We don’t want to go on about spam too much but businesses need to know: it’s a very bad idea to spam people.
Blanket emails to all and sundry will annoy people. More than that, poorly targetted emails and messaging will damage your reputation and brand. What’s more – you could get yourself blacklisted on your web domain or even fined. Legislation is coming down hard on spammers.
To avoid being labelled as a spammer:
1. Subject box – avoid exclamation marks, the word “FREE”, don’t use tricks to get the customer to open the email and do not leave the subject box blank either.
2. Check your spelling! We received an email from “Egg” credit cards with “We’re shore you’ll love what we’ve got” in the subject box. Illiterate fools.
3. Ensure all links and email return addresses work.
4. Don’t make claims in the email that you cannot substantiate. Your pitch must be accurate and not misleading or confusing.
5. Keep the wording (copy) short and to the point. Long winded emails, especially those that have “A Capital Letter At The Start Of Every Word On Every Line” may look like spam and are often associated with get-rich-quick schemes.
6. Ensure that you include a removal request link and make sure that those people who do request removal are removed from your mailing list quickly.
7. Don’t send irrelevant emails to people that don’t want to know. Are ALL the customers on your database going to need the same message? For example, we had a “thank you for your repeat loyalty” email from one company. We have only ever made an enquiry with them. The email campaign they sent out went to everyone. It got deleted as it’s pretty poor when you don’t even know who your customers are.
So, beware! Once your reputation has been damaged it is VERY difficult to regain trust in communicating with your customers.
Emerald Frog Marketing don’t do spam. We produce accurately messaged, targeted email campaigns that uphold the quality of your brand. Contact us to find out more!
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