List Building… Things To Avoid

October 10th, 2007

List Building… Things To Avoid

When you decide to have an opt-in list, it is not just a matter of sending your subscribers your promotional newsletters or catalogs. There are many things to consider in order to avoid potential complications. While there are many ways you can entice people to subscribe to your list, there are also some things you must do to avoid causing your subscribers to want to escape your list! Aside from this, you also want to avoid any problems with SPAM violations and your internet service provider (ISP).

There are now many laws and rules that are applied to help protect the privacy of internet users from spamming and unwanted mails. With the popularity of the electronic mail as a medium for marketing because of the low cost, many companies have seized the opportunity, and have flooded many people’s email accounts with promotional mail. But, with an opt-in list, you avoid this annoyance because people subscribe - thereby agreeing to receive your newsletters and promotional materials.

However, because they’ve consented to being on your list, don’t forget to give them the option of UNsubscribing! We may refer to ‘capturing’ an email address, but don’t take that too literally! People are allowed to leave! Always use a reputable autoresponding service (Aweber or Get Response) which inserts an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email or broadcast.

By using a reputable autoresponder provider, you will also avoid the occasions when someone may maliciously submit someone else’s email address, because these providers practise the ‘double optin’ where a confirmation email is sent to the would be subscriber, which has to be authorised before acceptance to the list. It is essential that you keep your list clean and manageable. Arrange it by using the many tools and technologies available for your opt-in list. Don’t worry; your investment in this marketing strategy is well worth it with all the coverage you will get, which will likely be converted into sales then to profit.

Keep yourself and your business out of trouble and potential run-ins with the law and the internet service providers.
Keep your operation legit and clean.

Your reputation as a legitimate businessman and a legitimate site depends on your being a straight and true marketing strategist. Take notice of your unsuccessful sends. These are the e-mails that bounce.

Bounced emails, also known as undeliverable messages, are those messages that, for whatever reason, were not successfully received by the intended recipient. There are bounces that happen or occur because the server was busy at that time but can still be delivered in another time. There are also bounces because the inbox of the recipient is full at that time. There are those bounce messages that are simply undeliverable ever.

The reason for this is that it may be an invalid email address, a misspelled email address, or an email address that was abandoned and erased already. Manage your list by putting markings on those that bounce. Erase an email account from your list so that you have an accurate statistics and records as to how many are actually receiving your mail.

You may also want to check the spellings of your email addresses in your list. One common mistake is when an N instead of an M is placed in the .com area. Always provide an unsubscribe feature in your site and an unsubscribe link in your mails. When someone in your list files a request to be unsubscribed, always take that request seriously. If you don’t take them off your list and keep sending them your e-mails, you are now sending them spam mail.

When you are reported as a spammer, you and your business can get into a lot of trouble. You can be reported to the authorities and maybe blacklisted by many internet service providers. You will lose a lot of subscribers this way and many more in potential subscribers. Do not provide pornographic or shocking and disturbing content in your newsletters. It is hard to decipher the age of the recipient and many complaints may stem from these.

Controversial issues also are to be avoided to not be branded by your subscribers. Stick to the nature of your site and business.

Always remember the tips in this article so that you can have a healthy relationship with your subscribers, as well as keeping your business within the boundaries of what is allowed in sending mails to an opt-in list. Enjoy the adventure!

Reward Rebel

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