| What's Up Doc? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volume 1, Issue 11/Newsletter courtesy of Electronic Document Service, Inc. | April 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Electronic Communications
For Business Using Electronic Media Effectively By Jim Mullaney |
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Let's look at the pros and cons of this relatively new media. The advantages of electronic communication can be easily identified:
However, don't throw away the pen and paper just yet! There are also disadvantages to using this media. Let's look at some of these:
Communicating to Large Numbers of Recipients Spam is a dirty word in the world of email communications. Spamming is defined as sending large numbers of unsolicited email to an untargeted audience. Untargeted is the key word here. Spam is an intrusion. Promoting a product in this way will give your company a black eye! Far too many messages will have to be sent for this insipid method of communication to be effective. This makes it too expensive and too risky for it to be practical. It only takes one complaint to your Internet Service Provider for them to shut you down. How many businesses can afford that happening? Sending spam is very poor business practice. Don't do it! Reputable companies do send large numbers of commercial email very effectively. Look at the possibilities:
The key to sending large numbers of commercial email is to send only to those contacts who will be receptive to your message. Consider sending messages only to customers, prospects who know you, web site visitors who have requested to be on your recipient list, and others who have been referred to you. Anyone can buy a list of unknown contacts, but prudent business people will take the time to develop a worthwhile email list. Sending the correct message to large numbers of recipients, in the proper way, can be a gold mine! Done incorrectly, it can be a disaster! Be sure to send your message to the correct list and follow the correct protocol. I do not have enough space in this article to discuss the protocol, so call me, and I will be happy to review it with you. Now, moving to the other side of the table, what should you do when you receive spam? First of all, don't encourage them. An immediate response with a direct message such as "Take me off your list, now!" should get the point across. If you are having difficulty responding to them because the response "bounces," this means they have masked their return address. Most unsavory companies will do this. These messages can be traced through the header that is included with every email message. There are web sites that can help you with this. http://www.sentorian.com/antispam is one. On this site, you can find various tools that will help you identify, respond and block unwanted intruders. For nasty spammers, complain to their Internet Service Provider and get them shut down. We are living in a world that is getting smaller and where communication is becoming instantaneous. In business, we can choose to ride this wave, or we can stand there and get drenched by it. When you ride the wave, be sure to use the correct technique. Jim Mullaney is President Electronic Document Service, Inc. |
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The 80/20 rule says 80% won't buy - we break the rules!
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lectronic media is a superb way to communicate! Following the correct protocol can pay off handsomely; failure to follow the proper rules however, can result in disaster!