What Alternatives Do Companies Have To SPAM?

peterjm writes: "I work for a company that does a lot of business on the Internet. Like most companies in similar situations, the marketing department occasionally sends out 'informational' messages to a database of addresses (once bought, now garnered from trade shows and webinars in exchange for the customary t-shirt). We recently sent out one such note and recieved a very harsh (but very true) response from some one who stated in no uncertain words that he no longer wished to receive such messages. This sparked a bit of debate on a few of the company mailing lists. My contention is that such messages receive a terribly adverse response from the Internet community at large. Not only that, but were we to find ourselves on the RBL, our business would all but come to a screeching halt. On the other side of the coin is the fact that we -need- to market our product. We have something to sell, and we obviously want to tell as many people as possible. Someone who stradles both the IS and Marketing groups posed the question, 'How do you propose that we market our products?' Well? What's the best way? How does a company market with effectiveness without pissing off the Internet in general?"

Re:You answered your own question, if you looked.

[sabaco]

Oh, believe me, a lot of people come to us and say, "Can I really make tons of money by going online?" and the very first thing I tell them is "No, you can't." In fact, we've gotten customers who have gone with us because we are the first person who has admitted that to them.

Mostly what we are trying to sell is spam filtered email accounts, that allow a business to look professional (no more @aol.com address) and an easy way to set that up. We also offer dicussion boards, so that they can discuss things intraoffice or interoffice or even with their clients (support forum etc). As a side note, we offer web hosting that ties the whole thing together.

We are priced less than 1/12 of what some of our competitors charge for the same services. We feel we really do have something to offer (unless of course, the internet explodes as you predict :). Basically, we really are trying to offer them something of value, and we're trying to make sure that they are happy with it and the price.

-- Braeus Sabaco
Member of the Roman Legion
Customer/worker at Phenomenal Internet Solutions [phenominet.com]

Viral marketing

[Metal Machine Music]

If you've got any sense, you'll find a way to market yourself without spam.

Viral marketing's probably the answer - you make people want to visit your site - and they are the ones forwarding it round the world, not you. Make people want to visit your website.

For example, you could investigate putting Flash or Java games on there, or giving free downloads of stuff like freeloader.com's free Grand Theft Auto 2. You could even write your own game, as the Dommelsch brewery did - a decent pinball game, available here [lostboys.nl].

The other way is to create an amusing email, animation or movie, implanted with your adverts, and then get people to forward it.

Finally, try publicity stunts, but be careful that they are things you want your company to be associated with.

Marketing 101

[funkman]

OK, you have a product. Realistically, not everyone wants your product. First determine who would be interested in your product. Determine age, location, and other demographics. Determine the areas where your potential customers are most likely to be and not be. (For example: the wassup beer commercial makes no sense on the Lifetime network).

From there, start a targeted ad campaign. Use Banner ads from specific web sites (not very effective to get click throughs but the mere presence over time will verify brand eventually). Go to a TV medium or Radio for ads. Try running a contest or publicity stunt which increases exposure but does not damage brand name or image.

Work on building a home grown mailing list of customers who you could "spam" but it is targeted in such a manner that it is not as "spammy" as the "make money fasts!".

It takes time to build a brand an patience will be most important.

Traditional Channels

[gowen]

1. You may be new media, but don't forget traditional channels. Print ads in specialist journals are pretty cheap, and if your product is worth having word of mouth will run its course.
2. Monitor newsgroup and when relevant mention that your product solves a users problem. Don't do it a lot, and be helpful, modest and honest about it. Ask for feedback and suggestions. Be available.
3. Get reviews, in both print and new media. Hundreds of review websites need new content daily. Send a webmaster/reviewer a free (time limited if necessary) copy of your product, and ask for a fair and frank review.
4. Use legitimate email channels, like relevant foo-announce mailing lists.

Re:WTP - just go easy.

[jon_adair]

If I give my mail address to a sales type and then get mailed it's not Spam.

Exactly. It's spam when I get one with 500 people in the To: field all with addresses like [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], etc. If it's from a company I gave my address to, it's my fault. If I bothered to give them a real address, I'm actually probably interested in their email.

On the other hand, if you're collecting your addresses in other ways (third parties), try very hard to only send one piece of spam per e-mail address. If they first e-mail doesn't work, give up. When I get the same spam a dozen times in a week, it makes me pay attention and complain about it.

And always provide a real opt-out link in the e-mail. I probably won't use it (for fear that you will know I actually read your spam), but some people will.

You just answered it yourself

[scotpurl]

Since you put Marketing's "informational" message in quotes -- you, me, that park bench, and everyone else, ASIDE FROM MARKETING, realize that it wasn't informational at all. Marketing, however, sees it all as a message that the customer needs to see.

What's the goal of the message? To notify of a product recall? To announce a sale? To offer customers 20% off the next purchase? Building brand identity? Announcing a new VP of sales? Some of those are messages I /might/ welcome, and others are dubious, self-masturbatory marketing practices. As an example of companies that engage in masturbatory and mindless marketing spam to their customers, look no further than Verizon or Register.com -- both of whom have spammed me in the past 10 hours.

Here's an approach I'm recommended to my current customer site, for the purpose of spamming internal folks only. The marketing folks who will be spamming non-employees didn't like my pitch.

1. Accept that many folks view unsolicited email as a rude interruption, and a few of those will want to carve bombs out of pine cones, and mail them to the company. It's /their/ email, not yours.
2. If someone opts out, then they have opted out for life. Do not contact them unless your product will kill them. (Hear that, Verizon!)
3. Include a URL in the message to refer everyone back to. That URL is customized per-recipient, and you use that to control what they want to see. On all future mailings, if they want to unsubscribe, or change what sorts of mailings they get, you can then include it as a standard header and footer in your email.
4. If they don't click the URL, don't email them again for at least 6 months, but preferably not for a year. Once a year is plenty. We renew our magazine subscriptions annually, so this is kinda the same.
5. Replies to your spam go to a real, live person, whose sole job it is to protrate themselves before irate folks, and to assist them.

Finally, and this is the bix 6, MAKE SURE YOUR EMAIL HAS CONTENT. If it's just self-promotion, brand-awareness, or any other hyphenated-activity, then save the company some money and the hassle, and the customer the interruption, and don't @#!! send it. If the words "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" are any where on it, then it's not content. If the information will not make the customer happier, healthier, wealthier, or more productive, then it's not content.

To do it any other way is to treat your customers the same way passengers are treated by airlines.

Re:It's simple

[ptomblin]

then be polite enough to put a "PS:" at the end of your message and appologise for the inconvienience and promise not to misuse their emails anymore.

Speaking as somebody who gets 20-30 spams a day with insincere apologies at the end, I can guarantee that that sort of bullshit just makes people madder.

If you can't afford to advertise legitimately, then you can't afford to be in business. Period. If spamming is the only way to keep your company alive, then shut the doors, sell off your assets and find something more honest and legitimate to do. Like selling crack.

..Mostly its about content

[tolan's my name]

I think the main think is to ensure your mailshots have relevant content, and are only sent out on a limited basis.
Since these people given you there addresses you can assume they have some vague interest in your products, but they still dont want to be harassed. I would go about it like this:....

A day or two after you got there name send them a email like...

Thanks for showing an interest in our company [products, service, whatever] at the recent [???] convention....
then just give them links to your catalogue, your main website etc AND a link to GENUINELY remove themselves from your database. [You can state that it isnt your policy to send a large amount of mail etc etc, but remember if they wear the t-shirt the branding is worth it, they dont owe you the right to spam them].

Assuming they dont unsubscribe send them only notifications of truely MAJOR releases, 1-2 a year at most, make sure these are strait text emails, with summary info and a link to the relavent web page, NOT huge HTML pages. [and of course include the option to remove themselves from your database]

If they actually buy one of your products feel free to send them info on that product's updates, and for very, very similiar goods. Also do them the service of informing them of FREE updates, patches, service packs, bug-fixes etc etc as well as the ones that make you money. DO NOT feel free to send them similiar info about other products.

Basically behave as you would want to be behaved towards, there will be people who will appriciate your mails, assuming you have a useful product.

This is my personal opinion about how I'd like a company i'd expresses some interest in to treat me, I realise a lot of it is mentioned in the comments above.

BTW: if your product is fairly revolutionary, and it would have to be to solicite any response from spam, then it is fairly easy to get it marketed for free on the net, /. being a prime example.

PS do not sell those email addresses, do not buy any more either, its equally squallid

WTP - just go easy.

[Shimbo]

Frankly, I don't see the problem. If I give my mail address to a sales type and then get mailed it's not Spam. If I didn't want mail, then why give it to them?

I don't think any reasonable person could object to being mailed with a trailer saying: we mailed you because you stopped by our stand at Vapourware 2000; here are our latest product/contact details.

Make someone personally responsible for messages sent to your lists and the maintenance of the database. Publish full contact details. Make opting-out easy (or better still make it opt-in after the first message).

Whilst a rare few may get overexcited about junk mail, most people will be reasonable if they can see you are acting responsibly.

Re:It's simple

[SEWilco]

But the polite PS at the end doesn't work because too many spammers are already doing the same thing. Some spammers are politely sorry, some put it in but have things like fake removal addresses, and some have lies in their apology (ie, references to fake laws).

Try sponsering things

[bluGill]

I'm on a couple mainlings lists that have gone to sponsership programs. Once a week I get a message on the list with [SPONSER] in the subject. Easy to filter out, but I don't. This isn't Spam, this is advertising from a legitmate company that is supporting something I enjoy. The least I can do is skim the message, if I'm interesting in their product (and often I'm not - delete) it is a plus mark to me that they are supporting things I like. I won't nessicarly buy from them, but they jsut got one point over compititors.

It's simple

[ishrat]

You already got a lot of advice that the traditional proven ways to advertise are best , but if your finaances are limited and spam you must then be polite enough to put a "PS:" at the end of your message and appologise for the inconvienience and promise not to misuse their emails anymore. Courtesy is one of the most important marketing tools. And ofcourse only spam your target audience.

It's simple: Steal

[SEWilco]

if your finances are limited and spam you must

How about "if your finances are limited and steal you must"? You're saying that theft of some form is acceptable if the thief is poor.

Keeping a list of opt-outs

[concept14]

Honor the requests from people who ask to be removed from the list - and actually remove them - don't just set a flag saying they were removed. Don't build up a second list, either.

I work in direct marketing (mostly the paper variety), and we would never do it that way. We always maintain a separate list of people who have opted out, to guard against somehow getting them back into the main database.

no EMAIL formatting (MIME/HTML)

[james_shoemaker]

If you want me to look at mail it must not be formatted. Any mail in MIME or HTML format gets deleted without me even attempting to decipher the contents. Repeat offenders get added to my local sendmail filter and get appropriate responses from future mail.

I still haven't seen any great suggestions

[sabaco]

No offense to the people who are trying to be helpful (and I did see a couple), but I didn't see a whole lot of new ideas about drumming up customers. Suggesting traditional media is nice, but if your company has a marketing department, theres an extremely high likelihood they have thought of that already.

Take for example our company. We have a very strong stance against spam, to the point that we are blocking every bit we can find. But we have a continuous problem with advertising. TV spots are nice, but only if you have an awful lot of money. If we were to do TV and radio marketting, we'd probably have to double our rates at least. That's no good.

We've tried banner advertising, and that generally garners 1 click through per 20000 or so, which doesn't make it worth our while. We can spend a few thousand dollars on banner ads, and we'd only get back a few hundred at most.

We offer very generous commissions, and that helps some, as it makes our customers consider the benefits of refering clients to us, but that builds on exist client base. While it is starting to be effective, a lot of businesses might not have a large enough base.

We've produced printed flyers, and distribute them every where we can (of course, we don't give them out to people who are just going to through them aways, since that would be a waste of money). But we can only distribute them as people show interest in hosting, which isn't very often (few people walk down the street talking about wishing for hosting). We've considered even sending out horrible paper spam (which I like slightly less than electronic spam, though about 100 times more than telemarketers), but we don't think the return will be worth while.

We have hired a sales force, to seek out businesses door to door and pitch our product. Not very sucessful, since most businesses seem to think they "don't need that new fangled contraption called the innernit." We show them graphs saying that it makes them look more technologically savvy and modern, that it can boost their image, that it can help with client retention, and lower current customer contact costs by using email, but they just don't see it. For most non-internet based businesses we contact, they really don't care about this sort of thing.

We email people that our sales team have found and thought might be interested in web hosting (what we do). The trouble is, for the 400,000 emails we've sent out so far, about 4 have come back with angry complaints. Now, you might not think that is bad, considering some of our affiliates are running requested email subscription mailers, and they get more complaints than that even, but it isn't acceptable to us. (Of course, we watch carefully to make sure it isn't spam, but their lists only send email to people who have specifically requested that they receive mailings, not part of a free gift form or anything like that.) We are always apologetic to anyone who is upset, and we have people go through every email personally by hand and respond to their concerns.

But really that isn't enough. People get really mad about that (see irritating person who posted earlier saying that all spammers should die or whatever, very productive I might add), and we'd also like to here some alternate methods of advertising, that are even remotely affordable. Verio/AOL may be able to show 10 commercials an hour on every station, but they offer basically 0 tech support and high prices. Is that just the way it has to be? Every company can offer no service because to offer service prevents advertising and getting customers?

Even better yet, what can smaller companies than ours do? We have a lot of web designers who are clients of our because they like our prices and flexibility, but I don't think any of them gets more than 1 new client every other month. I know they'd like more clients than that, and we refer as many clients as we can to them, but how can they afford to get them? (specifically people with very very low budgets.)
-- Braeus Sabaco
Member of the Roman Legion
Customer/worker at Phenomenal Internet Solutions [phenominet.com]

Simple: let the customer ask you

[yabHuj]

Do not send unsolicited mail - especially do not send "anonymous" mass mails. Let the customer feel that you care for him and his specific needs and interests.

So only send mail that is

1. Specifically customized to the interests of the targeted user (user, not only user group).
   
2. Is sent only to the users that explicitly allowed you to send mail to them.
   
3. Has a real (information) benefit for the customer.
   

Internet customers do not want to receive garbage. Plain, short and concize information is the key.

But how to get the "allowed" email addresses and customization information? Simple: provide a good website where users can access the information they are searching for easily. Give them the option to be updated on SPECIFIC news. E.g. when downloading patches/new drivers give them the OPTION (optional, not necessary input) to be notified when there are updates.

What does that give the user? He does not have to search for the current drivers - and still is not molested with garbage.

What's your benefit? Satisfied customer (good product service). Excellent customization info. Unmolested non-customers. And much cheaper.

As for user customization: do not ask much questions. Deduct from the point of interest. Someone downloading driver for the top-model graphics adapter usually is highly interested in graphics-intense gaming. So he may be interested in news on new (better) graphic adapters, supported games, etc.

Email users are highly selective - so do not flood them. Be short and do not mail too often.

Another good option is hosting FAQs and mailinglists for products or services (not necessarily only yours). With this people get to know and value you for your service. Make sure you keep a neutral stance there (do NOT use those for plain advertizing)!! But you may add a "signature" with your advertizings there - and sneak in a pointer to your appropriate product when AND ONLY WHEN asked for.

Re:Keeping a list of opt-outs

[cr0sh]

Ok, this is understandable - but something must be done to keep that list from being used as a mailing list (or resold as a mailing list)...

Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!

Re:WTP - just go easy.

[SEWilco]

If you're working only from lists of people who gave you their addresses, be polite in the use of them.

Mention how you got their address, to remind them that they gave you their address and to help them remember what was interesting about your company's products. Maybe they'll remember they only wanted the T-shirt (OK, so at least that's good for name recognition), or maybe they'll remember one of the six products at the booth was a nice four-port controller card for their industrial interface. This probably means inserting a mailing-list-descriptive paragraph in each message; include a proper paragraph in each of your mailing list databases so your text-processing software can insert it whenever the list is used. Make sure descriptions are ageless, such as "Fall Comdex 2000" rather than "a recent trade show".

Reference a web page and non-Web means for removal from the mailing list. On the Web page, have removal/inclusion options for ALL and for individual product categories. Some people won't want to hear about your data line drivers, but will want to hear about every POTS amplifier. You'll lose some, and you'll gain some. Include that web page in your normal web site for people who want to add themselves to your lists.

Use the lists once soon after they're collected, with news relevant to the items featured during the list collection. This will remind them that they provided their address and reminds them of whatever they were interested in. Invite people to opt-in to permanent lists of interest. Let the lists age and use them less as time goes on.

Retire older lists -- re-use them only for significant events, such as a corporate name change. With such a bolt from the blue, again issue the reminder of where the list came from and mention that they won't hear from you again except with similar major events. Mention the opt-in methods for people who want more frequent news.

Re:WTP - just go easy.

[radja]

if I am interested about 1 product, and ask for info about it, I am not necessarily interested in another product from the same company. I get email I didn't ask for. It's spam. and it will be reported to the RBL. It's time some companies went bankrupt specifically because of the RBL. It wouyld be a good signal sent out: spam is bad.. it can cost you..

//rdj

Re:It's simple

[radja]

nobody has to spam. it is a choice. if you make the choice to harass people, you deserve a lot of what is coming your way. someone who has to give out an email address to get a t-shirt says: I want that t-shirt. he didn't say: I want that t-shirt, and regular junkmail from you. also be aware that some people (like me) act rabidly. RBL is my friend. and it is yours too. It may have already saved your business, since it has stopped some spam. you have already sent spam. If you're lucky, nobody reported you to the RBL yet. but if someone has, it's your own fault. if that ruins some company.. good...that's one spammer less. Maybe the next company WILL behave. the RBL is what self-regulation is all about, which america seems to like so much. But look at companies whine when it doesn't work in their favour. All spammers disgust me, and remember: I am NOT your target audience.

//rdj

Jakob Nielsen's "Request Marketing"

[KjetilK]

First, please do not even consider spamming. I have become fiercly anti-spam after experiencing that the non-profit organizations I work nearly lost our net connection because the ISP that gave us free connectivity couldn't afford to keep us.

There are some very exciting ideas in Jakon Nielsen's Request Marketing [useit.com]-piece. If you can get this stuff working, it is truly different.

Example - Re:Simple: let the customer ask you

[lemonjelo]

There's a good example of customizable notifications over at BeBits [bebits.com]. IIRC there are options for having a weekly email of the most popular downloads, most recent submissions, and such.

There's also the option of being mailed anytime a specific [bebits.com] piece of software gets updated. Each "product" lives in its own space on their site [bebits.com], and provides that option.

You answered your own question, if you looked.

[human bean]

most businesses seem to think they "don't need that new fangled contraption called the innernit." Exactly. You are selling a product that most businesses can live without. And they do.

I am sorry that you are in a business that is highly competitive and has traditionally had low profit margins. You do not fix this by advertising or marketing, ever. The only way to fix this is by changing the business itself.

Internet folks forget what the real world is like, as thay are often the type that want to retreat from it. If internet stopped tomorrow there would be a hue and cry, but the world would go on. Money would still move, goods would still ship, babies would be born, and old folks would get laid to rest. This is where the real world is, and this is where businesses REALLY make money.

The only internet busineese that are going to make it are the ones that understand this, and provide some addded value to a "real-time" person or product. Advertising and marketing (the great bulk of internet content) is not adding value. It is trying to increase sales by making up for a lack of value in the product, by changing people's minds and perceptions. If the product had tremendous value, it would sell with just the force of word-of-mouth.

Real world added value is difficult to deliver, as most of the world does not run on pure data. You cannot eat data, you cannot burn it to stay warm, and it won't keep you dry in the rain. But data (which the internet delivers) can be turned into information (people think about the data) and then used to affect the real world. The key is in getting people to think about the data and apply it.

Get a different business model. Work hard. Make millions. And don't spam. It is not cost effective in the long run.

Old News will destroy Google!

[Joe Groff]

Linux [microsoft.com] BeOS [microsoft.com] FreeBSD [microsoft.com] MacOS X [microsoft.com] QNX [microsoft.com]
SUB-20000 USER ID FOR FREE!

Re:WTP - just go easy.

[-=[ SYRiNX ]=-]

Mention how you got their address, to remind them that they gave you their address and to help them remember what was interesting about your company's products.

But on the flip side of the coin, be damn careful that you don't LIE and accuse people of having visited your web site or signed up for your e-mails when in reality they have not.

I get SPAM all the time that say things like "We never send mail unsolicited," (Bullshit), "You are receiving this because you signed up for a membership at so-and-so web site," (actually, I did no such fucking thing nor have ever heard of the web site in question), "To be removed please reply with the word 'reply' in the subject line" (so that instead of actually removing me, you can confirm my address and send me more shit!).

Re:It's simple

[nicwolff]

I don't get any spam - I use procmail [angel.net] to verify senders on all incoming e-mail. It works, and it only inconveniences each sender the first time they mail you from a given address.

Something else for you to do...

[cr0sh]

I hate spam (gee, can you tell?) - but so far we have to live with it. The only spam I allow to go through is that in which the TO: contains my real email address. And half the time, that gets deleted as well.

Send only text messages - I hate adverts that have to spend time download crap from another site.

Put [adv] in the subject line, so that those who want to filter for advertisements can.

Put a real return address on it, and honor the requests from people who ask to be removed from the list - and actually remove them - don't just set a flag saying they were removed. Don't build up a second list, either.

Provide real contact info on the email - Name of company, address, phone numbers - in short, make it look like a professional piece of correspondance. Anything less is just crap.

Now, if you did this, and sent the email to me - would I like it, as it is obviously SPAM? Probably not, unless you were really selling something I wanted. But I would be more respectful toward the way you handled it than if you didn't...

Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!