FireStarter: Permission, do you have it?

Permission, do you have it?

You either have it or you don’t. It really is that easy.

Having permission opens up a world of opportunity with new and existing customers that can bring you new business and open doors you never thought possible.

If you don’t have permission - contacts will be burned, un-subscribes will reach new and unexpected heights. Before you know it, you’ll be selling Viagra before the year is out (yes this is extreme example but I think you get the point!)

So let’s look at what you have to be to earn and keep your permission.

You are honest and forthright

Remind your recipients the reason for them receiving this email. Reminding your subscribers why they joined your list in the first place will add credibility to your communication. The same is true regardless of whether they are a prospect that expressed interest, a client you want to keep in touch with or one of your treasured clients, it puts the email into some kind of context for them. This serves to differentiate your communication from their unwanted mail.

You are reliable

Allow subscribers to receive exactly what they want to hear about. Depending on the size of your list or product/service you may communicate separately on a number of different issues. The point is, if you offer it, deliver it. After all not delivering on your promises isn’t going to throw a bad light on your business is it?

It really comforts subscribers to know when they ask for your Friday Club News that they will not hear about Saturday or Sunday. More importantly that they actually receive it in time to use it i.e. before Friday!

You are specific

Be about who you are and what address your email is coming from. You may want to let subscribers know what your emails will look like in the “From:” and “Subject:” line so that they will be expecting you.

You are respectful

Permission is given. Treating your subscribers without respect will ensure it is taken away.

Always add to every email an easy means for your subscriber to opt-out or unsubscribe. Your audiences’ interest will change over time and at some point, even your most loyal supporter may decide what interested them 12 months ago, no longer interests them now. But remember as some subscribers fall off the perch, a greater number of new ones will arrive on it.

Subscribers are entitled to withdraw their permission at will.

You are trustworthy

Your privacy policy is your guarantee if you like, of your respect for others privacy. It should be taken seriously and put into real practice. It should be clearly listed on your site and on your email also. It adds credibility to your company and your email, even if recipients do not click on the link.

You are interested

Do you provide value? Are you sending too many emails or maybe not enough? An electronic survey is a great way to get feedback from your customers on how they feel about your company and your level of communications. Do not be afraid to engage a professional to assist you in writing your survey. They will see issues you may have no clue about. Do not waste the opportunity. Learn as much as you possibly can from it.

As permission-focused marketers, we are all waiting for a final solution to SPAM. So far there is no fool proof answer available. So my friends, remain diligent and remember, if you are not part of the problem you are part of the cure!

Keep your info current

People change. People also change their internet service provider, jobs and email addresses. They find it hard enough to tell their friends and I’m sure you will be the last to know. Always keep a prominent area available in your email and website so that subscribers have an easy way to change their details. This ensures that your emails will continue to be received and if they have changed their preferences you will continue to provide valuable information to them. It’s important you target the right audience with the right campaign.

Always be considerate

Remember to respect the privilege of communicating to new and existing clients. Take care not to do this too often. Carefully plan how many emails you send to your list and the kind of information you’re sending.

As a rule never more than once a week. Of course it does depend on your business; if you are providing a daily weather bulletin maybe once a week will not work. Every audience is different so base your communication frequency and type based on your list.

Remain diligent

You will always get some subscribers who will send you an email rather than click the automatic link. You will have people that are subscribed more than once under different email address, who will blow up because they get another email after unsubscribing from the other email address. Remove all unsubscribe requests immediately, do not waste your time sending them instructions on how to unsubscribe using the link, just do it and take action on any other grievances immediately.

Be observant

Always check your reports. It’s like standing over a big cross on a desert island with a shovel in your hand! There is a literal treasure chest of information lying just underneath. Pay close attention to your unsubscribe rate and make sure that your churn rate remains positive. If you are losing more than 5% of your list a month, check out all your campaigns, go through each element and tweak areas that are not receiving click through or you believe are falling short.

Take warning

The CD you just bought off a bloke down the pub with two million email addresses on it is no good – permission is not transferable, it has to be earned! These lists or offers like “Blast your advert to 5000 opt-in email addresses for just $10” sound too good to be true, because they are!

Generally these lists have been grabbed of the internet and sold to “wanna be” spammers who will no doubt be sending viagra offers to shortly.

So permission eMarketers, go forward and spread the good word and be part of the cure!

If you would like to find out more about permission based email marketing, sign up for our obligation Free 30 Day Trial. If you would like further information feel free to request more information or call us on 1300 13 89 31.

Write a comment

Required fields are marked with *.

Celeste Byrne
Posts: 1

Ebiz article
Reply #1 on : Thu December 13, 2007, 19:57:58

This is a fantastic article - very concise and to the point. We can never be too careful when dealing with other people's privacy. Let's face it if we receive too many emails from a source that we are not particularly interested in we are going to be bad news for that person and not interested in anything they have to say in the future. So as you say treat every contact with respect and go forward and multiply your satisfied customers!

Firestarter