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NONE: ONLINE-ADS>> Re: Unsolicited commercial e-mail
ONLINE-ADS>> Re: Unsolicited commercial e-mail
Ned Barnett (Ned.Barnett_at_bighorn.accessnv.com)
Wed, 16 Oct 1996 08:35:58 -0800
A question often comes up regarding using lists of those who have
requested to be on lists, vs. bulk e-mail lists of "non-volunteers."
To those who advocate the former, I suggest they are unintentionally
trying to justify actions that are really no different than using
bulk e-mail lists - in fact, the two kinds of lists are the same.
I am on the Online Ad list, here, and a host of other lists. In no
instance that I am aware of have I requested or authorized receiving
unrelated e-mails of a commercial nature, yet by subscribing to those
lists and newsletters, I become part of the "requested to receive"
e-mail lists which those who blanche at using bulk e-mail lists find
so acceptable as an alternative. I think their issue of
using only names who have "requested to receive" is unintentionally
bogus - those who sign up agree (or intend to agree) to receive one
item; putting them on the list is legitimate, but don't pretty it up
by saying that they have now requested to be on a
commercial/unsolicited e-mail list.
Am I clear - this is a bit hard to follow ... but I think you justify
using certain names because "they asked to receive" and reject using
others because they have not. But what those who "asked to receive"
was a specific item - they were not giving general license to hit
them with any commercial offer that you (or others) can think up.
My role, as a marketer, is to make any solicitation both effective
and unobtrusive. If I offend too many potential clients, and sell
too little product, then I have failed. If I offend no-one, and sell
product, then I have succeeded. For the record, since going online
on April 19, Healthworld Online has regularly posted commercial
messages to 60+ newsgroups and a host of listservs - in that time, we
have received not one (NOT ONE) flame or complaint - what we have
received is lots of traffic, and more than a few helpful critiques.
For example ...
My recent post to I-Sales has brought me a half-dozen really helpful
comments, even though it was <from one perspective> blatantly
commercial - I described my site in lavish detail, then invited
I-Sales members to come see for themselves - a classic "SPAM" - yet
because I had a real problem, sincerely and honestly expressed, they
realized that it might be worth checking out, if only to help me ...
and they have.
By and large, we post useful information of an apparently
non-commercial nature to the newsgroups, and get traffic but no
complaints. The same approach can be used with e-mail, without being
offensive. This requires marketers to be smart, to be careful, and
to always monitor their activities (that may be too intense for
some). But it works, it is effective - and it doesn't matter if you
have an approved list.
Which gets me back to the approved list question - do you actually
have lists of people who say, "Yes, I want to be spammed with
unsolicited commercial messages?" If so, I take back what I said.
But if you have lists of people who have signed up to receive
listserv posts, or regular and valuable newsletters, I
don't think you should extrapolate that these people have requested
other e-mailings. I know I didn't - but I still welcome any
commercial posts.
***************************************************************
Ned Barnett - Marketing Director - HealthWorld Online
"Healthy.Net" is the most comprehensive natural health site on
the internet, and the only site that integrates natural and
conventional medical information -
ned_at_healthy.net (personal: nkbarnet_at_accessnv.com)
http://www.healthy.net 800-281-4396
***********************************************************
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