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Market Your Small
Business With E-Mail
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Article 5: E-Mail Ethics
In outgoing business e-mail always include a
concise explanation of your e-mail policy, or a
hyperlink to a Web page where your policy is
explained. To craft a reasonable e-mail policy,
consider these ethical starting points:
- Don’t
send e-mail to anyone who has not agreed to
receive it.
- Make
it clear that recipients can opt out of
future communications at any time.
- Don’t
sell or rent your e-mail list.
- Never
send e-mail with recipients’ addresses
listed in the “CC” (courtesy copies) field
because all addresses will be visible to
every recipient. John may not wish for Judy
to know his e-mail address.
-
Instead of the “CC” field for multiple
addressees, use the “BC” field for blind
copies that will be seen by no one. In the
“To” field use your own e-mail address,
which will be the only one viewed by all
recipients.
- Don’t
include attachments unless recipients agree
to accept them. Attachments slow delivery
and can carry viruses. Wary recipients who
haven’t requested attachments are likely to
delete your e-mail without opening it.
- When
recipients don’t want attachments, you still
can paste supplementary material into the
e-mail form itself, or provide an online
link to a Web site where the information can
be viewed.
- Reply
promptly to e-mail. E-mailers expect
instantaneous replies.
- These
standards are a good foundation for e-mail
policy. But the overriding consideration is
to be an inoffensive e-mailer. You want to
elicit a smile on your recipient’s face when
your e-mail arrives. Not a frown and the
delete key.
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