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.

I was recently introduced to the concept of “whuffie” by Tara Hunt, who blogs on interactive marketing at horsepigcow.com. Check her Future is Feminie blog entry
www.horsepigcow.com/2007/09/13/the-future-is-feminine/

Here, she talks about the importance of social capital when you’re trying to improve your reputation, your business, and your persona in general. In her remarks, she talks about how whuffie (wiki entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whuffie) is an ephemeral but extremely important tool in your toolkit of ways to define success.

What does it cost you when there’s a product recall, or a failed presentation, or a loss of a client on your watch? What does it cost you when you are unable or unwilling to respond to customers or to associates and friends? What does it cost you when you refuse to share your gifts with nonprofits, community groups, or people who truly benefit from your knowledge?

Looking at it another way, how much do you benefit when your sponsor an upcoming event, put your name on the marquee at a charity function, or donate some of your products or services to a worthwhile cause? What is the tangible benefit when you offer a commentary or a column on trends in your industry? What is the change to your bottom line when you give some of your “mojo” away?

Tara’s theory is that market capital as a force is on its way out, and social capital is on its way in. This means that all of us do well when we start to cooperate, collaborate, and share (rather than compete, dominate, and exclude).

Here are some ideas for you to volunteer or share some of your gifts and talents with your community:

1) Volunteer. Give some time to a school, a youth group, a service club, a nonprofit, or another group that strengthens your community. Even a few hours a quarter makes a big difference. This is especially true when you’re feeling down and out: taking care of other people boosts your energy and your sense of connectedness. If you’re feeling needy, then help someone else out.

2) Tithe. Give away a little bit of your income and see how much better you feel in terms of your self-esteem and your self-worth. Rich people are able to share. Are you feeling rich?

3) Collaborate with associates. Do you often work within a circle of professionals or with a group of people committed to the same goal? Now is a good time to reassess your group interactions and see if there are people who benefit when you “bring them in.” For example, if you’re a caterer, you might consider doing some cross-promotions with your local farm CSA, your favorite event planner, your most reliable musician, and your favorite florist. You could organize a big bash together, invite everyone on your list, and give away a portion of any proceeds to a local community-based organization: you win, your associates win, and the local grassroots group wins.

4) Be creative. Women are excellent at networking, sharing, and finding solutions. We are creative when we find new ways to support each other. Here are some ideas, off the top of my head. Offer some childcare or organize a childcare exchange with a group of other moms. Create an online store featuring all your friends’ jewelry and art creations. Mentor a youth who needs attention and nurturing. Drop off healthy treats for the administrative staff at a nearby school or office. Run, walk, bike, or swim for charity.

5) Give something away. This is my favorite. You most definitely have something to offer. What can you give away (without going broke, as Tara points out!) What will you do to share your life with others?

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”
Sir Winston Churchill.

We’re on Day 10 of a 30-day special on methods to increase our success-building habits.

Tip 10 is important to me and ties in with the idea that we all work, live, and share in concentric circles of community. Your current circle of friends determines to a large extent:

1) your ability to find work, leads, or referrals
2) your income and expenses (we are typically within 15% of the net worth of those in our peer groups)
3) your invitations to gatherings, events, and celebrations

So, if our current circle of friends is where we’re currently at, then one way to increase our abilities and our understanding is to “push” a little bit and find someone who is out of your “comfort zone.”

For example, in the last few years, I’ve increased my circle of friends who are into finance and investing: this has helped tremendously! My hedge fund manager friends, who work exclusively with accredited investors, talk about short and long stocks, trends in the market, and different industries: ideas that I didn’t have an opportunity to discuss with my non-finance friends.

Are you interested in being the best that you can be, achieving your full potential, and unlocking the keys to your own success? If so, find others who are at the top of their game: these are individuals who are the very best at what they do: they are maestras and masters.

Once you find these individuals (and make sure they’re not “poseurs”), make sure to take time to interact with them, learn from them, and share with them.

And don’t be shy! The very people you are seeking are also seeking you, and I’m sure you’ll make some great, lasting, lifelong friendships.

Here is my 2007 affirmation that I’d like to share with you: feel free to use it:

Monica S. Flores is an author, educator, and speaker.

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