However, the line between marketing and spamming is woefully thin. Learning to recognize this line and stay on the right side of it will affect not only your marketing success but also your reputation.
Email spamming is sending unsolicited email to a large number of recipients. While you might get a sale or two with this type of email marketing, you are more likely to annoy recipients and risk them deleting your messages and reporting you as a spammer.
Here are some practical tips for avoiding the spam category:
The Email Marketing List
- Develop a list. Provide a way for people interested in your offerings to opt into your email messages. Add a subscribe form to your website that allows people to join your list and receive information from you. Often, people subscribe for email newsletters, product updates, free courses and news blasts. You can then send your email marketing messages to the people on your list without fear of being labeled a spammer.
- Make unsubscribing easy. Provide subscribers with an easy way out. Start by including a confirmation link in the welcome email you send to individuals who join your list. Subscribers have to click the link to confirm that they want to subscribe. This way, anyone who subscribed without meaning to can opt out right away. It’s also wise to include instructions for unsubscribing in every email. This prevents recipients from feeling trapped and labeling you a spammer.
Your Messages
- Only send useful information. Even list subscribers expect you to limit your contact to valuable information. Before you send an email marketing message, evaluate whether a subscriber will have an interest in the information. For example, your prospects might be interested in reading about new products, sales and industry news, but they probably won’t want to read irrelevant personal stories or receive ads for unrelated products and services.
- Limit email frequency. Avoid emailing your list more than twice per week. You are more likely to meet your email marketing goals if your prospects don’t feel harassed by constant contact from you.
Email marketing can be a powerful part of your overall marketing plan. Keep your focus on building your subscriber list and delivering valuable content. By doing so, you’ll avoid the spammer accusation and maximize campaign effectiveness.
