How to Avoid the Devastating Email Marketing Mistakes
By: Serge Dandelin
Submitted: 2008-06-19 04:45:08 | Word Count: 565
We read it everywhere, whether in specialized publications or on our forum that the future of online marketing and customer relationship involves emailing. Indeed, email marketing is a formidable tool to consolidate the relationship with the customer, however, this same tool can be devastating if you do not make it right. Here are seven points to monitor in particular.
1 Contact only people who have subscribed.
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If you contact people who do not wish to receive your messages, you ll quickly be termed as a spammer and even more quickly lose all your credibility and your chances of profitability.
If you are talking to people of high quality (CEOs, etc. ...), it is strongly recommended that you opt for a double confirmation solution: the visitor asks to receive messages by ticking the appropriate box and then must return an email to confirm its inclusion.
2 Allow readers to unsubscribe.
Your goal should be to create a list with people qualified and willing to receive your messages. Making unsubscribe complex or even inaccessible do not help you to achieve this goal. In any case, remember that if your messages are interesting, the recipients will remain subscribers.
3 Develop a policy of respect for information.
Make a document detailing exactly what you are doing with data that are transmitted. Specify that you will not transfer information to third parties. It is imperative that you adhere to this policy.
4 Declare your list to the official.
If you re in France, the creation of any file containing personal data must be reported to the CNIL (National Data and freedoms http://www.cnil.fr). This statement is free.
In other countries, similar procedures exist and in other places, even if the declaration is not mandatory, the law clearly defines the framework to use with the gathered data. Be sure to be in good standing to avoid problems later.
5 Confirm all by email.
Written confirmation is one of your best weapons to ensure the quality of your list. If the email address does not exist, your response will bounce and you can take the appropriate corrective measures. If it is the address of another person who has never heard of you, this person will contact you probably so you update your base. Do not forget to explain the unsubscription method in this email.
6 Measure the results.
To keep any value to your list and that you can make the best, you need to know what is interesting to your recipients. Develop tools for tracking covering key areas: number of readers, many answers, clickthrough rate, the rate of processing and above all the unsubscribe rate. If a list loses 30 of its members following a message, it is vital that you discover the reason.
7 Keep in mind the power network.
On the Internet, as in the offline world, bad news travels faster than good. The same is true for rumors and users experiences. A dissatisfied customer can easily post a devastating message in newsgroups or on other sites and it will be very difficult to get back your credibility. Make sure, therefore, to treat each person with respect and limit the possible causes of discontent.
These are the most common email marketing mistakes done by internet marketers. Make sure to review the above mentioned mistakes. That way you will ensure yourself to generate more money and profits out of your e mail marketing campaign.
