There are few scourges Americans tolerate less than junk mail. Do-Not-Call lists and No-Circulars services stopped many letterbombs from clogging mailboxes in the pre-digital days. As mail transitioned to the Internet, the junk mail increased in force and veracity, even prompting the federal CAN-SPAM act of 2003. Now, spam blockers and firewalls keep our inboxes well protected from unsolicited mortgage refinancers and penis enlargement suppliers. But as well-meaning companies look to reach their customers in the digital age, how can your company avoid the dreaded spam folder and maintain a positive e-mail relationship with your customers?
Huntingdon Valley e-mail marketing firm AWeber has been teaching effective communication strategies since 1998. Their well-read, constantly updated tips have become industry standard and this week, their company blog was nominated for an American Business Award, also known as a Stevie. AWeber joins six other finalists in the Best Writing/Content for a Website or Blog category and will be waiting on the edge of their trackpads when the awards are announced in New York on June 21.
The Greek name Steven refers to a crown so they consider it to be a crowning achievement, says AWeber Director of Education Marketing Justin Premick. For us, an award like this helps to underscore what we have been saying all along about using e-mail to grow your audience. All the things that have made our blog successful can absolutely work for other companies.
AWebers Stevie Award nomination comes for quality in blog writing and content, which Premick says is more than just writing. Each post on AWebers blog seeks to spark conversation, keeping readers a part of the discussion and requesting feedback. Their blog syndication efforts have allowed better distribution of new blog posts. But the most important thing, Premick says, is simply giving the people what they want: no surprises.
It really comes down to a few basics: deciding what it is you are going to offer people in exchange for their e-mail address. Why is that going to be valuable to them? says Premick. Whatever you have, whether its a blog, a website, a column, you need to give people a way to have that information pushed out to them.
Source: Justin Premick, AWeber
Writer: John Steele