Using Mailing Lists For Marketing Purposes
A mailing list or email list can provide marketers, website owners, and business owners with a powerful list of potential leads. However, many factors should be considered before you begin to send a course of emails to your new prospects. Initially it is vital to consider how you received the list in the first place. If a list you are using was generated by anything other than legitimate needs and is populated by anybody other than willing recipients then you are likely to be labeled as a spammer and the majority of those that do not report you will simply delete your email without giving it a second thought.
What Exactly Is Considered Spam
The literal meaning of spam is an unsolicited bulk email. As such, buying mailing lists that are not genuine opt-in lists and emailing them en mass is absolutely the definition of spamming. As such, this is not looked on kindly by recipients, anti spamming companies, or the Internet powers that be. If you already have a mailing list then it is important that you research where the list came from and how the details were taken from the list members. Unless they checked a box that enabled the original list creator to sell or share their details with “authorized third parties” then you are running the very real risk of spamming.
Give Your Opt In Members The Chance To Opt Out
If you are certain that your list is indeed an opt-in list there are still steps that must be taken. Primarily this means that you have to provide recipients with the opportunity to opt out of receiving any future mailings. This can either be done by providing a link or asking uninterested recipients to email you with a subject of unscubscribe or something similar. This opportunity must be clearly labeled and present on every single marketing email you send. You may also consider a contingency of having a similar service on your website, if you run a website.
Providing A Mailing Address In Communication
All emails should contain a physical mailing address that pertains to your company or to you personally. Again, email advertising without this can actually be reported and, again, you may be penalized accordingly. This is to prevent people from spamming without any fear of come back and to try to minimize the scams and thefts that are conducted via advertising and marketing email.
Email Frequency
Sending too many emails to your list may also push some recipients into reporting you as spam. Weekly, fortnightly, or monthly emails are not usually considered too much trouble, but some companies insist on sending numerous emails every single day. This will annoy your leads and they will either unsubscribe if you are lucky or report your for spamming if you are unlucky.
Combating Spam Online
The Internet and online marketing are riddled with spammers. Many steps and actions are being taken to try to prevent these unauthorized marketing ploys and while spammers seem to find new and annoyingly innovative ways to bypass these rules if you are reported for spam it can be incredibly difficult to have your name cleared. The best option is always to err on the side of caution in a bid to protect your good name and that of your website, business, or service.
constant-content.com | May 28th, 2008
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