Connect: You don't want to over communicate, but it is equally important that you consistently connect with your list in order to get the best results. How can I trust you if I haven't heard from you for months and months?

Listen: How do you feel about a friend who really listens to you? That's how you want your customers and members to feel about you. Listening goes a long way in building trust. Ask those on your list what kinds of messages they want to receive from you. Give them options—do they want to receive announcements and your newsletter or just the announcements? You can also survey them to learn more about who they are and what they are looking for from you. The more you can give them what they want, the more effective your email marketing will be.

How to Erode Trust

Here are some ways, big and small, to erode trust or stop it from ever being built:

Irrelevant messagesEvery time you send a message that is irrelevant to the sender, you are wasting their time and damaging their confidence in your product, service, or organization.

Broken links: When a receiver clicks on a link that is broken, it tells them something about you and your business. Whether it's true or not, you can be perceived as careless. Make sure to check all of your links before sending a campaign.

Bad writing: It's very important to proofread and spell check your campaigns before sending. Even better, have someone else (preferably someone with writing skills) read them before they go out. Typos and poor grammar do not build confidence in the professionalism of your business or organization.

Too much information: When someone talks your ear off every time they call, chances are you might stop picking up the phone. Your readers will stop being interested in what you have to say if you overwhelm them with too much information. Always remember the "less is more" rule.

Mail from Trusted Senders Gets Opened. Make it your goal in life (at least in your email marketing program) to be a trusted sender. You want to be a "friend" to your customers, not just someone who is trying to sell them something. If you've taken the appropriate steps to build a bond with them, they will actually be glad to hear from you. We all have senders that we have positive feelings towards when we see their messages in our inbox. We want to know what they have to say. Why? Because we've come to trust them. Do everything in your power to make sure that is how your receivers feel about you.

Copyright © 1996-2006 Roving Software Incorporated d/b/a Constant Contact. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Constant Contact.

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