Posted by Jesse Willms on Friday, September 10, 2010
Today, I want to talk about one of the most important ethical problems facing the Internet marketing community: spam. We all get it in our inbox or spam basket, and we can’t believe anyone falls for it. But, not everyone is Internet-savvy – and unfortunately, unethical businesses take advantage of less aware people, and give all of us who rely on email for sales a bad name. This is not to say that sending emails to your customers is always a bad thing. It’s only when you do it too often, or send it to people who are not interested, that it becomes an ethical challenge. That’s why an ethical marketer uses email marketing in a fair, conservative way. When you collect emails to build your list, make sure people understand that you will be contacting them with information and special offers. Next, make sure you send out email blasts only when you have a sale or a new product... more »
Posted by Jesse Willms on Sunday, September 5, 2010
I promised you when I started this blog that I would use it to share with you my code of ethics. Today, I decided it was time to start making good on my promise. After all, that’s part of being an ethical person. Overall business ethics is a complex business, so I want to break it down into several different blog posts. To start, I’d like to discuss basic email ethics. Email promotions are an area where many companies fail in their ethical efforts. While one of the most effective marketing tools ever invented, it’s also the one that people trust the least due to spam, phishing scams and the threat of viruses. That’s why email ethics are a critical part of any company. Here are the email guidelines I’ve created for my company. Transparent copy. You can score a quick buck with a misleading email, but that won’t help you or your customers. And, it will destroy long-term profits.... more »
