Bulk Email Marketing
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Bulk Email Marketing
Author: David Peterson
Date Added: Wednesday May 26th, 2004
Category: Web Marketing
I'm only a businessman not a lawyer or politician. I don't
condemn or condone bulk Email marketing.
This is what I know for a fact: People hate advertising.
It doesn't matter if it's a TV commercial, a banner
advertisement, a radio spot, a billboard, or a single Email
advertisement - it doesn't matter what medium is delivering the
advertisement. Somebody somewhere hates the ad.
Bulk Email Marketing has been given a public black eye. Most
of it is deserved. Millions upon million of Viagra emails,
weight loss emails, or even worse, "sexy hot girls next door";
emails have literally stunned the Email using public. This
type of Email is called UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email).
Basically we are so tired of hitting our delete button that
Bulk Email Marketing is quickly loosing its effectiveness.
On one of my own sites the general Email box is so filled with
junk that I currently have over 1,900 emails that need to be
deleted. Personally I don't complain, I just hit the "delete all"
button.
I still believe that Bulk Email Marketing can be a huge boost to
your business. HOWEVER, that huge boost can only be achieved if
your email list is generated in legitimate ways.
Legitimate ways means that if you just purchased 1 million email
names for $19.00 you are probably in serious trouble. For
starters you can probably expect your website to be shut
down in about 2 hours after sending out your first bulk
email marketing campaign. Hosting companies do not mess
around with people connected to "UCE" (Unsolicited Commercial
Email). Secondly the search engines will probably drop your site
due to SPAM complaints. Finally, some very mean people will be
calling your home. I mean very scary and very mean people.
People are passionate about SPAM. People who hate SPAM will
find you. Beginners don't even think about this point. There
is a lot of information on the web. If you SPAM you will be
found.
Legitimate email means that the people receiving your email are
expecting to receive some mail from you periodically. Legitimate
means that the Email list is at least "double opt-in."
if not "triple opt-in." Also the people who want to "Opt Out"
of your list have an easy way to do just that.
The good news is that all of the UCE (SPAM) in the world is
making Email marketing less cost effective. Eventually the
SPAM issue will be solved with a postage type of delivery. This
means that every email that you send will cost you a few pennies.
This will keep the mass SPAMMERS out of your Email box. Or
a less drastic method of enforcement will be some type of
"DO NOT SPAM" list that will be placed in effect.
There is a 2003 "CAN SPAM" Act that was just produced from Congress.
This is just the beginning. Expect a few more as people try to
get a handle on all of this Email.
What the above anti SPAM measures will do is to make your email
list that much more effective. In other words people will look at
the mail from people they know.
The Email CPA (Cost Per Action / Sale) deals will become harder
to come by, Yet those that you can get will be much more effective
as the UCE is eliminated.
I still like Email as a marketing tool. However, your email
list has to be legitimate or your prospects will just hit the
"delete all" button. Check you list before beginning a
campaign. Ask to speak with current customers using the list.
Ask those customers what percentage of SPAM complaints that they
are getting.
The bottom line is that your advertising campaign should produce
sales - not problems, or even worse death threats. Put your
money in an advertising campaign that will produce. Pay attention
to the list that you are purchasing. If it looks to good to be
true then it definitely is going to come back and haunt you.
The author, David Peterson, has been a successful sales
manager at several telemarketing and traditional brick
and mortar businesses. The above article is an excerpt from
the new eBook I can't see you! http://www.icantseeyou.com.
He also has written a successful home-based business eBook
called Been There - Done That, which can be found at
http://www.beentheredonethatebook.com.
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