Rant of the month – Who’s adding me?

Ok, now I subscribe to tons of blogs, newsletters, twitter updates, etc. It’s not like I don’t have enough to read. Why, then, all of a sudden, have I been subscribed to weekly newsletters from all these places I’ve never been? (I also know I didn’t subscribe to these, because I use a specific email address for all newsletters and these are not coming to that address!) I admit, some of them are actually well written and thoughtful; I may keep those depending on how often they come out. But the large majority of them are just links to squeeze pages I received a year ago from the originators of the offers!

Do these folks think I don’t read anything else? That just like every other entrepreneur out there, I haven’t been digging and researching and evaluating every JV (joint venture) and option that crosses my desk since I started an ecommerce business 10 years ago?!?!

Be careful who you request information from. There are those who think that just because you visited their site once or twice, or they’re in a group with you somewhere on a social network that they have the right to dump their trash in your yard!

I support expanding your list. I really do. I’ve been working on mine for quite awhile, but I use a double opt-in on my Living in Left Field newsletter and I respect others’ privacy. There have been a few glitches from time to time and my list has been exposed, but I like to think that the people who are on there have enough integrity not to spam the list.

Before I add anyone to my mailing list, I make damned sure they want to be there. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe that’s why I have such a comparatively small one, but I have to look myself in the mirror every morning when I get out of bed and start my day and I prefer to have people in my crowd that I can feel comfortable sending things to because they know I’ve done my homework before bothering them.

Ok. Rant over. Seriously, though, if you publish a newsletter or offer a product, please make sure you have permission to sign your public up for an ongoing commitment like a newsletter.  We’ve all heard that internet real estate is valuable, well so is space in an email inbox. I don’t know where the compromise is, you need to send things out to an ever-expanding circle of contacts to bring in business, but 20 years ago, when i was cutting my teeth on direct mail (remember AOL software in the mail?) I learned that for every 100,000 pieces sent out, you were doing good if you got a 1% return! Those rules haven’t changed – they’ve just gone electronic and paperless.  It’s just cheaper now! At least cost prevented some people from sending other people’s information then.

Here’s an article that details what permission marketing is and is not. I suggest you read it.  Seth Godin said in an article in Fast Company,

The interruption model is extremely effective when there’s not an overflow of interruptions. If you tap someone on the shoulder at church, you’re going to get that person’s attention. But there’s too much going on in our lives for us to enjoy being interrupted anymore. So our natural response is to ignore the interruptions.

We as entrepreneurs need to be responsible; environmentally, fiscally and socially. Aretha sang it best.  The key is R-E-S-P-E-C-T!