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why email marketing is not spam

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Let’s talk about email spam. There’s a huge difference between spam — selling a product that begins with V, for example — and offering customers helpful and engaging content. I can’t put the V word in an email because the message wouldn’t get to you. It’s a spam trigger — meaning it won’t meet the strict standards that keep spam from your inbox.

The Can Spam Law. . .

. . . went into effect in 2003. Here’s part of it:

The backronym CAN-SPAM derives from the bill’s full name: Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003. It plays on the word “canning” (putting an end to) spam, as in the usual term for unsolicited email of this type; as well as a pun in reference to the canned SPAM food product. 

It’s the law that every email we send out has an unsubscribe button. If your subscribers don’t like what we send, they click to shut it off. Obviously we don’t want your customers to press that button because you/I want them to LOVE your emails. I work with you to make email messages short, informative and helpful for the people who read them. You may give them tips on buying their first home, the benefits of standing desks or how to pack for a camping trip. The idea is to be useful, not spammy.
We don’t yell in their faces about how great you are. We send them gentle reminders that your business is ready and willing to help them. Here’s a quote from a recent article I read:
“At the end of the day, content owners shouldn’t ask how many visitors they had on a specific day, but rather how many visitors they helped.”

Read the article here. (It’s long.)

This is what encourages your customers to trust you and puts your business ahead of the competition.
Don’t worry about spamming your recipients
Many business owners are resistant to email marketing for fear of spamming their hard-earned customers. It’s not spam. It’s an effective, affordable way to open two-way communication with people who are interested in your product or service.
And they can always break off the relationship. 🙂

It’s not spam

You can’t send spam. 
I work closely with business owners who use email “blasts” (I’ve never liked that word. It sounds like we’re shooting people.) to communicate with their customers or members. As a Constant Contact reseller,  I vouch for you and ensure that you adhere to the Can Spam rules, one of which is to can spam.
How do we stop spam?
I make sure your subscribers are legitimate. I answer to Constant Contact. If they suspect we twisted arms and broke legs to get the email addresses on your list, they call me. I also make sure there are no spammy words or vacant promises, that your physical address is displayed and that you’re really you and not an impostor. As well as lots of other stuff.
Why Constant Contact?

Constant Contact (CC) has deals with all of the big email providers. These could include your Internet Provider (ISP) like Charter, Time Warner, Cheqnet, CenturyTel as well as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc. The deal is that CC promises they won’t allow us to send spam if the email companies will trust emails that come from Constant Contact servers — and get them to subscribers’ inboxes.
Why use email marketing at all?

There are thousands of ways to advertise your business from shopping cart displays to Super Bowl commercials. Most of them are an expensive shot in the dark because you don’t know who sees the ads. Email marketing allows you to send your message to a list of people who have ASKED to hear from you — and they can opt out any time. So it’s not spam.

About barb emerson

I help businesses and organizations with marketing and advertising. By creating a marketing plan we keep you on track and within budget.

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Barb Emerson

How can you know if you don't ask? I answer questions for free by either email or phone 262.492.3150

262.492.3150

Use the number above and I’ll answer. Unless I don’t, in which case I’ll call you back. I call back everyone except Rachel and Heather who keep telling me my Google listing expired. Rachel and Heather are robots. 🙁

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