Are you a Spammer?

Started by Zekecamusio, 05-11-2011, 10:51:40

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ZekecamusioTopic starter

Raise your hand if you get a lot of spam in your inbox every day. I know I do and I'm sure you do, too. Now, if you're a business owner, I'm sure you use email to communicate with your customers and subscribers. But your stuff isn't spam, right? Just everyone else's, but definitely not yours!

We all feel this way. I spoke at a conference in Vancouver last month and someone asked me, "how do you know if you're spamming?" It took me a couple of seconds to think about the right answer, and finally this is what I said: "Think about the context in which your subscribers and customers gave you their contact information." You see, it's all about expectations. If I sign up to get your weekly newsletter, I expect one email a week with your newsletter. Nothing else, nothing more. Let me give you a few examples.

    If someone buys something from you, don't assume they're interested in getting your weekly specials. Ask them.
    If you're planning to increase the frequency of your emails, let your subscribers know so they know what to expect.
    If you give away a free ebook, report or video, and your plan is to give them away in exchange for an email address so you can follow up with your prospects, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just make sure you are upfront with your prospects about what they can expect.
    Don't automatically put people in email lists that they didn't request to be in. If you want to do that, ask them first and let them know what they can expect (how often you're planning on communicating and what kind of communication you plan on sending.)

It's all about setting the right expectations and fulfilling your promises. Please share this article on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or by email so we can build a better world (with less spam).


Vaishali Yadav

Quote from: Zekecamusio on 05-11-2011, 10:51:40
Raise your hand if you get a lot of spam in your inbox every day. I know I do and I'm sure you do, too. Now, if you're a business owner, I'm sure you use email to communicate with your customers and subscribers. But your stuff isn't spam, right? Just everyone else's, but definitely not yours!

We all feel this way. I spoke at a conference in Vancouver last month and someone asked me, "how do you know if you're spamming?" It took me a couple of seconds to think about the right answer, and finally this is what I said: "Think about the context in which your subscribers and customers gave you their contact information." You see, it's all about expectations. If I sign up to get your weekly newsletter, I expect one email a week with your newsletter. Nothing else, nothing more. Let me give you a few examples.

    If someone buys something from you, don't assume they're interested in getting your weekly specials. Ask them.
    If you're planning to increase the frequency of your emails, let your subscribers know so they know what to expect.
    If you give away a free ebook, report or video, and your plan is to give them away in exchange for an email address so you can follow up with your prospects, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just make sure you are upfront with your prospects about what they can expect.
    Don't automatically put people in email lists that they didn't request to be in. If you want to do that, ask them first and let them know what they can expect (how often you're planning on communicating and what kind of communication you plan on sending.)

It's all about setting the right expectations and fulfilling your promises. Please share this article on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or by email so we can build a better world (with less spam).
well said. All are spamming in one or the other way. Lol
  •  


Neel Patel

Quote from: Zekecamusio on 05-11-2011, 10:51:40
Raise your hand if you get a lot of spam in your inbox every day. I know I do and I'm sure you do, too. Now, if you're a business owner, I'm sure you use email to communicate with your customers and subscribers. But your stuff isn't spam, right? Just everyone else's, but definitely not yours!

We all feel this way. I spoke at a conference in Vancouver last month and someone asked me, "how do you know if you're spamming?" It took me a couple of seconds to think about the right answer, and finally this is what I said: "Think about the context in which your subscribers and customers gave you their contact information." You see, it's all about expectations. If I sign up to get your weekly newsletter, I expect one email a week with your newsletter. Nothing else, nothing more. Let me give you a few examples.

    If someone buys something from you, don't assume they're interested in getting your weekly specials. Ask them.
    If you're planning to increase the frequency of your emails, let your subscribers know so they know what to expect.
    If you give away a free ebook, report or video, and your plan is to give them away in exchange for an email address so you can follow up with your prospects, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just make sure you are upfront with your prospects about what they can expect.
    Don't automatically put people in email lists that they didn't request to be in. If you want to do that, ask them first and let them know what they can expect (how often you're planning on communicating and what kind of communication you plan on sending.)

It's all about setting the right expectations and fulfilling your promises. Please share this article on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or by email so we can build a better world (with less spam).

No, I'm Not.! and for sure i will share this in my group.!

reputationplanners

#3
I completely agree with you. It is important for businesses to understand the expectations of their subscribers and customers when it comes to email communication. By being transparent and upfront about what kind of emails will be sent and how often, businesses can avoid being seen as spam. It's all about building trust and delivering on the promises made to subscribers and customers.

Knowing if you're spamming can be determined by assessing a few factors:

1. Consent: Do you have explicit permission from recipients to send them emails? If you're sending unsolicited emails or adding people to your email list without their consent, there's a higher chance of being seen as spam.

2. Relevance: Are the emails you're sending aligned with what recipients signed up for? If you're sending unrelated content or bombarding them with excessive emails, it can be considered spam.

3. Frequency: How often are you sending emails? If you're sending emails too frequently, it may overwhelm recipients and lead to unsubscribes or spam complaints.

4. Opt-out options: Are you providing easy and clear ways for recipients to opt out of receiving further emails? Ensuring that recipients can easily unsubscribe or manage their email preferences demonstrates respect for their choices.

5. Response rates: Monitor how recipients engage with your emails. Low open rates, high spam complaints, or a lack of meaningful responses may indicate that your emails are being perceived as spam.

it's crucial to abide by anti-spam laws and industry best practices to maintain a positive sender reputation and ensure your emails are well-received.

damponting44

It's important to understand the rules and risks involved. If you're interested in learning more, MailChimp has a great collection of email marketing resources that are easy to read and understand.