Is that e-mail worth 44 cents? Just because there’s no postage involved, you can’t afford to get lazy when it comes to properly targeting your e-mail campaigns.
A recent post on Seth Godin’s blog points out that the cost of a stamp may be the only thing holding some companies back from mass e-mailings to unqualified leads.
Godin recounts an anecdote about an online company he patronized once, but from which he did not opt in to receive e-mail communications. In a laughable case of misguided marketing, the site sent Godin an e-mail coupon for diapers – a product totally unrelated to the one he had previously purchased. The company, it seems, was using its entire e-mail database for spam-like e-blasts, presumably hoping that if they hit every customer who had so much as purchased a can of shaving cream (as Godin did) they were bound to cash in on someone.
What they didn’t realize is that their actions alienated someone who might have otherwise been a loyal future customer for years to come.
The lesson learned? First, as Godin points out, it’s not an ideal strategy to assume that because your e-mails have an opt-out or unsubscribe feature, you can send them to those who have not asked to receive them. Second, organize and categorize your e-mail lists and be specific about to whom you send e-mails. If you wouldn’t spend the money on printing and postage for a specific list contact, you shouldn’t e-mail them either.
