Email Marketing Tips

Before incorporating email marketing approaches into one’s advertising strategies, business professionals must be aware of best practice behaviors and avoid any actions that create problems rather than solutions. Some marketing campaigns utilize a broad sowing technique whereby emails are sent out in large numbers to random users. This indiscriminant mailing, however, can result in more negative than positive results and has actually precipitated legal action in the past. In 2003, for example, the CAN-SPAM Act arose from the great number of consumer complaints against receiving what we now know as spam emails.

The law dictates that:

• Agreement or ‘consent’ must be established between the business and the consumer. The customer has to accept an invitation from the company for receiving emails.
• The content of these business mailings must not be false. Use of deceptive subjects and fake email addresses are prohibited and punishable by law.
• Those who have subscribed to receive mailings must be given an option to unsubscribe from the service.
• Businesses that hire third-party email marketing services are still held accountable for following the dictates of the law.
• Businesses must declare that their email message is an advertisement.
• Marketing emails should contain a physical address of the business or P.O Box number.

Email Marketing Best Practices

To ensure that one’s business utilizes best practices in regard to email marketing, following a strict protocol is advisable. Before ever engaging in email marketing with one’s client base, first seek permission from your clients and seek to personalize those mailings as much as possible. Include an option for customers to share their interests and preferences when they are joining your email list. With the information that the client provides, business professionals can tailor craft a marketing strategy that caters to the specific needs and interests of each client.

Refrain from overusing an email marketing campaign by sending emails too frequently. Send emails according to your content and when the timing of the correspondence relates to time-sensitive promotions. If you are marketing electronic devices, for instance, it would be appropriate to send an email daily related to discount deals on electronics.

As long as one’s business follows the directives outlined by the CAN-SPAM Act, email marketers can rest easy about incorporating this advertising tool into their overall marketing portfolio. Failure to do so, however, will not only engender annoyance in your constituents but might also result in a class action suit.

What are some email marketing mistakes that you often see being made?