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Opt-In Overkill
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David Barrett
daveemoneymonthly.com
eMoney Monthly
http://www.eMoneyMonthly.com
Opt-In Overkill
By Dave Barrett
If you're in business online, then you probably already know
how important it is to build your own opt-in mailing list.
When a subscriber opts-in to your list, they are giving you
permission to send them email. That doesn't mean you should
send email after email after email without discretion. It's
just as important not to abuse your privileges.
I often wonder why some opt-in list owners feel it's
necessary to bombard their subscribers with a deluge of
email. I know of some list owners who send out as many as
ten emails in a single day! To me, this seems excessive.
Sure, we all know that opt-in advertising is by far the most
effective, but by flooding your subscriber's inbox with
email, you run the risk of alienating or angering them. At
best they'll only unsubscribe; at worst they'll report you
for spamming.
Spam is a big enough problem as it is. Don't add to it by
over emailing to your subscribers. Just because they've
opted-in to your list doesn't give you a license to send
email at will. There's an old saying that goes, "Just
because you CAN do something, doesn't mean that you SHOULD."
Don't let greed get in the way of common sense. Sure, you
can make a ton of money selling solo ads and classifieds to
send out to your list, but what good is it if you just end
up making them mad? There's another old saying; "Don't
bite the hand that feeds you."
The last thing you want to do is turn off your subscribers.
Unless you've discovered some kind of "magic bullet" for
recruiting new subscribers, it's probably taken you a long
time to build your list. Your goal is to constantly add
new subscribers, not lose the ones you already have.
If you over-market, your subscribers will just delete your
emails without even opening them. What good does that do?
Your advertisers will stop advertising if your list is
ineffective, and your subscribers will just opt-out if you
send too many emails. Ultimately, you'll end up with no
advertisers and no subscribers.
I'm not saying you shouldn't market to your list, or sell
solo or classified ads. What I am saying is don't sell so
many that you're flooding your subscriber's inbox with a lot
of unwanted ads. That's the sort of thing that gives
marketers a bad name. A reasonable amount, say two or three
solo ads a week plus your newsletter, is ok. Five or ten
emails a day is overkill.
It seems as though some list owners have forgotten the
Golden Rule of marketing; treat your subscribers with
respect, and they'll reward you by being loyal customers.
This seems like such a simple concept, yet I'm still amazed
at how many online marketers ignore this basic principle.
Opt-in email marketing can be a virtual gold mine if it's
done responsibly. When you only send a limited amount of
email, it is perceived as much more valuable. Be selective
about what and how often you advertise, and your
subscribers will come to expect only quality products from
you. Your email will stand a much better chance of actually
being read, your advertisers will get a much higher
response, and you'll earn a reputation as a high-quality
list owner.
Remember, your subscribers will only stay on your list if
they are happy with what you have to offer them. If you
upset them by sending too many emails, or offer any old
thing just because someone paid for an ad, you run the risk
of sabotaging your reputation and your list. In the end,
it's up to you to decide how much is too much.
Copyright © 2002 Dave Barrett
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