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Got a pocket full of business cards from that last networking event?
Don't forget to ask permission before adding those names to your email
marketing list. People put up with unwanted catalogs, credit-card offers,
charitable appeals and other "junk mail" that clutters their mailboxes at
home. We sigh about dead trees and toss it all away. Our email inboxes,
however, are a different story.
Consumers take a very proprietary view of their email inboxes. Direct
mail doesn't elicit the same "How dare they?!" reaction as unwanted email.
People feel strongly that they have a right to decide what email they
receive and what they don't. That's why your email marketing
communications must be welcomed and wanted. This also applies to new
business contacts you meet at networking events. You may add them to your
email list, but only if you gain their permission first.
How Do You Ask for Permission?
Before we get to networking, let's review some list-building basics for
permission-based email. Both your website and your physical store should
make it easy for people to "opt in."
Your website should have a prominent link or button for visitors to
sign up for your newsletter and promotions. The right technology can
facilitate signups. If you're embarking on your first email marketing
campaign, it's okay to send it to your pre-existing customers. Good
marketing practice is to put a "permission reminder" at the top of your
first email communication: "You received this email because you're a
customer of Business XYZ. Click here to unsubscribe."
There are other great ways to obtain permission and email addresses.
You may have a guestbook or a fishbowl for business cards on your counter
with a "Join My Email List" sign. You should encourage your staff to
verbally ask customers to sign up. The more explicit your request for
email subscribers, the better. But that's not always natural or
convenient, especially when you're out networking and prospecting for
leads.
Business Card Bingo: Ask Now, Sell Later
Before- and after-hours events sponsored by Chambers of Commerce, BNI,
trade associations and other professional networks are a good way to meet
potential partners and customers. Networking is a lot of handshakes,
elevator speeches and exchanges of business cards. It would be great to
add all those people to your email marketing list. But you can't just
carry around a fishbowl labeled "Join My Email List."
So how do you turn that stack of business cards into subscribers?
First, separate them into two piles. The first pile are people who asked
for more information about your business. Asking for more information is
very close to asking to be on your list. They're expecting you to follow
up. Go ahead and email them your Welcome Letter and attach a copy of your
last newsletter or campaign. Show recipients what they'll receive in
future mailings and give them an easy way to subscribe or unsubscribe if
they prefer not to be on your list.
The second pile are people with whom you had social contact but didn't
fully engage. They didn't ask for, nor do they expect, any follow-up.
Those are the ones you need to ask permission to send them your email
newsletter or promotions. You can send those people a personal email
asking for their explicit permission to be added to your mailing list.
Remind them about the event where you met, asking if they would like to
subscribe to your emailing list. Tell them how subscribing will benefit
them. If they sign up, great! If they don't, cross them off your list and
cut your losses there.
Don't Let Those Leads Grow Cold!
A networking event isn't over when you grab your coat off the rack and
head out to your car. You need to close the permission loop as soon as
possible. If you found the networking event valuable and you met some
great contacts, then don't let that go to waste. Follow up with new
contacts as soon as you get back to the office. You can wait a few days or
a week, tops, but if those business cards sit on your desk for months
before you reach out, it's likely no one will remember you and they won't
sign up.
Permission Isn't Just Polite...It's the Law
Please note: Shared affiliation isn't permission! Just because you have
a directory of Chamber members doesn't mean you have permission to add
those names to your emailing list. Prospecting isn't illegal; putting
someone on your emailing list without asking and repeatedly emailing them
is.
In other words, one-to-one communication is fine; one-to-many without
permission isn't. Do reach out to fellow professionals with personal email
or a phone call, asking if they'd like to join your emailing list. Do not
send a mass emailing to everyone in your business directory. That's spam.
The federal CAN-SPAM Act protects consumers against unwanted email.
So attend those networking events, collect those business cards, and
build your email marketing list. Just be sure to get permission before
emailing your new contacts. Then you and your small business will be on
everyone's "A-List."
Contractor! - don't spend
your hard earned money on bogus leads!
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