| Effective communication starts and ends with | | | | manages your bounces and unsubscribes - your |
| managing you database. Your data requires | | | | contacts should be able to opt-out with one |
| cleansing on a regular basis as inaccurate data is | | | | simple action. |
| not only wasteful of your budget, but can | | | | Privacy and Permissions |
| adversely affect your business' image through: | | | | Permission and recognition minimize complaints |
| wrong addressing; duplicated mailings; | | | | Generating a high number of complaints from |
| personalization errors. | | | | subscribers that use Email addresses Yahoo!, AOL, |
| Building and Segmenting requires the following | | | | or Hotmail increases your chance of ending up in |
| methods: | | | | the junk folder. These systems share filtering - |
| - Use Import/ Export wizards that handle list | | | | each time a subscriber of one service reports |
| hygiene issues (e.g. merge/purge records, cleans | | | | your Email as spam, your chance of ending up in |
| up invalid customer information, etc) allowing you | | | | the junk folder increases for subscribers using any |
| to easily view, update and merge data. | | | | of the others. Make sure you send only to |
| - A flexible easy-to-use database that can cope | | | | subscribers that have given you explicit permission |
| with all your particular data fields is a big | | | | and know what content to expect. |
| advantage (A word of caution - some data bases | | | | Always include an opt-out message and make it |
| can only handle pre-defined fields. This could | | | | easyEmail marketing is a permission-based |
| prevent you from segmenting according to the | | | | medium. A surprising number of recipients will look |
| variables that may affect your buyers purchase | | | | for the opt-out instructions at the bottom of your |
| decisions). | | | | Email marketing message as much to establish |
| - Use an advanced system into which you can | | | | company credibility than to opt-out. |
| import and export contacts in all common file | | | | Confirm opt-out statusConfigure your opting-out |
| formats - using as many fields as you like to | | | | procedures so that, when users make this |
| collect and store data. Importing should be quick | | | | request, they receive a confirmation. This can |
| and easy where duplicates are weeded out during | | | | take the form of a return Email, or a web page |
| the import process. | | | | telling the user that they are now off the list. |
| - Don't have a database of contacts? No problem. | | | | Again, this establishes credibility. |
| By using an integrated marketing platform, you | | | | Link to your privacy policy |
| can build a database by capturing data from | | | | Privacy is a big issue among Internet users. So, |
| mobile text-ins, web forms, Email pass-alongs and | | | | alleviate their concern with a link to your company |
| more. All inbound data can be captured in a | | | | privacy policy. The best place for this within your |
| consistent format and automatically de-duplicated | | | | Email marketing message is below your opt-out |
| for you. | | | | instructions. But you can also add this link to your |
| - To keep you compliant with Data Protection | | | | landing page as well. |
| Regulations, use a system that automatically | | | | |