Spammers work on the notion of bulk mailing with a low conversion rate. That's why they require millions of email addresses for it to be of any real ROI. Unfortunately, it still works to a certain extent as there are recipients who still respond to spam, though unimaginable as it may seem. And its these sorts of recipients that are still keeping spammers in business.
Spammers steal almost everything they can get their hands on. Besides email addresses, they highjack server accounts and bandwidth. Worse still, some spammers use auto-generated email addresses just for sheer luck that a few of those might actually be valid email addresses.
Now your clients would obviously not want to be associated with such syndications. Their intention to conduct online and email marketing. You're assisting and advising them on building brand identity and customer relationships through email marketing, which is the basis of marketing through any other medium.
Many surveys have shown that recipients do not define spam as simply just "spammy-looking" emails but anything that's unwanted. They may have even opted in to your client's list willingly, only to click on the "report spam" button simply because your client may be sending too much irrelevant information or simply sending too frequently.
We're not going to kid you. Good and proper, effective email marketing costs money. You have to set the expectations right with your client from the onstart of any email marketing strategy or campaign. Crafting a good email message, design and conceptualisation with considerations for branding, delivery and follow-up, the list goes on... However, one thing has to be kept in mind at all times: you're not adopting the spammers hit-and-run approach. You're tasked to extend the lifecycle of the recipient, collect feedback and data, and extend those findings out into other engaging communications or follow-ups. Its a lengthy and resource intensive process. Its highly effective and has tremendous ROI when done well, but can just as easily be destroyed by the wrong type of email campaign or content. There are essentially a substantial group of people who want to receive communication, but aren't getting it because the organisation hasn't done anything of late to show that they are active.
That's why, online marketing gurus keep re-emphasizing the importance of proper legitimate email marketing practises. List hygiene, proper segmentation, and delivery frequency. If your clients or prospects are looking for rented lists or a volume blast, be prepared to walk away. Don't be associated with their own brand assassination. Doesn't bode well for you as an agency, even worse for them as a corporation. Remember that your online marketing services are there to help your client build customer relationships, and not just about bulk mailing.
On the plus side, the more difficult and expensive it is for spammers to send bulk mails, the better it is for legitimate email marketeers to conduct proper campaigns. Many webmail clients are already setting some sort of certification for emails, which is great. Other delivery protocols such as DomainKey, Sender ID and Send Policy Frameworks (SFPs) are being setup on email servers and delivery services such as Blink Campaign which enhances the deliverability and authenticity of the email to the receiving server.
Advise your clients why bulk is bad. Why list hygiene is important. Why delivery is a big cost and issue. Why they shouldn't let their brand be associated with spam. If they think otherwise, its time for the next responsible prospect.
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