Subscriber Respect Builds Trust in Email Marketing

Respecting your current and potential subscribers is important in building trust through your email marketing campaign. How you collect email addresses and what you do with them will establish the level of respect you’ll provide. Most individuals consider their email address as private so what you do with it greatly affects whether you get to build on that trust or ruin it entirely. Subscribers trust those that show the most respect for their privacy. Here are tips to help you give subscribers the highest level of respect.

1. Set High Permission Standards

Never trick people into opting in. Get clear permission to send out everything you want to through your email marketing campaign. This means you should never pre-check opt-in boxes or trick subscribers with intentionally misleading text (i.e. "Do not select this option if you do not want to receive…"). Before people sign up, provide clear information on exactly what they are signing up for. Let them know what type of emails they will be receiving and how often they can expect them. Another level of confirmation is best. Ask new subscribers to confirm their decision to opt in through a second action, like asking them to click on a confirmation link located in your first email.

2. Be Transparent About Your Privacy Policies

Don’t intentionally publish privacy policies in long legal speak, or small print, knowing subscribers are unlikely to read them. Make it simple for them to discover and understand exactly what you intend to use their data for, and establish the proper level of respect. This means writing your privacy policies in simple language and making it easily accessible. If you trust and respect their privacy and if you really are trustworthy, you shouldn’t have anything to hide.

3. Respect Permission to the Highest Degree

Never rent or sell your list to third parties, even if you feel confident it can’t be traced back to you. People set certain expectations when they submit their email addresses to trustworthy email marketers. Subscribers don’t expect marketing messages from new senders or other things they did not explicitly sign up for. They should receive exactly what you told them to expect. In doing so, you will be recognized as a trustworthy provider.

In email marketing, you need to show subscribers exactly why they should trust you; and the amount of respect you give their privacy is a huge part of creating your trustworthiness. Never try to trick them into opting in for anything they don’t expect or fully understand. Value the trust they show for you as they give you their email addresses.

Jeannine Clontz, owner of Accurate Business Services, a VA practice, is an author, writer, speaker and VA Business Coach specializing in providing professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). For her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, a 2-month trial in her Insider group coachingprogram, or 1-month trial of her coaching club visit: http://www.VAbizcoach.com; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 3:12 pm and is filed under Business Coach, Business Coaching, business growth, Business Start up, Business Tips, Goals, growing a business, Growing your business, internet marketing, Marketing Plans, Marketing Support, Marketing Tips, Marketing Your Business, VA, VA Classes, VA Coach, VA Coaching, VA Training, Virtual Assistance, Virtual Assistant, Virtual Assistant Classes, Virtual Assistant Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Subscriber Respect Builds Trust in Email Marketing”

Sherra Scott Says:
April 29th, 2010 at 6:53 am
I could not agree with that assessment more! It’s unfortunate that I feel the need to use one of my “alternate” email addresses when I “sign up” for teleseminars & “free” information.
Jeannine Clontz Says:
April 29th, 2010 at 7:52 am
I’m with you there, Sherra – and those that don’t even provide you with the option to opt-out are the most annoying. Don’t they realize they’re spamming? It’s still all about building relationships and not respecting your subscribers only serves to hurt your reputation….something a savvy, ethical businessperson can’t afford to do.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.