The "E" list

Entrepreneur, Dec, 1998 by Melissa Campanelli

KEEP 'EM COMING

Of course, the best kind of permission or opt-in e-mail marketing involves sending e-mail to people who have visited your site. How does it work? You collect the names and addresses of Web users who voluntarily register at your site and express interest in receiving more information and news about specials or pricing deals you may be offering.

The best way to do this is to ask visitors to sign a "guest book" on your site, which is usually a page where visitors insert such information as their names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and personal interests - virtually everything you need to know about a person to target them effectively. Additional information you may want to ask for is how they would like to be contacted - through e-mail, fax or phone, for example. This way, you'll know best how to send them marketing materials. You can find more information about adding a guest book to your site at www.gweedo.com, which offers visitors a free guest book to place on their site.

If you're planning to use e-mail messages to reach people who have signed your guest book, one idea is to come up with several e-mail messages about your products, services, company and industry that start with an introductory message and end with a sales pitch. Experts say these messages should be sent in a "staccato" fashion. For example, as soon as you get an e-mail address from a visitor, send him or her the introductory letter about your company and its products or services. During the next five to seven days, stagger the rest of the messages you send them.

Finally, when putting together your e-mail marketing plan, don't forget the issue of privacy. In today's suspicious climate, where privacy of information on the Internet is a hot topic, it's imperative to offer a privacy statement on your site. It should state exactly what you intend to use the information for (e.g., for promotional purposes), and it should also let visitors know whether or not you plan to sell the information to any third parties.

Getting people to permit you to send e-mail messages to them may be the best form of Internet marketing there is. For almost no cost, you're sending messages to a targeted group of people who actually want to hear from you. There aren't many forms of marketing out there that can beat it. For more on e-mail marketing, see "Guerrilla Marketing" on page 93.

Melissa Campanelli is a technology writer in Brooklyn, New York, who has covered technology for Mobile Computing & Communications and Sales & Marketing Management magazines. You can reach her at Melisscamp@aol.com.