Unfortunately, I’ve been one of those people who somehow, unwittingly, have managed to get themselves put on a few too many email lists. After being compliant to a simple request, “can I get your card,” at many a professional networking event, I started receiving a barrage of email newsletters for any and every product and or service under the sun – whether or not they piqued my interest.
It’s a well known fact there are just some businesses out there that have looked at these types of events as a way to build their databases. They may have heard about the Can-Spam Act of 2003. But they are either not aware of or choosing to ignore the rules and regulations surrounding this law.
A recent Mashable article by Stephanie Buck, Email Newsletters: Best Practices for Small Businesses, explains what experts like Lisa Barone, co-founder and chief branding officer of Outspoken Media, Inc., believe is appropriate and non-appropriate behavior when it comes to building your email marketing database. “The only acceptable time to add people to an email list is after they have confirmed through a double opt-in. Any other means of populating an email address book is invasive and unethical, such as using an email address after a customer has registered for your site or entered a contest.”
Amen to what Barone says next, warning that it is definitely bad practice to add peers or colleagues to an email list after they have given you a business card.
I would, however, like to congratulate one small business that recently realized the error of its ways and did the very least it could. It contacted me via LinkedIn, giving me the opportunity to actually opt-in to its email list. Sure, they also provided an incentive for me to do so, offering entry into their monthly drawing. The real test, however, will come later. We’ll just see what happens when I choose not to opt-in. Will the company remove me from its database?
What can you do to ensure that you adhere to the rules of polite email use, stay clear of a bad reputation and engage customers in a meaningful way so that they won’t want to quickly unsubscribe?
According to Emily Post’s Email Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts there are three key considerations to think about when it comes to any email communication – from a simple client email to a campaign that you send out to your entire database. These considerations remind us that:
Human interaction is a vital part of any marketing effort. Don’t use email marketing as a way to communicate at the expense of more personal interaction that might require a face-to-face meeting.
What you say and how you say it still matter. Make sure you stay courteous and steer clear of comments that might be misinterpreted.
When you hit send, make sure you’d be comfortable if your content appeared on the front page The Wall Street Journal. The Emily Post article reminds us that whatever you say in cyberspace cannot be taken back and you have no control where the message gets forwarded to. So it’s important that whatever your message is, be sure that it is carefully crafted to minimize the risk of hurting someone else or damaging someone’s career.
By using an opt-in permission-based system like Trumpia’s All-In-One Multi-Channel Marketing platform, which lets you reach your customers in the way that they want to be reached according to industry best practices, you can be sure to enjoy the kinds of results that will grow your business – not hinder it.
When you conduct an orchestrated campaign across various channels including SMS text, email, IM, voice broadcast and social media messaging, you’ll be better able to personalize your message, provide customers with only the offers that they are interested in receiving and reach them in the way that they prefer. You’ll be thankful you did.
So, consider your manners with every email and Multi-Channel Marketing step. You might just make your mom – not to mention Emily Post -- proud.
