Once a company gets its online presence (designs their site, has a web hosting plan, etc) chances are they are going to want to communicate with customers through email.
If a customer emails you with a question, the risk of your reply being considered spam is practically nonexistent. But if you send out emails (either advertisements, helpful info, or updates), there are some steps you need to take to make sure your customers (and potential customers) don’t think of your message as spam:
1) Send Messages From an Understandable Email Address
If customers visit “www.YourCompanySiteABC.com” to learn about and purchase your products, your email addresses should all be “@YourCompanySiteABC.com”. If messages are being sent from another domain (like “YourCompanySiteABC@gmail.com”), many customers might not trust the emails. If you need help getting domain email, EarthLink has you covered!
1b) Use a “White Listed” Service
If you’re going to be sending out mass emails, make sure you use a service that has a good reputation, (If you send out too many messages, your URL can be “black listed” for sending spam, just based on volume) Constant Contact is an example of such a service.
2) Never Require Personal Information in a Reply
Never ask a customer to reply to an email with personal information. Have them log into your site to submit (if you have that functionality), or call you directly.
3) Only Include Links to Your Website
Only send people, through email links, to places on your website they have seen before. If you try to send them somewhere else, be prepared to get a low response OR calls wondering what you’re doing.
4) Check, Double Check, and Triple Check Your Spelling/Grammar
Spelling mistakes are often a sign of spam, so avoid this by double checking your text.
5) Be To-the-Point
The more to-the-point your email is, the more people will read it. If you include long passages of “convincing language,” your email may come across as desperate (which is how many scammers come across).
6) Don’t Email Too Much
Even legitimate companies can spam (over-communicate and flood inboxes. We recommend once to three times a month at maximum.