Some of you have had the pleasure of speaking with Wealth Authority’s trusty customer service representative T Harmon. He’s a smart guy who we hired about a year ago to help us answer your questions and return calls.
When I first met Tribbey at the Wealth Authority offices I was struck by his good attitude and his ability to remain calm in stressful situations, necessary traits for anyone working with people. For those of you who don’t know Tribbey has an extensive background working with people. Before coming to work with me at Wealth Authority he worked for a credit card company in a call center. He dealt with customers all day long, helping them resolve their credit issues. He picked up a ton of skills there he has been able to use while working here. He is also an avid artist. He draws caricatures at Walt Disney World in his off time. While we haven’t been able to harness his artistic skills as much as his other talents, we have got him to learn some new ones.
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Since T Harmon’s hire we’ve bumped up his responsibilities around the office. At first he just answered customer’s questions via email. Then we added answering and returning phone calls. Next we asked him to send out packages to our customers. Each step of the way he has shined and done exceptionally well. Lately we’ve been having him help us with some of our email blasts. He set up this very letter you are reading right now in the system for distribution.
The next step for Tribbey will be to learn marketing techniques. I’ve been compiling a list of beginner techniques to teach him when the time is right. I’ve also written down some techniques that I don’t want him to do. Knowing what NOT to do is sometimes just as important as knowing what to do. There aren’t many rules and regulations for e-mail marketing businesses, but there are a few.
Rookie Mistake #1: Sending Unsolicited E-mails
E-mail spam, also known as junk mail is the practice of sending unsolicited e-mails with some kind of advertising pitch. Spam in email started to become a problem when the Internet was opened up to the general public in the mid-1990s. It grew exponentially over the following years, and today composes some 80 percent of all the email in the world.
Unsolicited e-mails are sent with the thought that if just a few people per thousand respond to the offer, the money will start rolling in. The e-mail is meant to catch the eye of anyone, anywhere. This is the wrong way to build an email list. Before you can send any email-marketing material, you must have permission from every single one of your recipients. Be wary of anyone who promises to sell you millions of e-mail addresses.
The better way to build an e-mail list and your business is to rent advertising space on another company’s list. They will send your material for you so the recipients will recognize the sender as someone they agreed to receive e-blasts from. This is exactly what I did when I started each of my online businesses. I rented a list from someone else in the industry and sent out an offer, anyone who responded by opting in on my landing page I put on my own e-mail list since they gave me permission to send them additional material. If you are looking to get into the e-mail marketing business this is a tried and true method.
Rookie Mistake #2: No Opt-Out Button
I also want to teach T Harmon about opt-outs. Every e-mail blast you send out should have a way for the recipient to opt out of receiving further communications. If a recipient wants to unsubscribe and those requests are ignored, you’ve committed another rookie mistake that could get you in hot water.
Rookie Mistake #3: Deceptive Subject Lines
A lot of unsavory e-mail marketers will use flashy or misleading subject lines to get customers to open their e-blasts. If you’ve ever gotten an e-mail with a subject line like “Money Inside” or “You’re A Winner” you know what I mean.
The best way to write subject lines is to have them relate back to the information contained in the email.
Rookie Mistake #4: Misleading From Address
Look at who sent you this e-mail. You’ll see it’s from Wealth Authority, a name you have come to trust. When a subscriber signs up to receive e-mails from a company, they expect those emails will be sent from that company name. They don’t expect to get e-mails from “John Smith” or “Jane Doe”, or some random person from the marketing department.
The right way to do this is to always send communications with your company name on it. I’ve seen other companies try to get edgy by putting their personal name along with the company name on it. That only works if your name is highly recognizable. Most people don’t know who the heck you are, so stick with your company name.
Rookie Mistake #5: Too Little Communication
A lot of rookies don’t have a lot to say to their subscribers so they put out a newsletter or information only once a month. This means they e-mail content on a fixed date every month regardless of what’s going on in the world. This forces them to compile a large amount of content to suit a deadline. E-mail marketing works best when it’s kept short and to the point. Nobody wants to read 16 pages worth of information or scroll through multiple articles.
It’s much better to send out regular communications to your subscribers on a weekly or daily basis. Keep the e-mail short and to the point. This will ensure your content is read and your audience stays engaged with you.
I’ve seen a lot of companies come and go during my time in this industry. Rookie mistakes cost companies money if they can’t figure out the right way to run a business. While I definitely consider T Harmon a rookie at this, he is smart enough to know not to make some of these mistakes. Plus he’s got me as a mentor. Which you do too.
Regards,
Ethan Warrick
