A big part of email marketing a lot of business may not realize is email marketing etiquette. On this blog, we have posted a series of posts on this topic. Over the four posts, we covered what exactly is the proper etiquette for email marketing campaigns and what you should be doing to stick to the rules. Here is a little preview of each.
Email Marketing Etiquette Tips to Follow
Part 1 - The Anonymous Sender
Each email you send already has a sender email address. For most companies, this sender is also the "reply-to" email address, usually stipulating that this sender address isn't the return address, say, if your customers have a question.
Further still, this sender email address is usually something to the effect of "info@mycompany.com" or some other gibberish like "mycompany-no-reply@mycompany.com."
You may be asking what the problem with either of those email addresses is. Well, frankly, they're off-putting. How can your customer respond to one of your emails if they have a question or a comment? Proper email marketing etiquette would be to include an email address of a "real" person. This way, users can respond to emails with questions and feel like someone is actually listening.
Part 2 - Plain Text Emails
From different email and mobile platforms to your customers' busy schedules, your emails are having less and less impact.
Sure, you've already covered your bases with offering the HTML version of your email. Great idea. Don't give up that option, but, again, you're making your customers' take an extra step to read your email.
So, what is the solution to this on-going problem?
First, try to switch up your emails. If you have a strictly informational update, say industry news or press releases about your latest products, then consider using plain text instead of a flashy email. Simple email marketing etiquette tip: make your email design match your message.
Part 3 - CC'ing Your List
Your customers don't need to know who else receives your emails. Or, really, they don't want perfect strangers to know their email address or even that they're a subscriber to your email service.
Surely, a part of your email blast sign-up is a stipulation of privacy, saying that you're not going to share their personal information with solicitors or strangers, in general. This also applies to your subscriber list. This directly violates that privacy policy.
Part 4 - Permission!
As long as you make it as easy as possible for customers to opt-in for your emails and clearly state that their information remains private, then you're not violating anyone's privacy. This can be done through signup forms on your website and links on your social media sites.
After reading all four posts, you will be the expert on email marketing etiquette. Your friends, customers, and readers will appreciate and enjoy campaigns that much more.
Want to learn more about email marketing and email marketing etiquette? Check out An Email Marketer's Guide to the Galaxy!
