Author Archives: Jodi Kaplan

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Is Your Email Marketing Personal?

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Seth Godin had a post yesterday about sending personal email. His post lists 14 ways to do that. I want to focus on the last one: “Just because you have someone’s email address doesn’t mean you have the right to email them.”

As Seth often says, people want personal, relevant email (and messages) not spam. I was talking to someone recently who said, “I’ve got several hundred email addresses and I’d like to send messages to those people. I got the email addresses because I was bcc’d on messages they received from other people. Can I email to them?”

In a word, NO.

They don’t know you, they haven’t given you permission and you will be seen as a spammer. Same thing applies to email lists you “inherit” from a company that went out of business. They are not your customers, and they are not your subscribers, unless you bought the company, and its list. In that case, the readers ought to be informed of what happened in advance.

Without permission, you’re a spammer. Plain and simple.

The penalties are severe too; up to $11,000 per violation.

Similarly, you cannot email people whose names you scrape from web sites, or from a list you bought, unless that list includes specific permission to be emailed. Even then, it’s probably dodgy; few people want email from businesses they’ve never heard of. While the CAN-SPAM act sadly doesn’t include penalties for unwanted mass emails, it’s still not a good idea. You may end up labeled a spammer by your email provider or web host, and lose your site and your emailing privileges.

Conversation, not shouting

Permission is only part of it.  Treat your readers as if you’re having a conversation.  Talk to them personally (try inserting their names in your newsletter salutation, as a friend or colleague would).  Ask them questions.  Find out what topics they’re most interested in reading about.

Don’t just talk, listen

Invite feedback on how well you’re serving their needs.  Ask them if there’s something you haven’t covered that they’d like to hear more about (or something that they would prefer you cut back on discussing).  It’s not just good manners, it’s fodder for more emails, blog posts, or even new products.

Vote for Becky!

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Becky is vying for the winning spot in the Johnny Bunko contest. Winner gets to go to the TED Conference in Oxford, England! All votes must be cast by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on January 15, 2009. Find out more here.

But hurry, time is running out.

Email Marketing Mistakes That Can Cost You Money

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email marketing In email marketing, there are mistakes, little flubs and errors that we wish we hadn’t made (like spelling errors), and there are MISTAKES. These can cost you customers and cost you money. Some may even trigger lawsuits or complaints. Here are some of the biggest, and how to fix them.

Failure to comply with CAN-SPAM

CAN-SPAM requires that you put a physical address at the bottom of every commercial email: whether or not it’s for a direct sale. This applies to follow-ups, customer service queries, everything. It doesn’t have to be a street address; a P.O. box is OK. Add an opt-out link to every e-mail. Only one click to a single site should be required. You can, however (and this is recommended, see yesterday’s post) allow subscribers to opt-out selectively (keep one newsletter but not another). You may not charge a fee for this. If you don’t include this, and get reported, there are large fines for not complying.

Lack of a privacy policy

Tell your customers what you will (and will not) do with the information they are giving you. Will you share it with affiliates? Sell or rent it to other companies? Spell it out in clear language. People do more business with companies they find trustworthy; a privacy policy is one way of building trust, and attracting more customers.

Deleting landing pages after a campaign

Keep them up for several months. Most of your orders will come in the first six weeks or so, but some may find your offer months later. If a particular promotion has expired, redirect visitors to the current one. That way, you may still get a sale.  Taking the page down right away can cost you future sales.

Too many bounces

Check to see how many of your emails are not being delivered.. Emails can bounce (fail to be delivered for a number of reasons, including challenge-responses (e-mail systems that require a personal note back before accepting delivery), dead e-mail addresses, or a busy server. Have a system in place to manage bounces and clean up dead addresses.

Higher email marketing charges

If your email vendor charges by list size, bad addresses will add to your email marketing bill without adding anything to your revenues.

They’ll also decrease your response rate, as fewer people will receive your message.

If there are enough bounces and bad addresses, it can even overload your host’s servers.

Did You Ask Permission?

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I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what is (and isn’t) OK with permission marketing campaigns, especially email.

We all understand it’s important to get permission for your email marketing (so you don’t look like a spammer), but sometimes the details can be a bit fuzzy.

For example, my online grocer sent me an email today. I’m signed up to receive their weekly newsletter (with deals and weekly specials), but this wasn’t it. I was confused (and annoyed). It seems they’ve started a second newsletter. They never asked me if I wanted it or told me it was coming.

Yes, it’s “kosher” under CAN-SPAM, but it’s not a good idea. This company is irritating me, rather than delighting me.  And, they’re forcing me to say no to something, rather than yes.

So, if you want to start a newsletter, create a course, or add a new side business, make sure you get permission before you start sending it.

Dos and don’ts for getting permission

These apply to both new and existing newsletters.

DO

  • Include a double opt-in on your email list. This is a two-step process requiring new visitors to first click on your link, fill in any requested information, and then confirm their registration through a separate email It sounds complicated, but your email service provider will handle it automatically.
  • Talk to people who want to hear from you. Offer to help people at networking events or on forums. If someone needs a great caterer, and you know one, connect them.
  • Send email and newsletters that are personal, relevant, and anticipated. If someone you talk to at an event expresses an interest in first editions of Nancy Drew mysteries, and you come across one, let them know.
  • Answer questions on your blog. (If you have one, send it to me here).
  • Respond to blog comments (start a conversation).

DON’T

  • Scrape names from Web sites, or pull names from directories.
  • Add names from ccd emails from other people.
  • Use a list that someone gave you.  That’s not permission, it’s spamming.
  • Email people who attended an event you sponsored. It’s a bit better if that was clearly stated in advance as part of the registration process; but even then it’s annoying.
  • Assume that signing up for an event at  your bar or restaurant equals permission to promote other, unrelated events or lunch specials.

Get permission for a second newsletter

If you already have a newsletter and want to start a new one, first, tell your readers about the new offering in your existing newsletter.  Announce it over a period of several issues (days, weeks, months, however often you send it).  Subscribers may miss one.  You might also follow up with people who didn’t open the initial email. Send them a separate announcement.

Second, when you make the announcement, ask readers to click on the link to sign up. Make this double opt-in (sign up email and confirmation email), just like your initial newsletter.  You don’t want people signing up by mistake.  And, Canada now requires proof of permission as part of their “CAN-SPAM” law.

Third, add the sign-up for the new newsletter to your home page, social media campaigns, and other relevant places.  Make the link easy to find.

As you build the list offer the subscribers to either newsletter the option of getting the other one.

Add the sign up for the new publication on your home page. Also include it in your social media campaigns and other relevant places (Facebook wall, Google+ profile, etc.)

If you do send a sample to your existing subscribers, make it clear that it’s a one-time thing, and you won’t send another one unless they sign up for it.

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com

Let’s Get Personal

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A letter addressed without a name looks almost as odd as this sign. Personalizing a direct marketing or sales letter costs a bit more, but it’s worth the money. Everyone likes to see their own name in print, and using the prospect’s name immediately establishes relevancy — hey, this is for me!

You can personalize direct mail print letters by adding an extra field in your database for a salutation, and, if you like, add more references throughout the letter with additional fields. You don’t need fancy software, a mail merge in Word will do the trick.

You can do the same thing in an email with a bit of code added to your email messages (check with your email provider on how to do this).

On the Web, use a personalized URL (PURL) with a matching landing page. You can then track the visits and the clicks for each one.

image from Natalie Maynor on Flickr