Email marketing etiquette is barely touched upon in most Internet marketing courses, and yet it can have a profound effect on your marketing success. Good etiquette will let your subscribers know that you value their time and respect them as individuals.
There are a few principles that are especially critical, and skipping those can result in a dwindling list.
The CAN-SPAM Act
The CAN-SPAM Act was created in 2003 in response to complaints from consumers about unwanted commercial email. The law sets forth clear guidelines that marketers must follow at all times, and reviewing its statutes can save you headaches down the line.
While some of these guidelines can seem a bit limiting, following them is essential—and not just because the law requires it. In the early 2000s, web users were excited by the prospect of shopping online.
These days, however, the average surfer purchases something from Amazon a couple of times a month and has several online subscriptions. Shopping online is old hat.
This doesn’t mean that email marketing no longer works—far from it! A study by online marketing firm Silverpop revealed that commercial emails enjoyed a roughly 20% open rate in 2013, on average.
To get those opens in today’s highly competitive Internet marketing space, however, requires some savvy maneuvering on your part.
Brand Exposure
Have you ever heard a marketer say something along the lines of “You have to expose your prospect to your brand seven times before they buy”? This little pearl of wisdom is known as the “rule of seven,” and it is a good general guide to follow.
Note, however, that the advent of the Internet means that your prospect’s attention span is shorter than ever. You have to grab their attention and hold it. To accomplish this, you may be tempted to blast your prospect with daily emails. If you follow through on this impulse, however, you’ll likely find your list shrinking.
Instead, strive to build brand awareness by providing your prospects with useful content. Find out what their problems are, and solve some of them—for free.
A monthly or bi-weekly newsletter is a great way to go about this, but your stand-alone emails should provide value as well. An entertaining or educational story can go a long way.
List Management
An essential facet of email marketing etiquette is letting your prospects know that they can unsubscribe from you at any time. A statement to that effect at the bottom of your email sends the message that you respect their time.
Your potential customers will appreciate knowing that they can stop receiving your messages if they so choose. Additionally, making them aware of their options sends the message that you are a professional.
It’s also a good idea to remind your prospects every now and then that they joined your list voluntarily. An easy way to do this is to mention what they opted-in to receive—such as a specific PDF report or whitepaper.
There’s no need to always say it as bluntly as that, though. Just incorporate the phrase into your email body, like so: “When you joined my list, I promised to…”
Following these few email marketing etiquette principles can insulate you against unsubscribes and help you obtain that 20% open rate. As you grow your list, you’ll also proactively build a relationship with your readers.
This, in the long term, is what will make you a successful market in the modern era. Hot leads are what will make or break your business, after all, and keeping them active is as important as finding them, though fortunately not as difficult.
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