To Spam or Not to Spam - You Know the Answer
by Joseph Nchor
GroupWeb.com

When you send Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (UCE) to one recipient or to many, that e-mail is considered spam. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) complain that some UCE overloads and sometimes short down servers. Email recipients protest that barrage of UCE cost them money - especially if they pay metered Internet access. Time used in deleting unwanted e-mails results in lost money too. There is truth to both complains. Therefore, the question whether to spam or not is obvious. Do not do it! While legislators are wrestling whether to outlaw UCE, some states have laws in place that make it illegal.

Well, if you don't do it, how will you get your message to prospective customers you never created any acquaintance? Use opt-in mailing lists. You can build a mailing list by collecting email addresses of your visitors who have opted to receive news from you, or you can rent a mailing list from opt-in email companies.

Building opt-in e-mail takes time, and renting an opt-in e-mail list is not cheap. The use of opt-in mailing list does not guarantee that you will not receive complains from email recipients. An alternative is to collect e-mail addresses and send your message to a target audience that is in need of your product or services. However proceed with care: don't just randomly harvest e-mail addresses and blast them. Remember, there is risk involved in this approach, but if you are afraid of risks, you should not be in business. This is what you should do:

1. Know your audience.
Every business or everyone is in need of something. Businesses who are your prospective clients need your products or services. The same is true with consumers. While they may be in need of your business, this may not be true at all times. Therefore, before you send your e-mail out, know when they want your business. Know your target audience.

2. Use legal means to collect e-mail addresses.
When you have ascertained your target audience, use legal means possible to collect email addresses. Start your own opt-in mailing list. Place a form on your web site to collect e-mail addresses. If you have a brick and mortar store, place a box to collect e-mail addresses. Look at the business cards you received from people you met at meetings, business expos or conventions. Visit websites of your prospective customers and request that they join your mailing list. Keep your first contact introductory and precise.

3. Keep Your Message Short
After you have built your mailing list, write your message. Keep it short, preferably about a paragraph long. Do not sell in your first message. Introduce yourself or your company with a free or special offer. Remember that nobody wants to read a long e-mail from a stranger. Nonetheless, include your web site address where he or she can find more information about your company. Do not, however, forget to include your contact information - especially your mailing address and phone number.

4. Personalize Your Message
Personalize your message; your reader will feel special and will less likely take you for an intruder. Include the reader's name and if possible, the position he or her holds. If your email is short and personalized, your email recipient is likely to read and digest it.

5. Send your Message
Send your message in batches to prevent server overload. You may want to do it at night when there is less traffic over your ISP. Consider mailing list software that act like e-mail servers and will run from your desktop -- a software that will allow you to manage bounced e-mails and "remove" requests from individuals who may not want to read from you again. Watch responses roll in -- hopefully positive responses that request more information about your product or service.

Before you start writing UCE, know that spamming is wrong. Opt-in mail is the best option to solicit business through e-mail, but when in need to reach a target audience that you have not created any acquaintance either in person or through the web, a carefully planned, targeted, short and personalized UCE is an alternative. Above all, know your audience and also know that the use of this alternative comes with some risk, but when a business or consumer receives your e-mail at the time they need your product or service, your e-mail message may not be spam after all. Nonetheless, proceed with care. Happy prospecting!