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Email Marketing - Best Practices For Advisors Should Not Include Spyware

Posted on March 7, 2008 - Filed Under Business, Internet

A week or so ago we got a call from one of our customers who wanted to know if we did ‘email capture’. We explained that his website visitors can sign up for a newsletter, request information or enroll for an event and when they did that they supplied their email address.

No, that’s not what he was looking for, he said. He had heard about some software that could be put on a web page that would spy on visitors and capture their email address. This is a form of spyware. And no, we don’t offer anything like this. But it raises some important questions about email and why you need to be completely permission based with your email marketing.

So what’s the goal? To grow a large list or create new clients? If the goal is create new clients, then they have to be reading your messages. If your emails are blocked by the ISP, or put in the Junk folder or deleted, you don’t accomplish the goal. The best way to get your messages read is to be a ‘Trusted Sender’ in the eyes of your recipient.

There’s no doubt that email is an important marketing and communications tool. Many baby boomers really prefer email over snail mail. You need, however, to proceed cautiously as you build your email marketing efforts. One study I read said that AOL is currently blocking about 75% of the 2 billion emails it receives each day. Most other ISPs are reporting similar numbers. So, the first challenge is to get past the ‘post office’ and into the targeted inbox. The consumers then deploy a variety of spam checking technology to filter what they receive from their ISP. Once the email is actually in their Inbox, tracking studies tell us that you have 4 to 6 seconds to convince the recipient to read your message.

Build Your Reputation, Not Your List Getting through this labyrinth is not an easy task. It all starts with permission. When the customer gives you their email address, they are giving you permission. There’s a concept called ‘Permission for Value’. This means the consumer will give you permission to send them email in exchange for something of value. For example, a client will give you permission to send them email in exchange for a subscription to your e-newsletter. Getting permission is the right way to start an email relationship. But, you need to respect the relationship in order to keep your good reputation. A good reputation is what makes you a ‘trusted sender’ in the eyes of your customer. If you abuse the permission or send spam or junk mail, they will turn you off.

What’s deliverability about? Deliverability addresses getting your emails into the clients’ Inbox. Your email service provider might tell you that they sent so many and so many bounced but they probably can’t tell you if it actually got through the labyrinth and into the client’s Inbox. If you get a bad reputation, ISPs will blacklist you and won’t deliver your emails to the clients’ Inboxes.

Here are some Best Practices:

At http://www.BuildYourMarket.com we have always been a permission-based email marketer. We are constantly surveying and polling our target audience to learn more about their issues and challenges. Our content team is creating new, relevant content every month. Join us for a demo and see how we can help you grow your business.

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