Can I get a show of hands - who likes getting spam?
Anyone?! Right that is just about what I thought. No one likes to get spam and worse when we find out a site we trusted with our email was hacked or outright just sold our info. How about when a company you like and have been on their mailing list for years gets a new marketing person and all of a sudden the once weekly emails that you enjoyed receiving and looked forward to are now coming in several times per day? Didn't think you would like that one either.
Your email list, used well, is a direct line to your customers or potential customers. It is also yours to lose! Where else do you have the opportunity to communicate directly with people who want to hear from you?
- Social media? Nope. Maybe they just didn't see your post, maybe they muted your page when you weren't serving them interesting content or too many ads.
- How about advertising? Nope. Ads you can choose the field and refine it down but you can't guarantee it is going to get to the eyes of your desired audience.
- Text? Get the heck off my phone. You don't get to insert your message into my day and interrupt me while doing it.
- Email? You know, the ones that trusted you enough to give you their email address. Email doesn't interrupt them and they can view it at their leisure.
Trust
Right, I brought that up before. When your client trusts you with their email they can just as easily un-trust you with it and if it comes to that, chances are good they now have a sour taste in their mouth about your company as well. Once they unsubscribe from your list the chances of getting them back are slim to none. Worse they tell anyone that will listen. "Don't sign up for their email - they spam the hell out of you!"
Consequences
If they unsubscribe and mark it as spam this can then affect your list credibility and if you are using one of the big email services too many spam reports will have you removed. Sending email blasts direct and them being reported as spam and too many of those and you could lose your hosting as well. Even bigger? How about the potential of huge CANSPAM fines? Penalties for the most serious violations of CASL can reach $1 million for individuals and $10 million for businesses. Those are some pretty large consequences.
I could go on about the many facets of this very large and complex topic but to boil it down; send messages that are helpful or have info they may want or need, not too often so your list is pleased to see your message, but not so often they think "Oh god, not you guys again!".
Do you ever think "Oh boy more ads!"
NB: If you are asking people to sign your petition DO NOT FORCE YOUR EMAIL ON THEM! Allow them to make the choice. If you don't then read Consequences again!