How One Click Can Sink Your Email Program

Christopher S. Penn speaking at PodCamp NH 2010

When it comes to email marketing, there are lots of things that can go wrong, but the real ship sinker, according to Christoper S. Penn, is to have someone click the “report as spam” button on an email you send.  Chris was a recent guest speaker at PodCamp NH, where ActiveEdge’s Diane Vautier also was a guest session leader.

The “report as spam” button adds your name to a Black List that identifies you as an unsolicited emailer (or spammer) and could potentially shut down your email program entirely.  Now, assuming you’ve been carefully cultivating your in-house list and been vigilantly maintaining what you thought was a clean list, this may come as quite a shock.  If the recipient originally opted-in, why are they now reporting the email as spam?

Apparently, email recipients will use whatever tool or button is most convenient for them to manage their inbox. Typically the “report as spam” button is located at the top of the page and is easier to find and click on than the unsubscribe options. The tendency then is to use the “report as spam” button instead of scrolling to the bottom of the email to “unsubscribe”.

Although “report spam” is NOT a substitute for unsubscribe, time-pressed users may choose it anyway just to save a few mouse clicks.

So, how do marketers avoid this killer click? Chris suggests adding an opt-out path at the top of the email. Some may find this to be counter-intuitive, but Chris has found that doing so, actually retains users and reduces the chance that they’ll take the path of least resistance when it comes to managing their inbox.

Do you offer an easy unsubscribe option on your email?

Email Marketing Gets a Bum Wrap

Email gets a bum wrap, but despite its reputation as nothing more than spam, email marketing has and continues to be an economical and targeted way of communicating with customers and prospects alike.  In fact, it’s one of the most expedient and measurable means of direct marketing. 

eMarketer (6/12/09) cited email marketing as the second most effective online marketing tactic, behind search marketing.  That sort of ROI accountability can be especially useful when every penny of your marketing budget has to perform at its best.

In addition to being ROI friendly, email marketing has tremendous flexibility in how it is used as a tool.   What’s more, it can be used alone or in combination with other media to boost campaign effectiveness.

Here are just a few ways adding email can give your marketing plan a boost without busting your budget.
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Build Customer Loyalty Through Email Marketing

In a challenging economy, how do you engage your customers and ensure that when they are spending money, they are spending it with you? The answer is professional and consistent communication.

In any business, you want to ensure that when your current or potential customers have a project to do that you are top of mind, meaning that when they are thinking about doing business, they are thinking about you.

Consistent communication is the key to keeping yourself top of mind. However, doing so can become very expensive very quickly. Email marketing is a cost efficient way to both maintain and engage your current and potential customer base.

Email marketing is effective because of the following.
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