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Avoidable Opt-In Email Mistakes:
8 Mistakes to Avoid in the Coming Year
Overview
Opt-in email is arguably the most powerful tool available
for you to communicate with your customers, prospects,
investors, and employees. However, with that power,
there is a lot of danger. If you misuse opt-in email, you
run the risk of losing customers, being labeled a
Spammer, and having your ISP revoke your access to
the Internet. This marketing note will cover some
common mistakes that senders often make and how you
can avoid them.
Mistake #1: Sending HTML Without Asking
A colleague recently received a message from an
organization informing them that the organization has
upgraded their email system and will now be offering
their email newsletter in HTML format. The message
went on to tell them that they were automatically signed
up for the HTML version and in order to continue to get
the text version, they would have to opt-out of the HTML
version and sign-up for the text version.
The problem with this automatic conversion and opt-out
strategy is twofold:
Not everyone uses an email client that can handle HTML
messages, so the messages that they will now receive
will not be readable.
Just because someone can read an HTML message, it
doesn't mean that they want HTML messages. Some
people access their email using a slow link or perhaps
they often read their messages while offline and thus
get annoyed by HTML messages.
With response rates that are sometimes twice as high
for HTML vs. text messages, it's no wonder that this
organization wanted to convert their text recipients to
HTML. However, the only thing that can come of sending
opt-in list unreadable or undesirable messages is a lot of
people unsubscribing from their list.
Ideally, what they should have done is sent a message
to their opt-in list that announced the availability of their
new HTML message and it's benefits (easier to read,
pretty graphics, etc.) and asked them to opt-in to the
new format. Their conversion rate would have been
lower, but their recipients would have been much
happier and their unsubscribe rate wouldn't have been
nearly as high.
Mistake #2: Email ing Recipients Without Their Permission
(aka Spamming)
Having an email address and having permission to mail
to that address are not one in the same. Many
marketers collect email addresses via a variety of
channels (website, trade shows, product registration)
but forget to ask if they can use email to communicate
with that person. Getting permission is vital to
developing successful campaigns and building solid
relationships with your recipients. Don't forget – spam is
in the eye of the recipient.
So to avoid the possibility of sending unsolicited email,
be sure to ask your customers, site visitors, etc. if they'd
like to subscribe to your email list when you collect their
email address. If you already have a significant
database and would like to learn how you can get the
people in that database to opt-in to your email list, read
the BoldFish Marketing Note, “How to Convert Your
Direct Mail List to an Opt-in Email List.”
Mistake #3: Not Testing
The only way to ensure that you're getting the most out
of your email campaigns is to test each aspect of your
message. Test different subject lines, different offers,
different graphics, different layouts, different
segmentations of your list and anything else you can
think of.
Approximately 90% of responses to an email campaign
happen within 48 hours. This quick turn around makes it
extremely easy for you to test the various parts of your
message on small parts of your list, analyze the results,
and send out the most successful combination to the
rest of your list. If you test the various aspects of your
messages and campaigns, you are much more likely to
see the high returns you are looking for.
Mistake #4: Not Doing Your Homework
Staying on top of the newest software products or
legislation can only help you in your email marketing
efforts. Is there new software that will make it easier or
more cost-effective for you to create, send, and/or track
your email campaigns? Can rich media bring added value
to your messages? Is there a new legislation that may
affect your email campaigns? Being knowledgeable
about the newest offerings in the industry can help you
maintain an efficient email marketing program, a happy
subscriber base, and may even help you stay within the
law.
Mistake #5: Forgetting to Set Goals
What do you want to accomplish in the year 2001?
Setting goals for your campaigns helps you to create
more valuable content and gives you something to strive
for. Without resetting and revisiting goals on a regular
basis, it's extremely easy to get complacent which would
all but guarantee that you're not going to get the most
out of your opt-in list.
Your goals could be as simple as increasing your
subscriber list by a certain amount each month or week,
or increasing your click-through or conversion rates by a
certain percentage. Think about what your organization
is trying to accomplish as a whole and develop email
campaign goals that make sense.
Mistake #6: Wasting Your Customer's Time
Make sure the email you send is relevant and something
they want to see. Revisit the mission for your opt-in list
that you have on your signup page and respect that. If
you stated that you would only send company news to
your list, don't send sale announcements to the list. If
you feel that you need an outlet to distribute this
information, create another list and invite subscribers to
sign up via the same channels from which you built your
news list. There is nothing worse than your customers
opening up their email box and finding information they
aren't interested in, and didn't ask for. This may be
perceived as Spam, and you could face some serious
repercussions like getting your web site shut down by
your ISP.
Mistake #7:Assuming a Good Click-Through Rate Means
You Should Email More Often
So you email to your list on a weekly basis and get an
outstanding response rate. In fact, your click-through
rates are off the charts! They're so good that you don't
think there's any way you can improve them. So you
decide to email your recipients twice a week or even
daily as you think that's the only way to increase the
number of responses. But once you increase your
frequency, you notice that people are unsubscribing from
your list in droves. Email ing too much can alienate your
subscribers and cause your unsubscribe rates to
skyrocket. Worse yet, emailing more than the recipient
requested can be perceived as Spam. If you want to
change the frequency of your mailings, ask your
customers for their permission. If you make the decision
for your subscribers, you risk losing them.
Mistake #8: Leaving Out Unsubscribe Information
One of the quickest ways to upset your subscribers and
be labeled as a Spammer is to forget to include or to
obfuscate the unsubscribe directions in your emails. You
must provide an easy way for your readers to get off of
your mailing list in every message. Omitting a way to
unsubscribe will only frustrate your recipients, who may
report you to anti-spam organizations such as MAPS.
Worse yet, your brand may be tarnished in the minds of
your frustrated recipients.
Always provide clear unsubscribe information in every
message you send out. This will show your commitment
to responsible email marketing and you'll keep your
recipients happier.
_____________________________________________
This article has been re-printed by
with permission from BoldFish, Inc.
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