subject: What You Don't Know About eMarketing Can Kill You - Or At Least Your Domain [print this page] What You Don't Know About eMarketing Can Kill You - Or At Least Your Domain
Not long ago, I spoke to an agency owner who had attempted to launch an eMarketing campaign. He had engaged with a high-profile agency marketing company to use their email platform, and purchased 30,000 emails from a vendor they suggested. He sent several messages over the course of a few months, and received absolutely no opportunities only SPAM complaints.
This is the danger of using an eMarketing platform without the required expertise. What you don't know can kill you - or at least your domain - and possibly your reputation too. This insurance agency was not aware of any of the following critical components to a successful campaign:
Message Content Cannot be sales-oriented or the email will likely be seen as SPAM
Sending Frequency Too many email sends will wear out your list and again make you look SPAMish
Scrubbing your List Nearly 1/3 of the aforementioned list was useless, but the vendor still changed them
Opt-In / Opt-Out It must be just as easy to opt-out of a list as it is to opt-in
Domain Spoofing Bulk email sends to a dirty list are an invitation for domain spoofing, make sure you are protected
The lesson here is not that email platforms are useless or confusing, but that purchasing one without the required eMarketing expertise is dangerous. If a surgeon hands you a scalpel, that does not mean you know how to operate and if you purchase an email platform, that does not mean you know how to launch email campaigns. Hire an eMarketing expert of find a solution that provides the required experience. Do not just pick up the scalpel and start cutting.
