I received a letter last week from an avid reader and customer. He wrote about a frustrating situation he found himself in. He’s not the first to write about this particular issue, so I felt he should address it.
The guy who wrote the email was new to internet marketing and had a limited budget, so he was using various low-cost advertising resources. These were mainly made up of free newsgroups and classified sites. As many marketers know, advertising in this way can be very time consuming and the results are not always positive.
His email was something like this…
“I think I’m getting more spam instead of making sales and generating leads. I have offers telling me that bulk email works better than any other type of internet marketing. I’m considering it, but is there anything I should do first?
Well here are the facts…
Basically, there are two forms of direct email marketing.
1. “Unsolicited bulk email”
2. Opt for direct email
“Unsolicited bulk email”
This is done by sending a large number of emails to many “unqualified” mailing lists.
This method is really very controversial. You should be careful if you consider using mass email to advertise and market your products on the Internet.
Why do you ask? It’s only your reputation that’s at stake here, that’s why.
People on the Internet don’t like unsolicited mass emails. You’ve probably heard of it called by the more popular name for it, “spam.” (He became famous for the Monty Python skit, “Spam! Spam! Spam!”) Online, spam refers to the direct sending of unsolicited email to unsuspecting mailing lists or newsgroups.
But what makes bulk email so popular? Simple. It’s much cheaper than using the old bulk snail mail. The costs of using the traditional bulk mail service will take away a lot of potential profit. Shipping costs by themselves can bankrupt you. By contrast, bulk email is cheap. Very cheap.
So why don’t you give it a try?
The reason is just as simple, most Internet users consider unsolicited bulk email to be bad “netiquette.” You can get yourself into a lot of trouble if you send unsolicited email to people who don’t want commercial email. Just think how many people you would annoy.
Hmm. What kind of problems are we talking about here?
A. Since many, many people on the Internet DO NOT approve of receiving spam, they WILL COMPLAIN to their Internet Service Provider (ISP).
B. Many ISPs will suspend or terminate your account when they receive enough complaints from recipients of your spam email.
Would spamming your ads to unsuspecting and probably unwitting recipients really work? Would you get any clues that she’s really interested along with all those llamas? Of course he can. Are the negative impacts of mass mailing worth it? NO.
It’s your business and ultimately it will be your decision. But if you want to be sure, you better take a look at the next type of direct email marketing.
Direct Subscription Email
Direct “opt-in” email is sending commercial emails to people who HAVE approved to receive commercial emails. If you’re really interested in trying mass email marketing but don’t want to risk the downsides of unsolicited mass email, you might want to try hiring companies that specialize in direct email. Or you can use list management software like iContact Pro.
In addition to advertising in ezines, such as my BizWeb Gazette, you can try “renting” direct email subscription lists. These lists are targeted mailing lists that provide marketers with a “politically correct” method of reaching their target audience online. Your emails or ads will be sent to a specific list, saving you the worry of getting angry email responses, complaints or ISP cancellations. All recipients have “opted in” to receive messages like yours.
Even if this direct targeted email marketing can be more expensive than unsolicited bulk email marketing, it is much more effective. Here are some resources for specific subscription lists that you can use:
MeMail, Bulletmail, Advertisin.com, E-Target, Targ-It, PostMaster Direct, Htmail, The Direct Email List Source.