Are you a spammer?

We all hate spammers. But what’s worse is having your friends and family think you’re a spammer. So, before you get caught up in all the excitement of your new business and the great idea of sending out a mass email to everyone you know about your new business, Stop! Ask yourself: “Is this spam?”

What spammers do:

  • Send emails to people they don’t know and/or don’t know well
  • Send emails to people who have not asked for the information
  • Send emails to lists of people (unless those people signed up for the list or have already done business with you)
  • Send emails with misleading content and subject lines
  • Send emails with no unsubscribe information

Here are ways to avoid being a spammer:

  • Send emails to subscribers only
  • Send emails one to one
  • Send emails with a working unsubscribe button/link
  • Send emails with truthful and appropriate content

Tips for better email marketing:

  1. Emails connected to current events and popular themes get better responses
  2. Use Facebook and Twitter to find subscribers
  3. Make sure that your emails are relevant to your prospects
  4. Offer promotions for becoming a subscriber
  5. Maximize your email message for mobile devices

If you find yourself in the awkward position of being known as a spammer by some, you should apologize to them. Having a successful business involves risk taking and sometimes an idea can misfire. When that happens you have to come clean, apologize, fix the problem and learn from your mistake.

Have you used email marketing? How did you respond to a mistake you made in business? We would love to hear from you in the comments.

Image credit: pandemia