Knowbits January 2004

How many emails do you get every day: 200? 500? Not counting what your spam filter picks up. The growing email crisis, along with new laws coming into effect, is rewriting the rules for using email as a marketing tool. In this environment, how can you share something new with your clients? And how can you still reach potential clients, who don't know you, and haven't "opted-in"?

Be patient. Build a list of people who DO want to hear from you. Respectfully make introductions. How?

1. Use the contacts you already have to make others. Make sure you include a "forward to friend" option in your messages.
2. Piggy-back on another reputable list. Sponsor a trade newsletter or e-zine in your target sectors, whose readers have opted-in to receive relevant third-party messages.
3. Make sure that you have a place on your website for capturing contact info and *asking permission* to send future messages.

There are many other ways to work on building your contact list. Everyone uses them—telephone calls, search engine optimization, other forms of online advertising. The key is finding the folks that care about what you have to say. They're out there, and more is not necessarily better: Identifying 100 people who want to listen is more valuable than blasting 10,000 who will Trash you—or worse, tag your server as an "enemy".

If you have a question or topic you would like to see in Knowbits, write to Donna Lehman.

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