Every week, I get SPAM email pitches to buy email lists in my Inbox. Ironic, isn’t it? I have also come across many ways to buy email lists online. I’ve even seen software that will scrape websites, LinkedIn profiles, and Facebook profiles for email addresses by zip code.
As appealing as they are, Kona Impact has never sent out bulk unsolicited emails, SPAM.
Why not to send SPAM
Here are a few reasons why:
- It might be illegal. The CAN-SPAM Act has some precise guidelines on what is legal and illegal with bulk email. Read the guidelines here
- Nobody wants junk mail. There are no businesses that sell goods or services that nearly everyone would be interested in. Even if you get 3% interested in what you offer–an excellent percentage for any marketing message–97% will not be interested.
- The reputational damage of sending business-to-business SPAM in a small market, such as Kona, Hawaii, is just too great. Some take great offense to receive unsolicited emails.
- If enough recipients mark your message as SPAM, your email address and domain name could end up on blocklists, which will mean your future email, even if legitimate, will go directly to Junk Mail.
- They make a horrible first impression. Why not reach out with emails that are personalized and relevant to the reader instead of being known as the company that sends junk mail?
- The recipient might filter all future emails from you to their Junk Mail folder.
Our Best Practices
Here’s what we do at Kona Impact:
- Send only highly personalized emails one at a time. If I find a business owner I want to contact, I might do so by email, but those emails are always individually written and sent.
- Use Mailchimp when sending emails to many existing customers at the same time. This allows for easy unsubscribing and keeps us CAN-SPAM Act compliant. There is a massive difference between contacting your existing contacts and unsolicited SPAM.
- Use direct mail (you know the kind, with postcards and stamps) for prospecting new clients.
- Always keep in mind what we like: only permission-driven email that is relevant and infrequent.