Thursday, 1 September 2011, 10:34 PM

Be a Little More Inventive…

…than the ”spammers”! I’ve had so many conversations with people who don’t feel that it’s important to ask the recipients’ permission before they send newsletters to them – or they try to almost hide the unsubscribe button. This is how it is: If you want your newsletters to look like spam – suit yourselves – send your newsletters to all possible e-mail addresses without the owners permissions and nag about selling. To succeed as a real spammer you also must do everything you can to hide the unsubscribe button, preferably at the bottom of the page in a minimal font-face…

You know, I don’t really understand why we have to talk about this any more! Because if you want to be a serious retailer who builds a relation with your customer, well, there are no short cuts. What irritates you, most certainly will irritate your customers! Don’t underestimate them!

I f you want a lot of e-mail addresses – be a little inventive! Offer people something in return when they show trust in you. Here’s a good example:

As soon as you enter the home page of Karmaloop they ask you for your e-mail address and you get a discount on your first buy. This offer also gives you a hint that you’ll get good offers in the future as well. And you have the opportunity to follow them on Twitter, Facebook a.s.o.

Next example:

This example may not be very remarkable, but you can choose the language you want your newsletter in. It’s a way of showing that they want to do it the customer’s way. The example is from Efva Attling.

Regarding the unsubscribe button I’ll try to find some funny examples for you a little later on. I just want to tell you this: The reader/customer wants to be in control, so if you give them that impression and they feel safe you have a much keener reader/customer. Better readers = a better quality of your address list. That, my friends, will increase your sales.

So come on, you know better than this! Be a little more inventive and put yourselves in the position of the reader. It’s 2011 and we’re talking about a modern channel. Don’t be reactionary! I know you can do better if you really think about it and act accordingly!

Sarah@@@@@