Newsletter Marketing is Not Spam if Done Right

By Michail Dimitriou*


Internet marketing has become a premium service today with most businesses wanting to find a firm foothold online. While there are various kinds of internet marketing, the most controversial of these is newsletter or email marketing. Such newsletters can be useful in a number of a ways given that they are informative, promotional, can be customized and high targeted. However, experts believe that there is a fine line between them and spam mail.


Truth about newsletter marketing

The truth is, since newsletter marketing does involve sending emails to customers, it has the potential of becoming spam, should their content and the frequency with which they are sent out not be monitored.

You can yield maximum benefits from newsletter marketing only if you plan it carefully, execute it well and constantly evaluate its progress.


The right newsletter marketing strategy

Should you too want to start your own newsletter campaign then you must keep a few things in mind. Firstly, start by deciding what it is that you want to do: sell your products or engage customers in a relationship.

Once you have that decided, the next step is to find an appropriate email list. The most cost effective option is to use an in-house email database of your customers.

Should you not have one, and instead have to use other relevant databases, then it is only polite that you insert the option of "unsubscribe" into your newsletter, so people can decide if or not they want to associate with you.

Thirdly, you need to focus on the design, layout and content of your newsletter. It has been found that simple, short, easy to read, interactive and informative newsletters are generally well received by customers.


Spam check your newsletter

The most crucial step is to run a spam check on your final email newsletter and modify it accordingly, should a few red flags show up. It is always better you check your own newsletter for 'spam', than later be accused of 'intent to spam'.

Lastly, it is in your best interests to track how your newsletter fares. Today, they are numerous intelligent softwares and analytics available that inform you when your newsletter was opened, its click through rates and subscriber growth, if any.

Creating a newsletter with good intentions is not enough; you need to ensure your customers realise that you are attempting to build a relationship with them and not spamming them. The onus is on you to ensure that your newsletter acts as a value add for your business, rather than spam.





*Michail Dimitriou is working in the field of iGaming as a digital marketing executive for an iGaming company in the exotic Malta as well as an SEO freelancer. He supports several advertising companies and digital agencies around the world.
Also he is smart and handsome.


9 August 2012