Here’s Part III of this 5-part series covering the 5 most common consumer spam-complaint-triggers and how to avoid accidentally pulling them. To see all the articles in the series to date, go to the archive page.
Trigger #3: Broken Promises
When people share their email address with you, they trust you to use it in accordance with their expectations. For example, if someone shares her email address during a purchase in order to receive a shipping confirmation, she isn’t likely to appreciate a bunch of ongoing promotions. Give your subscribers clear expectations before they share their email address, then stick to your promises.
- Tell your new subscribers exactly what you’re going to send. Clearly describe each list you offer and use Constant Contact’s Archive Feature to include a ‘view sample’ link next to your signup link. That way, people can see what your emails look like.
- Send a welcome email after a new subscriber joins. Make sure your welcome email clearly describes the email content you plan to send. You can also include an Archive link pointing to your most recent email in the welcome email to reinforce your content description.
- Send only the content your subscribers sign up to receive. If your subscribers join in order to receive an informative newsletter, don’t send separate promotions, announcements, or event invitations unless your subscribers also choose to be on the lists associated with those kinds of communications.
John Arnold is the author of Email Marketing for Dummies and the Director of Constant Contact’s Local Expert Program.
