As tempting as it might be, never spam. I can’t be any blunter. It doesn’t work. And you’ll die a brutal, cyber-death.
Oh yes, one other thing...
Spam by any other name is still spam. That includes UCE, (unsolicited
commercial e-mail) and the “reply” messages generated by the free-for-all-links
and classified pages.
Unless a customer specifically gives you permission to contact her (for example, by
filling out a form on your Web site), don’t!
Ask yourself this question... do you like receiving spam?
These days, it’s in your best interests to make sure all your mailing lists are
“double-opt-in.”
Simply having a surfer enter an e-mail address into your online form is not a
guarantee you won’t be accused of the deadliest Net sin of all -- spamming. Here’s
a common example of what can happen...
A malicious competitor could visit your site and subscribe to your e-zine using the
e-mail address of a rabid anti-spammer. When your autoresponder unwittingly fires
off the latest copy of your newsletter to this person, he goes right through the roof.
Protesting your innocence will do nothing -- since he didn’t specifically ask to receive your newsletter, he’ll claim that you are spamming him. You’ll argue that it was not your doing. But...
While you’re off pleading your case to your Web host, your competitor is raking in the profits.
A double opt-in list works like this...
Once a subscriber signs up for your newsletter online, she receives a confirmation e-mail, which she must respond to, if she is to be added to the list. The confirmation is very simple... it usually involves simply clicking on a link or hitting the reply-to button.
If you’re just starting out, you might want to try single opt-in. As you grow, you may
want to switch to double... especially if you get burnt.
It is possible to buy targeted lists of individuals who have specifically requested
to receive your type of communication. This is acceptable behavior, and works
much like direct mail marketing. These people voluntarily give their addresses
to companies, in return for goodies. The companies, in turn, sell the lists.
How targeted and motivated do you think they are?
Presently, advertising costs range from $0.10 to $0.30 per subscriber, and
depending on the quality of the service, “claim” click-through rates from 5-15%.
You’ll often find minimum start-up campaign rates, which generally hover around
$1,000.
Let’s do a little math to find out if this is such a hot deal...
List subscriptions are often sold CPM, or per 1000 impressions. So your cost to
advertise via opt-in e-mail ranges from $100 to $300 for every 1000 people who
receive your message.
For the lower end of the scale ($100)...
• 5% click-through rate means 50 visitors to your site, each one costing you $2.
• 10% click-through rate means 100 visitors to your site, each one costing you $1.
• 15% click-through rate means 150 visitors to your site, each one costing you
$0.66.
For the higher end of this scale ($300)...
• 5% click-through rate means 50 visitors to your site, each one costing you $6.
• 10% click-through rate means 100 visitors to your site, each one costing you $3.
• 15% click-through rate means 150 visitors to your site, each one costing you
$1.50
Whoa! Doesn’t look like such a great deal now, does it?
Okay, now take the math one step further. Let’s say you achieved a 10%
click-through rate on a list that cost you $0.30 per subscriber. That’s 100 visitors for
$300. If your CR is 1%, you’ll make 1 sale from this campaign -- and you need to
make a $300 profit on that sale to break even. A CR of 5% means you’ll get 5
sales, with a $60 profit-per-sale needed to break even.
Fortunately, there’s a much better way to advertise. Later on, I’ll show you exactly
how to figure out what each visitor is worth to you and how to work the fringes at
the Pay-Per-Click Search Engines (either by hand or with Site Build It!
Manager), to generate hundreds, even thousands of low cost targeted keywords.
If you are still considering opt-in e-mail as an advertising option, it’s important you
choose a list provider that is beyond reproach.
It’s safe to assume every person reading this book has received opt-in e-mail from
a mailing list they never “opted-into.” That’s spam, plain and simple.
And if you buy opt-in advertising from a company that has obtained or built
its list unethically, you are guilty of spamming, as well. Yes, even if you bought
the list in good faith! So a reputable opt-in list provider is an absolute must.
Here’s a small list of the better ones...
PostMasterDirect.com
http://www.postmasterdirect.com/
Topica
http://www.topica.com/advertise/
MyPoints
http://www.corp.mypoints.com/media/
Yesmail.com
http://www.yesmail.com/
There is, however, one powerful and ethical way to market using e-mail... opt-in
e-mail marketing. I mention it here because many people feel it’s a way to build
traffic. It is... but that’s not the ideal focus.
Use opt-in e-mail as a sales tool and a long term relationship-builder, not as a
traffic-builder. Traffic is incidental.
