Forum Moderators: skibum
I have received hundreds of emails urging me to join this advertising 'phenomenon' and send my message to a million people (or more in many cases).
Do not fear, friends, I haven't gone soft and fallen for this stuff.
However, I can't help feeling that, in theory there must be some gains to be made. The problem being that I don't trust a single company that is involved with this practice.
That is not to say, though, that I am right in my judgement, and there may very well be a respectable provider of such services that could be of use to me. People do sign up to receive newsletters and offers all the time - perhaps there is after all a legitimate means to exploiting this avenue.
So, I ask here, does anybody have any experience (good or bad) in this area?
I'd offer some resources but I've never actually done bulk mailing, mostly I've been involved with buying as space in industry newsletters.
Could take years ;)
need a recommendation really.
I am having a problem with the concept that bulk email advertising is a dubious process.
Bulk email may be used to advertise dubious products but bulk emailing per se isn't "dubious", in my opinion.
In fact anyone doing any significant marketing over the Internet should have some sort of bulk emailings to stay in touch with their customers.
Stavs I agree with cyril_kearney, there is nothing dubious about the words "email" or "advertising" so why should the word "bulk" make it dubious.
There are bad practitioners as with phone, fax, postal marketing but email is just a potentially more interactive delivery mechanism than post and cheaper than phone or fax.
The issue with marketing communications has to be will it be relevant targetted of interest to recipients... is the list good quality etc
I notice you did not say "spam" but that is what you implied...
Bulk email advertising could be no different from bulk postal direct marketing ..
would you develop your own mailing list and manage it ethically?
starting with for example all your past customers and contacts... asking others to opt into your list ..
You could get into the internet.com mailing lists as they seem pretty large and are opt in.. .. I am happy with them, why should I browse peoples websites when they can email me when they have new stuff .. heck this site itself does it well enough... though perhaps notification here is not bulk.
I do make sure it is TRUE opt-in. Members always have several ways to get out or turn off the e-mails from the mailer.
What is the difference between an opt-in bulk mailing and a listserv? Nothing as far as I can tell.
(edited by: Marcia at 4:37 am (gmt) on Nov. 25, 2001)
Mark A & Cyril, you may have misunderstood my meaning when I referred to 'bulk emailing' as a dubious process. I wasn't referring to the sending of emails to our customers through an opt-in newsletter deal - this is an excellent practice, viral marketing at its best - and I didn't understand this process to be known as 'bulk' emailing.
I think now I didn't make it clear, but I was referring to those numerous companies who claim to have millions of email addresses, and charge webmasters to have their website included in the emails that they send out.
I receive emails virtually every day to my hotmail account from these companies inviting me to get involved with bulk emailing - they are written in such a way that you really would have to be a fool to believe their claims.
If I can't believe their totally unsubstantiated claims, and find their tone insulting, how could I possibly give over my money to them. For all I know, they may not have any list whatsoever, and I would never know about it.
Okay, some may actually have a list with a large number of email addresses, but the VAST majority of those addresses will either be blocked, expired, ignored etc.
The fact that these companies approach me on an unsolicited basis is dubious enough - okay, its enterprising of them, but that doesn't make it acceptable and trustworthy.
That should explain my position on this subject. Like I said, I feel there is some mileage theoretically, and I'd be prepared to have a stab at this numbers game - but ONLY if I found a reliable provider of these services.
The fact that nobody so far has offered a recommendation does little to encourage me.
To further my scepticism of the subject in general, I note that the 'old timers' of WmW appear to have shown no interest in this thread at all (with the execption of Oilman whose advice suggests the use of caution) - if there was some merit to be found, there would be some of the 'usual suspects' chirping in ;)
Having said that, I'll certainly keep an open mind, and would welcome any suggestions.
Sorry Stavs from what you write it appears I certainly misunderstood.
I would treat unqualified lists with great caution as it must be a game of small returns but the risk of vociferous negative feelings.
PS
National charachteristics have not come across in other discussions on selling via email or website pages in this forum.
A lot of academic study supports significant differences in acceptable selling technique for Japanese compared to American clients especially in B2B.
I see little reason to suppose this does not apply to individuals or even between Brits and Yanks .. any of these lists indicate nationality or even primary language?
Another thread talks about "money pages" in sites (presumably closing arguments) perhaps these should be nationality sentive ... nationality sniffer anyone?? :-)
Mark
