posted on April 9, 2003 01:19:10 PM new
Do you save your customers e-mail address's in order to mail them announcements of new merchandiseor upcoming specials/sales? Or anything else?
posted on April 9, 2003 01:48:55 PM new
I NEVER spam my customers. Now and then one of them will request that I let them know if I put up a similar item and I will if it is right away - within a week of the original transaction. Otherwise I don't save their email address, and within 90 days all email from my transaction with them on a particular auction is deleted.
posted on April 9, 2003 02:04:39 PM new
I ask my customers if they'd like to be notified when I have new offerings/products. Some are adamantly interested. Anyone who is, I add to my list. Any who say "no" or don't reply I do not. That makes it an opt-in list.
Sending to an email list of those who want your communication and ask for it is not spam. Spam is unsolicited email. But you probably knew that.
The source of the word "spam" comes from an old Monty Python Show skit which had the word "spam" inserted in a comedy sketch numerous times, to the point it became a distraction. Get the idea of numerous unwanted communications. In the original case, the word "spam" over and over again.
posted on April 9, 2003 02:18:21 PM new
In the regular business world it's customary to keep customer contact info.
Online though it's very easy to send UCE, UBE, and SPAM. So easy that
spam has taken over much of the e-mail traffic. It's so bad now that most of
us are getting spammed several times a day. I'd hesitate to send anyone a
followup email after a month has went by with any reference to anything but
the original transaction.
If you have access to a server running majordomo (or you could sign up with
one of the mailing list services) you could put a link to a mailing list on your
about me pages and any other pages and correspondence you might send
out. You'd have a address to email your "specials" out to then and the list
software would see to it that each member would get a copy.
The problem is unless you have a niche market or sell a reoccurring need
high demand product you probably won't have many subscribers. But if you
like to write a little, have a collection of tips, recipes, etc. or have a theme
that a community might be built around you might make a real go of a mailing
list.
Over the years I've been on many mailing lists. I love them but not everybody
does. Make sure if you go this route that you have a good easy means for
people to get on and back off the list. Mailing list take time to build but there
is a place for them in many marketting areas.
posted on April 9, 2003 02:37:28 PM new
Thanks for the opinions.
I wasn't planning on doing so anytime soon, but maybe a opt-in in my WBN wouldn't be a bad idea.
I have had 3 total people sign up for the Vendio (actually, it was AW then) mailing list. I never sent them anything... probably should have. Outside of Vendio, does anyone know of any good mailing lists services? I know you can always use a Yahoo group, but not sure if that's the route I would want to go in the future. I hesitate to ask for FREE services because FREE seems to have left a long time ago.
I know there is some kinda basic option with my hosting, but I could never figure out how to implement it.
posted on April 9, 2003 03:23:29 PM new
Hey, guys, better listen up.
eBay has gotten a lot stricter about marketing to customers. (Seems they want that privilege all to themselves.) It has gotten to the point that if you put the phrase "mailing list" in your auction text, you will get a stern warning before you can post the auction.
I would urge anyone considering this to read carefully the part of the User Agreement that has to do with unsolicited email to customers. You can get suspended for this.
I had what I thought was a brilliant idea: PayPaling one cent to each of 1000 past customers so that they would have some "cash" to spend on our auctions. (Ours start at 1 cent, so you see the tie-in.) eBay nixed it. Seems you cannot simply send money to people you're not currently in a transaction with and ask them to look at your auctions.
What I now have is a cleverly-worded section in each of my auctions that says something like, "if you want to receive our periodic newsletter which includes tips on jewelry care, promotions and other nifty stuff, just drop us an email."
Doesn't violate any eBay rules, since they're opting in.
--
"I'm thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said `I drank WHAT?'"
posted on April 9, 2003 03:40:27 PM new
I bought a dvd from a seller with a lot of feedback and suddenly I found myself on his "list". As far as I'm concerned I won't buy from him again because of that. (well, maybe if the price was right). I get enough spam everyday - I don't need to weed through his stuff too.
