously had not asked for the information.

My next story is truly the best. I joined a company kind of as a favor to someone. She paid for it as I wasn't really interested in it, but she was trying to get her count up for some promotion. Anyway, after joining I received a ton of email. I was automatically subscribed to a Yahoo support group, two in fact. I told her that I wanted to go no mail on the one because I was just getting too much email. She preferred that I didn't. I unsubscribed from the group.

I put myself on "no mail" from the second group that was actually run by my sponsor in the company. I wasn't interested in the business so I really didn't want all the email. So my sponsor sent me a direct email. I told her that I was not interested in receiving email and that I was part of the group, if I had questions I could simply ask there.

She proceeded to tell me that she felt I needed the information so I could be informed. I told her that I didn't want to receive it. She actually argued the point with me. I politely informed her of the CAN-SPAM Act and that she must comply with my request. I told her that I was letting her know about the Act so that she would be an informed business owner.

She wrote back and accused me of threatening her. Then she asked me how often I would like to receive information: monthly, weekly, etc. Umm, not at all! :?

Here's the moral of the story: comply with the CAN-SPAM Act and if someone asks not to receive your information promptly comply. ;)

Happy Marketing!!

wahmannounce · Wed Jan 03, 2007 1:42 pm

Christina,

That's a great article. I've been through a few of those circumstances too. If you have to force something on someone to begin with, what's the purpose? Your prospect is not going to be a happy "receiver" of those emails, nor take time to read them either, nor will you profit from it. It's a pure waste of time and only makes your business look bad.

That's another lesson in "how NOT" to run your home business.

christina · Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:14 pm

Thank you, Rhonda. So true. It really is an unprofessional way to do business.

Breezy · Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:30 pm

Great read!

Yes,, it is unfortunate how aggresiveness is considered good business.
The best worker (downline) and shopper are the self motivated.
Pressure always makes me less motivated then ever.

Invite, encourage and empower are the keys to best sales and promotions.

The ol' puppy in the home move, was not done by sneaking into someones home and leaving behind thirteen different breeds of dogs of various ages. With no care info or help number or even the possibilty of returning. That then would make the home owner fill overwhelmed and intruded by.
Rather it was done by leaving with consent and acceptance of the home owner, one little puppy that they would be able to take care of because they were also provided the needed information and support.
Then upon finding their own success and enjoyment the home owner was receptive to more approaches.

B.

christina · Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:41 pm

I'm with you on that, Breezy. I don't like to be pressured and I sure don't pressure others (as you know).

Pressure actually makes me dig in my heels to resist! :lol:

gazellems · Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:42 pm

Christina, thanks for a great article on email marketing. I'm with you on the digging in my heels. I'll actually refuse whatever it is just because you're telling me I don't have a choice to refuse it.

I've gotten so many spam emails that I haven't sent out an email to other business owners in years. I've had emails I wanted that get lost in the avalance of spam I get every day. I've even taken to writing email rules that eliminate emails with certain words. I just glance at the senders before hitting delete on my trash bin that gets emptied several times a day.

In June of last year, I came home after being away for 5 days to find 1,500 emails in my inbox. I spent hours culling through the SPAM to get to the emails I wanted and needed to read.

After that, I've been deleting. blocking, unsubscribing (when I can) to emails that I just don't need to see. In July, I got a second email address to try and get inquiries from new clients only. That's right, in a matter of days, I was getting SPAM times two from the same people. I just directed the second email address to forward to the first so I could get most of the junk filtered out.

I'm wondering when we are going to get that federally mandated Do Not Spam List so I can get a break from all the ads for Viagra (Last I checked I'm not a man), manhood enlargement (see previous comment) and porn sites (see first comment again).

Good luck with your email program and I hope your recipients get what you are sending to them. Take care and God bless.

christina · Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:35 am

Aren't those emails annoying?!

Oh to be free from spam!!! :lol:

montyauto · Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:14 am

Quite impressive article.
I got some also to share here.

christina · Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:50 am

Thank you. :D

pemgirl · Fri Mar 02, 2007 4:00 pm

That was a great article.
I have a question, I don't have a place for people to opt into my site (yet!) but have LOTS of customers. Is it spam to send them email? I've sent them an email letting them know I'll be keeping in contact with them and to let me know if they want off but got no response.
Just wondering, not that I send very many emails but sure don't want to make someone angry at me. :oops:

wahmannounce · Fri Mar 02, 2007 4:21 pm

Cynthia,

You may get some different opinions on this matter. In my opinion, you've already established a "relationship" so-to-speak with these people since they are actual customers of yours. So, I believe you can contact them without fear, but perhaps at the end of your message, make a statement that they can be removed from your list if they wish.

In direct sales, you usually mail your newest catalogs, current news and specials. So, offline marketing in this manner is good as well.

*Once you have your own opt-in mailing list established, encourage them to sign up there to continue to receive all your lastest news and special sales, this way you won't have to worry about keeping track of who wants to receive your mail and who doesn't. Your mailing list software makes it easy for your subscribers to unsubscribe if they wish.

For new customers that buy from you, perhaps during the checkout process or after the checkout process you can encourage them to sign up for your mailing to receive your future sales & updates.

christina · Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:26 pm

I agree with Rhonda. If you have a prior relationship and provide a way for your clients/propspects to opt out, that's the important thing.

With Aweber you can allow people to subscribe to your optin list just by sending a blank email. You can fing out about Aweber on my site (www.TheDesignsDivision.com).

Carlak · Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:49 pm

I will also have to agree that that does not qualify as spam. I think this is in the catagory of follow up to your past customers.

If you sent them a daily mailing then I would see this as spam.

Joyfully,

pemgirl · Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:59 pm

Thanks for the input. It was very helpful and reassuring.