The following is an excerpt from the book Fifty-one Ways to Build your Community of Clients Online: How Women are Using the Internet to Grow their Business, Reach the Right Customers, and Make a Difference, by Monica S. Flores. Purchase the book online or at Amazon.

Tip 19. Control Junk E-Mail: Create an Opt-in List

Most people prefer to spend time with their family and friends, pursue important activities, or get real work done instead of dealing with junk e-mail.

What constitutes junk e-mail? Any of the following:
+ e-mail for which the recipient did not sign up
+ e-mail from which the recipient cannot unsubscribe
+ e-mail without a link to the original site sending it

If you dislike junk mail as much as I do (and if you receive as much as I do in a typical day, you definitely dislike it), you’ll make extra efforts to make sure that all your e-mail communications find a happy response upon their delivery.

E-mail communications form a large part of normal interactions with a company, so it’s best to start off with asking permission on if you may send e-mail to your users. This involves an “opt-in” process: users submit their contact information and they confirm that they opt-in to receiving communications from you. It’s always thoughtful to offer links to your latest e-newsletters so visitors may preview what they’re actually going to receive.

When you have legitimate news that benefits your clients, readers, or website visitors, of if you offer a service that’s timely and truly of interest to your mailing list, then feel good about sending your message to your community. It helps them feel like they’re “in the know” and have access to behind-the-scenes information.

I always recommend having a list of people who truly care about your products and services and who want to hear from you, as opposed to a “ho-hum” list of people who don’t actually enjoy receiving your e-mail missive and who will delete it or worse, spam filter it upon arrival.

When you send out messages, always make sure that you offer an opt-out link in the bottom part of the newsletter. Offer a link to your visitors so they may change their e-mail address or update their own contact information, or even choose which of your announcements they’d like to receive.

When you control junk e-mail, offer opt-ins and unsubscribe links, and you truly target the message that you send, you keep your business active in the eyes of the people who care the most. Through your e-mail list, you’re building a loyal base of fans who enjoy hearing from you. Respect the trust they place in you and maintain the newsletter as a valuable service.

I recommend minimizing the e-mail you send rather than maximizing it. Is your message so important that people must hear from you every day or every week? If you offer a weekly service, then you’re fine (e.g. Sunfire NewsWire offers a roundup of Asian-American political and business news, which arrives regularly), but if you’re simply sending promotional messages, consider sending messages only on a monthly, quarterly, or special seasonal basis.

The following is an excerpt from the book Fifty-one Ways to Build your Community of Clients Online: How Women are Using the Internet to Grow their Business, Reach the Right Customers, and Make a Difference, by Monica S. Flores. Purchase the book online or at Amazon.

Tip 4. Your “About Us” Page: Encourage Trust

Humans naturally want to know with whom they’re dealing. Are you a robot spammer or a live person? Prove it in your “About Us” page. This section displays information and pictures about key directors, partners, and staff.

I encourage you to add photos of your company’s key players to your About Us page. These help make your company real. If you’re a real person, you will have a real picture, a statement, a mini-biography (three paragraphs maximum), and a contact link. People in today’s information overload society have so much anonymous interaction: your potential investors, partners, and clients will appreciate that you are a real, live person who puts your name and your image on display as a representative of your company.

Add personal information to the extent that it enhances your credentials or provides insight into your character. People naturally like to know your interests, so if they’re appropriate or personable, highlight them!

Your “About Us” page connects naturally with the “Contact” page. List out the right person to contact for a specific function (e.g. sales inquiries, technical support, general information, etc.) to refer visitors directly to staff.

+ Picture of key player (Are you real?)
+ Name and Title listed (Who are you?)
+ Brief biography or statement (What do you do?)
+ Personalized (Why should your customer care?)