Redefining Email SPAM

Your email marketing will quickly improve if you redefine what SPAM means to you.

You already know the old definition.

Here's the new one:

SPAM - Any time you send your email list an email whose sole purpose is to get them to buy a ticket to your artistic event.

Are you allowed to sell tickets when you send email?  Sure.

But if that's the only reason people are getting your email, then you are spamming them.

People read emails because they are looking for useful/interesting content in them.

BUY NOW isn't really interesting content.

So the next time you send that email ask yourself "what can I put in this email that my readers will find interesting?"

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Also, I encourage you all to follow the comments and discussion happening in yesterday's post.  Everyone has said such interesting stuff that I'm going to need a whole new post on Monday just to sort my thoughts out.  So check it out and weigh in.

Comments

[John]

Spam is spam. Unsolicited marketing email is spam. If you send email to someone you do not know and they have not requested you to do so, and you are trying to get them to buy something, then you are spamming them. 'Redefining' does not change this.

You may say that you have a right to say whatever you want to whomever you want but let's be clear. Spam is spam and just because you CAN send it does not mean you should. Spam is the biggest blight on the Internet today.

[Joe]

Coming late to the party because I am just now catching up on my Google Reader backlog.

I have to say I am torn over this issue. I often have tidbits I want to send out to our email list. I just don't want to break what I see as my compact with my subscribers not to send out a lot of emails.

One benefit I see to this is that when I send out my upcoming events email, I have to discern between my best tidbits in the interests of brevity. This helps me make a pretty good case.

However, I do feel by restraining myself I am not really creating a market for my organization or telling our story.

Every email we send out, there are always a few people who unsubscribe from the list. Are they leaving because once a month is annoying? Are they really not interested and never would have been a viable patron beyond the few times they attended?

I ask myself these questions each month and now I have to wonder if I have lost them because I seemed I was only writing when I wanted money.

[Adam]

Joe,

What we try and do is include 2-3 interesting tidbits in each email we send. If we fill like the info is longer then a tidbit, then we will mention it in the email and then link to another area where all the info is.

The important thing is that you are starting to ask yourself content questions, that almost always leads to improvements