The Newsletter Faux-Pas

We’ve all been there- the uninvited newsletter in our inbox

We’ve opened up our inbox and found unwanted, spammy, emails or newsletters from people or companies we don’t know or don’t care about. We have not given them permission to show up in our everyday email, and we feel violated.

Ok, maybe I exaggerate a little there, but I’m sure I’m not too far off base. I’m mad and I can’t take it anymore! This happened to me recently from an encounter at a networking event. We exchanged cards and suddenly this person is all up in my grill. Not cool.

What would Emily Post say?

The act of filling someone’s email box with your spam, without permission, is a huge no-no in my book and it makes marketing look soulless and salesy. Further, if the spammer has a robust publishing schedule, they can show up in your inbox too often. It feels yucky.

Newsletter Quick Tips

• I encourage my clients to ask their lists first before communicating with them. There are a few ways to do this- a quick question at the counter when they come in the door or a newsletter sign-up sheet at events.
• Make sure that your newsletter follows SPAM laws and includes an unsubscribe mechanism in the footer.

On that note, have you signed up for more marketing tips like this one? I have a newsletter and I would be thrilled to have you join my list, but I am not going to force you. I want to be a welcome and valued resource in your inbox. You can sign up for my email communication (sent monthly to avoid clutter- I hate email clutter!) on my home page.

Trust is a very delicate dance

You do not want to break trust with your prospects, colleagues or friends. It takes forever to build trust back and sometimes it’s impossible to gain anew. Nor do you want your company to look like a lurking presence in an inbox. Moreover, if your email is poorly designed or too long, you might elicit rage in your recipients because no one wants an ugly newsletter to look at as they UNSUBSCRIBE.

The bottom line- take note!

People are less likely to buy from someone who pushes their way into their inbox. You will not increase your sales by soliciting your lists with unwanted email.

Let me know if you have any questions.
I have ways of communicating with companies who spam me with unwanted emails. Seriously, look out world!