Marketing experts have identified best practices for e-mail marketing to reap the benefits of e-mail’s high response rates (Han & Reddy, 2000). But first, an important concept to understand is the way in which opt-in e-mail marketing differs from spam. Spam, which has given e-mail marketing a bad reputation in the past, is unsolicited commercial e-mail. These messages often consist of blaring subject headers and wildly exaggerated claims in the message body. They are sent indiscriminately to mass e-mail lists, often to users who have no relationship with the product or service. Because Internet users have negative reactions to spam, American federal and state legislators have passed laws to regulate it.
Attempting to combat the negative association of spamming, direct marketers use permission-based marketing to communicate their brand message (Watjatrakul & Drennan, 2005). Coined by Seth Godin, the phrase “permission marketing” refers to the concept of consumers agreeing to receive communications from a company. Typically, this agreement occurs during a sign-up process, whereby the customer has opted into the marketing campaign, and he or she is placed in a position of controlling the interactions. Upon gaining permission, the marketer builds a one-on-one relationship with the customer and attempts to establish trust. To accomplish these goals, the marketer should be sure the messages are beneficial to the recipient and not imposing. Using the permission marketing model, customers give companies permission to communicate only the marketing messages that are specifically interesting to them. Another important measure of the difference between legitimate e-mail communications and spam is the frequency of communication (Morgan, 2007). It is important to monitor how may e-mails are going to each recipient in a given period. When marketers work within the parameters of the permission model, e-mail is an effective and efficient communication tool.
References
Han, P.K. & Reddy, V. (2000). Optimize your e-mail marketing campaigns. Marketing Management, 9(4), 50-53. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from Business Source Complete database.
Morgan, R. (2007, August 21). E-mail marketing 101. PC Magazine, 26(16), 83-83. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from Business Source Complete database.
Watjatrakul, B. & Drennan, J. (2005). Factors affecting e-mail marketing sourcing decisions: A transaction cost perspective. Journal of Marketing Management, 21(7/8), 701-723. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from Business Source Complete database.
