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This would probably be spam... Is there a way around it?

by mookinman
12 replies
This morning I received an email from a company that makes custom car badges... they sent me a mockup image of one of my domains on a car... It looked fantastic I have to say. My domain in 3D chrome on the back of a Mercedes. I was almost drooling. They also made it very easy for me to place an order, just by following the link to their site and sending my details.

NOW.... I make t-shirts... custom printed ones in fact... for business/pub & sports teams/stag & hen parties/etc etc... So naturally I was inspired by this car badge companies' approach. It's very easy for me to make a mockup of a t-shirt or polo shirt, sweater or hoodie with a company's logo on it... It's not too difficult to find email addresses of local businesses (from directories etc). A simple link to an order form, followed up with a confirmation and a paypal invoice, and we're in business.

BUT... These emails would be totally unsolicited, so I'm guessing they'd be considered SPAM. Even though I'm offering a totally genuine product/service, from a bricks & mortar shop.

Does anybody out there have any tips/advice on whether or not I should go ahead with this, or will I risk getting into trouble with whoever polices these things?

Thanks for your comments.
#spam
  • Profile picture of the author jaggyjay
    Hey Mook,

    Definitely do NOT spam. It's not the way to go and you'll lose credibility.

    If you really want to do an email campaign, try finding some JV partners who already have a sizable B2B optin List. Of course, you should test your ad, offer, etc. before doing any kind of mass marketing.

    Hope this helps.

    - Jay
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    • Profile picture of the author Tuzic
      Banned
      hi,

      spam is everywhere on the net & its a shame when people think genuine emails are just bad spam, its not fair.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Clayson
    I would be interested to know the low down on this as well.

    I regularly receive snail mail form companies that have clearly got my details from somewhere. I always make the point of ticking the "no mail" option on anything I fill in so I am pretty sure these are unsolicited. I guess there may be different rules offline.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rachel Goodchild
    Unsolicited emails
    If a person has never heard of you, sending a generic mass email is usually seen as spam, not a good way to make an impression.

    as far as I cna see you are tailoring a product to them
    so is it counted then as spam?
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  • Profile picture of the author hiphil
    I notice you live in United Kingdom. As far as I know, under EU law you are allowed to send one unsolicited message to each recipient to ask their permission to email them (but you'd need to check on this).

    Also, if you are sending individual emails to each company, surely this does not comprise "bulk" email, so technically it is not spam (again you'd need to check on this).

    If you can send one email, you just need to make them an offer they cannot refuse!
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave777
    Just keep in mind, in all the mix of spam type related messages, there is something called email communications... Could be joint ventures, cross promotions, bartering and other possibilities & opportunities!

    Of course do your homework and research well, never giving out any personal information and details until you've verified all credentials 100%. But try and keep an open mind as there are honest dealings through email communications between businesses. Custom T-Shirts in exchange for other specialty products and services can be a win-win situation for all parties involved if done in a professional manner.

    Just thought I'd make that clarification to think about! By the way, if you happen to have business related graphics/signage on your vehicle(s), keep an eye on my sig file coming soon...

    Dave
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  • Profile picture of the author mookinman
    Thanks for all the great responses! I'm still unsure of how to proceed... I guess I'll mull it over for a day or two and then make a decision
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  • Profile picture of the author getsmartt
    If you can find their email addresses you can probably find phone numbers. Give them a call and ask if you can send them some promotional information.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cash Blasters Online
    Doesn't matter what you're selling , Spam is Still Spam and I hate the taste of SPAM !!............Delete...delete...delete.....I never read them anyways, and do you think anyone else will either...DELETE !!
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    • Profile picture of the author KenJ
      Hi Tshirt guy

      I like your website - It tells me exactly what you do and how you do it. Great stuff

      Why don't you add a sign up option and then you can run a legitimate email campaign whenever you want to?
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  • Profile picture of the author Angela V. Edwards
    Make a non-digital photo of it and then mail it to the business. A bit more expensive than email, but you won't get into trouble with it the way you might with spam email.

    Originally Posted by mookinman View Post

    This morning I received an email from a company that makes custom car badges... they sent me a mockup image of one of my domains on a car... It looked fantastic I have to say. My domain in 3D chrome on the back of a Mercedes. I was almost drooling. They also made it very easy for me to place an order, just by following the link to their site and sending my details.

    NOW.... I make t-shirts... custom printed ones in fact... for business/pub & sports teams/stag & hen parties/etc etc... So naturally I was inspired by this car badge companies' approach. It's very easy for me to make a mockup of a t-shirt or polo shirt, sweater or hoodie with a company's logo on it... It's not too difficult to find email addresses of local businesses (from directories etc). A simple link to an order form, followed up with a confirmation and a paypal invoice, and we're in business.

    BUT... These emails would be totally unsolicited, so I'm guessing they'd be considered SPAM. Even though I'm offering a totally genuine product/service, from a bricks & mortar shop.

    Does anybody out there have any tips/advice on whether or not I should go ahead with this, or will I risk getting into trouble with whoever polices these things?

    Thanks for your comments.
    Signature
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    • Profile picture of the author ic7
      If it's local businesses, why not use your Chamber of Commerce? You can give a presentation there of your product directly to local business owners.

      Paul
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