|
Rule One: Send your lists only to the willing.
Rule Two: Every email should include  information to make it easy for subscribers to leave the list. Software can normally automate the removals. Prepare, however, for a human to intervene if need be. Supply his or her email address. Be only a wanted guest inside your customers' mailboxes.
Rule Three: Ask yourself, "What do they want to read, and how often?"
Rule Four: It should also be easy for subscribers' friends to subscribe from pass-along copies.
Rule Five: If you have a list, put a signup box on the home page of your Web site. You may even want a box or a list link to be on all inside pages. Depends on the circumstances.
Rule Six: Don't even do a mailing list if you lack the time and resources to do a good job. Or at least do not publish it often. A light-traffic mailing list is better than nothing at all.
|
Email lists can be a powerful way to keep your names before customers. Unlike Web sites, email automatically pops up before the eyes of the people you're trying to reach. In fact, lists can be a terrific driver of traffic to your site. Your customers will see your corporate name in the subject line--right along with their must-read messages from business associates or Aunt Jenny.
That is both the curse and the glory of the lists. The curse is that too many businesses inflict email on the unwilling. But with the right content, email lists can indeed woo interested prospects, the kind most likely to buy.
David can assist in many ways. He'll:
- Help you determine if you a mailing list would serve your needs in the first place.
- Choose the right list service. You may be able to get away with a free, ad-supported service, but do you want the service to be able to insert its own advertising? Might matter. Might not.
.
- Help you purchase names of people who want to get mail from you. No spamming! Of course you can use your newsletters, your brochures and other print publications to attract subscribers.
- Aid you in deciding what information should be on the list.
- Let you transmit your voice and perhaps even a video to interested people on the list. They can click on a link to hear and see you.
- Come up with the look of the email. If you want a fancy Weblike format, David can accommodate you. Keep in mind that email newsletters with the fancy formats can take more time to prepare.
- Blend your email list in with your Web site.
- Show you how to transmit to the list. It's a cinch if you're not using the Weblike format, but even that is getting much easier because of the new technology.
- If you want your listmails to be more polished than now, and if you have the budget, you can pay David to create them.
Costs
As noted, the smallest businesses may do fine with free email lists. Or they may determine that a $25-$50-a-month arrangement is just fine. These costs do not include David's charges of $50 an hour for creating content, or third-party charges for coming up with the names of interested recipients. What's more, there will be additional costs for audio and video capabilities.
|
|
|
