How do you start email marketing the right way?

Why email is worth the effort

Social media posts reach whoever the platform decides to show them to. An email list is people who chose to hear from you, reached directly. It also carries more responsibility, because an inbox is personal.

Building the list with consent

Start with people who have actually said yes:

• A signup form on your website, linked from your social profiles, saying what people will get and how often. "One email a month with seasonal tips and first notice of openings."
• At the counter or after a job, a simple "Would you like our monthly email?" with a clear yes recorded.
• Events and workshops, with a checkbox the person ticks themselves.

Gmail's sender guidelines tell senders to make sure recipients opt in, not to send to people who did not sign up, and recommend avoiding signup checkboxes that are already ticked by default [1]. Gmail also recommends confirming each address before adding it to your list [1].

Never buy or rent a list, and do not add everyone who ever emailed you a question. They did not ask for marketing email.

The legal basics in the United States

The CAN-SPAM Act covers commercial email, and the Federal Trade Commission's compliance guide notes that it makes no exception for business-to-business email [2]. The guide lists the main requirements [2]:

1. Do not use false or misleading header information. Your "From" name and address must accurately identify who is sending.
2. Do not use deceptive subject lines. The subject must reflect what is in the message.
3. Identify the message as an ad. The law gives flexibility in how, but it must be clear and conspicuous.
4. Tell recipients where you are located. Include a valid physical postal address.
5. Tell recipients how to opt out. Make it clear and easy.
6. Honor opt-out requests promptly. The FTC guide says within 10 business days, and you cannot charge a fee or ask for more than an email address to process it.
7. Monitor what others do on your behalf. Hiring an email company does not hand off your legal responsibility.

The FTC notes that penalties apply to each separate email in violation [2]. Other countries have their own rules, so check before emailing people outside the United States. This lesson is general information, not legal advice.

Inbox provider requirements

Separate from the law, large email providers set rules for whose mail reaches the inbox. Google says its requirements apply to anyone sending to personal Gmail accounts. All senders must set up email authentication (SPF or DKIM) and keep spam complaint rates low [1]. Senders who send more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail addresses must set up both SPF and DKIM, add DMARC, and support one-click unsubscribe for marketing messages [1]. Ask your email service how to set these up for your domain.

What to send

A simple monthly email can include:

• One useful thing: a seasonal tip, a short how-to, an answer to a common question.
• One piece of news: a new service, new hours, a new hire, an event.
• One clear offer or next step, if you have one. Lesson 12 covers building offers, and lesson 5 covers calls to action.

Keep the subject line honest and specific. "October: when to book furnace checks, and our new Saturday hours" tells people what is inside. CAN-SPAM prohibits deceptive subject lines [2].

Choose a rhythm you can keep (lesson 6). A dependable monthly email beats a weekly plan that stops after three issues.

Common mistakes

Adding contacts who never opted in. It is the quickest way to spam complaints.

Clickbait subject lines. They may get one open and lose the reader for good.

No address or unsubscribe link. Both are required under CAN-SPAM for commercial email.

Only sending when you want something. If every email is a sale, people tune out.

Worked example

An HVAC company has hundreds of customer emails in its invoicing software but has never sent a newsletter. The owner's first idea is to import them all. Instead, he adds a line to every invoice and the website: "Get one email a month with seasonal maintenance tips and first notice of openings. Unsubscribe anytime." Technicians also ask at the end of each visit and note the answer.

Over a few months he builds a list of people who chose to join. He picks an email service, sets up authentication for his domain and makes a template with the company name, physical address and unsubscribe link in the footer.

His October email has the subject "October: when to book furnace checks, and our new Saturday hours." It includes a three-step tip on changing furnace filters, the news about Saturday hours, and one clear call to action: book a furnace check online. When someone unsubscribes, the service removes them automatically.

Checklist

• Everyone on the list chose to join, and I can show how.
• Signup checkboxes are not pre-ticked.
• Every marketing email shows who it is from, honestly.
• Subject lines match what is inside.
• Every marketing email includes our physical address and a clear unsubscribe option.
• Unsubscribes are processed promptly and automatically.
• Email authentication is set up for our domain.
• We send on a rhythm we can keep.

Try it

Write your signup line: what people get and how often. Add it to your site, invoices and social profiles. Then draft your first email: one useful thing, one piece of news, one next step.

Tips

• Tell people how often you will email, then stick to it.
• Send a short welcome email right after someone joins.
• Put your physical address and unsubscribe link in your email template footer so they are never forgotten.
• Read your subject line and ask: would someone feel tricked after opening?

Sources

1. "Email sender guidelines," Gmail Help, https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126
2. "CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business," Federal Trade Commission, https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business