Website Design and Development in Ipswich, Suffolk - Rubious

If you have ever received an unsolicited email then you know how aggravating spam can be. It is even worse when there is no clear way to stop receiving emails from that company, as your inbox gets filled with unwanted marketing.

To ensure your customers never experience this frustration, we recommend the following for all email marketing:

Ensure you have the correct permissions before sending an email

Are you sure all of those recipients are expecting an email from you? When you collected their email addresses, did you make sure to let them know they would be hearing from you in the future? Here are some dos and don’ts:

• DO make it clear that you will be contacting people who submit their details.
• DO ensure “tick this box if you want to join our newsletter” is unticked by default – in other words, your email marketing should be opt-in not opt-out.
• DO include reminders in your emails about how they were added to your list (e.g. “you are receiving this email because you signed up on our website”).
• DO include a clear unsubscribe link in every email you send, and DO make sure it works instantly.
• DO include your name and physical address in every email you send.
• DO NOT add email addresses that you found whilst browsing the web to your subscriber lists.
• DO NOT add everybody who contacts you, without asking them first.
• DO NOT buy, loan or rent email lists from third parties.
• DO NOT start emailing someone you have not contacted for several years.

Ensure your email does not look like spam to a casual observer

People get a lot of emails, and it does not take much for someone to quickly mark your email as spam. To avoid this, follow these simple tips:

• Use your company name:- if the sender is clearly your company then your email is more likely to be trusted, opened and read.
• Use simple subject lines:- it is tempting to have a subject line like “FREE widgets to all readers! Click here!” but this is more likely to be flagged as spam. The best subject line always tells it like it is, e.g.: “Widgets Monthly – July Newsletter”.
• Choose a frequency to send emails and stick to it:- Do not bombard your subscribers with hundreds of emails, as this is likely to offend them and make them add you to their spam blacklist. Similarly, do not wait several months between sending email newsletters – your recipients may have forgotten signing up, and so they will think your email is unsolicited. It helps if you set their expectations at the beginning (e.g. with a short notice “We will email you monthly with our latest news and updates”) and then stick to this schedule.

If you manage to follow these simple steps, your email delivery rate will increase and you will see improved returns on your email marketing strategies.

For more information on email marketing, and how we can help you get started, contact Spring Bud now.