As a follow up to my post on automating sales with an auto responder, here are 11 ways to annoy people with spammy email practices:
- Don’t let me opt-out of your list. This is actually a legal issue. If you don’t have an opt-out method, you’re going to get shut down. Find a service provider who will do this for you – they’re not that expensive.
- Email me daily. The only people I want to hear from on a daily basis are my wife and my kid. Some days, not even them.
- Sales pitch me constantly. I know I signed up for an email list, and I recognize that you have a business to run, but can’t we talk about anything other than your amazing special offer?
- Use those pre-packaged marketing templates that look like everyone else’s. Actually, I like this one – it’s an easy way to tell which emails I can delete without reading them.
- Poor grammar. I also hate it when people type in ALL CAPS or use too much punctuation!!!!
- Send me generic content. You know – info about the weather in my area, local restaurant reviews, and other random stuff so you don’t have to type. I obviously get email, I probably have the internet too and I don’t need you to deliver it to me.
- Don’t include any contact information. What if I actually want to investigate you further? A little link to your web site goes a long way.
- Don’t have a web site. Why would I bother to invest in you if you’re not willing to invest in your own business?
- Don’t customize my email in anyway. You went to the trouble of collecting my first name, why aren’t you using it in your message?
- Write way too much. I have a limited amount of time in my day. Get to the point and have some respect for my time.
- Don’t include anything of value in your email. I hate when people send me stuff that talks about what they want from me without giving anything in return. Do you really not have a story or a helpful piece of advice you could share in your message?