Among the many characteristics of modern life that we all share two stand out in particular.
• The pressure to accomplish one thing or another is relentless.
• We’re inundated with information.
With barely enough time to do everything that needs doing in a day, your reaction to sorting through unsolicited advertising that appears unwanted among your regular emails is probably the same as mine: annoyance. Hey, it’s our inbox and that we resent uninvited intrusions should come as no surprise to anyone.
I’m sure this isn’t the response any company wants, but forcing a marketing message on people when it hasn’t been uninvited is counter-productive. Why would a company knowingly cultivate resentment among people whose business they want to attract? I’ll give these offenders the benefit of doubt and assume they just don’t know any better.
There is another way to deliver a message though and if a few simple rules of marketing courtesy are followed, a company can easily increase the odds of winning a willing customer as well. Companies – whether for-profit or non-profit, must recognize that the paradigm has changed. They must participate with their customers in a two-way conversation just as they would if they were standing together in a physical space.
So, what should companies do if they want to send a message to a customer, or potential customer? Three things.
1. Ask permission:
An invitation to receive company offerings or information by email should be placed on a website or blog to which a potential customer may subscribe. The choice to receive communications from a company should be the recipients option.
2. Confirm the request.
To make sure the request is legitimate, the first email sent after a request to receive information from a company should be a confirmation that the request is genuine, and verified by the potential subscriber.
3.Respect requests to disengage.
Needs change. If the recipient no longer needs or desires information, not giving them the option to opt-out, sets the stage for resentment and the likely loss of future business.
Illustration credit: T-Shirt Du Jour
