Monday

Week 4....... not quite midway yet.

In our week four lessons, the issue of e-mail marketing came up.

Now, what do we all think of when we hear that?


SPAM.


But, not so fast....... e-mail marketing of course involves that under its umbrella, but also, as the lesson pointed out, it can actually be tailored to certain audiences, with specific tastes. It's not simply "junk e-mail," unsolicited and unwanted.

Most of it however? Yeah, pretty much...... the bulk of what actually ends up in your mailbox anyway (like your real mailbox at home). Occasionally though, good deals come your way, from companies you've ordered through before and actually checked the box saying you wanted them to send you 'great deals and offers' through e-mail (what were you thinking?).

Example: This week, I received a notice from Eurosport (a soccer catalog) offering 20% off certain jerseys. I love jerseys, too, but, damn........ they're expensive. I get a little extra off for being in their Goal Club, which I've been in since I was 14 or something. It's actually one of the better such programs I've seen. They cut 10% of the purchase price typically *and* let you accrue points for free items for later. And it's only a one-time fee; I have it for the rest of my life. I've been to other places that offer similar loyalty programs, and they actually make you pay annually for something you're unlikely to get the value of back through purchases in that year. Makes no sense.

And more to the point, it continues to make me look extra hard at e-mail offers I receive like this, knowing there's a little extra incentive.


Even with junk mail there's the occasional bright spot. So it is, too, with e-mail marketing.


(Even though I won't be buying any jerseys this time around.)




www. Eurosport.com

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