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Some quick basic email marketing questions

by jsuneb
3 replies
Hi,
Relative newb to email marketing. I have a couple of basic questions. Let me paint picture of who we are and what I'm trying to do.
We are a brick and mortar store that sells utility and cargo trailers. We have a website but no sales are taken on it. I am trying to build an email list and begin a newsletter. We want to be as ethical as possible about this but also don't want to over complicate something if we don't need to.

Here are my questions:
1. If a person reaches out to me using the Contact Us form on our site with a general inquiry about us or a trailer does that give me permission to add them to a marketing list?

2. I am assuming the answer to the above is "no". If that is the case, do i at least have the right to send them an invite email from my regular email address (not mailchimp) asking them to join our mailing list based on the fact they initially contacted us?

3. If the answer to 2 is "yes" then can I send separate emails, one answering their inquiry and a second asking them to join my list? If this ok from an ethical point of view what is the best practice?

4. If a person buys a trailer from us over the counter and provides their email address to us as part of the paperwork, do I have permission to contact them manually via email and 1) ask them to leave a review and 2) ask them to join our mailing list?

Thanks in advance!
#basic #email #marketing #questions #quick
  • Profile picture of the author radhika
    1. If a person reaches out to me using the Contact Us form on our site with a general inquiry about us or a trailer does that give me permission to add them to a marketing list?
    No. You can not add them to your list.
    But you can add an option during sending the contact form something like:
    'Send offers/newsletter'in future?' If they checks it, you can add them to your list.


    2. I am assuming the answer to the above is "no". If that is the case, do i at least have the right to send them an invite email from my regular email address (not mailchimp) asking them to join our mailing list based on the fact they initially contacted us?
    Yes. You can send a link along with your reply to their questions.


    3. If the answer to 2 is "yes" then can I send separate emails, one answering their inquiry and a second asking them to join my list? If this ok from an ethical point of view what is the best practice?
    Add a note during contact us form sending stating the same thng like they are going to receive an additional email to confirm their interest in receiving your follow ups. If they check the option to send the link, you can send mailchimp link.


    4. If a person buys a trailer from us over the counter and provides their email address to us as part of the paperwork, do I have permission to contact them manually via email and 1) ask them to leave a review and 2) ask them to join our mailing list?
    Eveything comes to your buyer permission, so get it one way or another at any point of time... during sale/contact/phone/invoice generation etc.

    .
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by jsuneb View Post

    1. If a person reaches out to me using the Contact Us form on our site with a general inquiry about us or a trailer does that give me permission to add them to a marketing list?
    It's a "gray area", at best, I think. A hosted autoresponder service typically won't let you do that, but many people routinely do it using self-hosted autoresponders. It's done "at your own risk" if recipients complain about "spam", though.

    Originally Posted by jsuneb View Post

    do i at least have the right to send them an invite email from my regular email address (not mailchimp) asking them to join our mailing list based on the fact they initially contacted us?
    I cant imagine why not.

    Originally Posted by jsuneb View Post

    3. If the answer to 2 is "yes" then can I send separate emails, one answering their inquiry and a second asking them to join my list? If this ok from an ethical point of view what is the best practice?
    If I were doing this, I'd want to do it all in one email, but that doesn't necessarily make that the "right answer".

    Originally Posted by jsuneb View Post

    4. If a person buys a trailer from us over the counter and provides their email address to us as part of the paperwork, do I have permission to contact them manually via email and 1) ask them to leave a review and 2) ask them to join our mailing list?
    Yes to both. As long as your emails are "Can-Spam-compliant", you're perfectly entitled to contact your own customers by email.

    .
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  • Profile picture of the author firstopp
    Originally Posted by jsuneb View Post

    1. If a person reaches out to me using the Contact Us form on our site with a general inquiry about us or a trailer does that give me permission to add them to a marketing list?
    Personally, I would sway away from doing this without actually having consent. Either use a ticker box under the contact us form that says "add me to newsletter" or not at all.
    Originally Posted by jsuneb View Post


    2. I am assuming the answer to the above is "no". If that is the case, do i at least have the right to send them an invite email from my regular email address (not mailchimp) asking them to join our mailing list based on the fact they initially contacted us?
    Add an invite section with your link to the reply. This way your not asking for a spam complaint as you won't be sending anything out extra unexplained.

    Originally Posted by jsuneb View Post

    3. If the answer to 2 is "yes" then can I send separate emails, one answering their inquiry and a second asking them to join my list? If this ok from an ethical point of view what is the best practice?
    As mentioned doing so in one email seems the best approach unless you add a ticker box that they expressively okay you to send via newsletter. When it becomes multiple replies for business gratification your bordering on spam. If the customer replies back, you can once again add that little section that says "Hey join our newsletter where you'll get such and such tips" or something in that respect.

    Originally Posted by jsuneb View Post

    4. If a person buys a trailer from us over the counter and provides their email address to us as part of the paperwork, do I have permission to contact them manually via email and 1) ask them to leave a review and 2) ask them to join our mailing list?
    Yes and no, as long as when they give the email you get consent. Just make sure to add a statement that by giving email they are giving consent for inclusion to newsletter.
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