SPAM is a term used to describe unwanted e-mail. Sort of like junk mail is used for the unwanted paper mail.
When you communicate with your patients, clients, referral sources, and potential patients e-mail can be a very cost effective method of communication. However at some point we know desirable e-mail becomes SPAM which seems to really annoy certain people. So when does e-mail become SPAM?
The origin of the term SPAM as a name for generic unwanted "stuff" seems to have come from a program of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" when a group of restaurant patrons found everything on the menu included SPAM. Some users on early bulletin boards and online services started repeating the word SPAM over and over again as a way of disrupting other users; or transmitting large blocks of dialogue from the program. Over a period of time the term spamming became used to refer to any annoying large amount of useless text that was transmitted.
With the wide use of e-mail, and higher speed internet connections, SPAM quickly migrated onto the screens of every one of us. If I mail you something I must pay postage, if I e-mail you something I may only pay for the cost of an internet account, and perhaps buying a list of e-mail addresses that I can use over and over again.
So when does your e-mail message cross the line from e-mail to SPAM? It is sort of like pornography, we all may think a little differently about it. But we know it when we see it.
I am not as bothered by SPAM as some people are. My delete key works great and fast. SPAM doesn't fill up my mail box, trash can, or landfill. So I actually prefer to receive an e-mail, SPAM, as opposed to a catalogue or postcard. Therefore I obviously cannot speak for everyone, but here are some guidelines to consider.
Obviously SPAM:
Anything that pretends to be something it is not is SPAM. I don't care if you only send out a few. If the subject doesn't match the text then there is no question it is SPAM and not appreciated. So if it says urgent, your order status, reminder, or urgent reply needed, or my UPS package delivery is delayed, or my bank has a security problem, then these are the worst kind.
I am sure none of you would ever send out this kind of e-mail, but remember this is the stuff we all hate.
If it is sent out indiscriminately in bulk it is SPAM. In the last couple of hours I have received 18 messages telling me Nikki has sent me a message on Facebook. Seven indicating if a part of my anatomy was bigger you gals would find me popular, and about a dozen offering me pills to impact the same part of my anatomy. I have also received a half a dozen offering some sort of photos or images and nine from lonely "nice" girls. Three offering to get me out of debit, and another flock offering to help me lose weight and a few indicating I can retire on E-Bay. If you send me more than 2 messages in a short time period with the same message I will consider it SPAM.
Again, I am sure none of you would do this, but again, it is this stuff people really don't like.
I bring these up because we may shy away from sending useful e-mail because of a fear of being considered like these people, which we are not.
Not-so-obviously SPAM
I receive other e-mail that I am not so sure if it is really SPAM or not. Several of the companies I regularly buy things from, from Amazon, to REI, to Alaska Airlines, send me regular e-mails. These are bulk e-mails sent out apparently indiscriminately to large groups of e-mail addresses that somehow they have on file. So I would consider it SPAM, although it doesn't bother me as much. Perhaps I feel some affinity for the company, or feel as I have purchased from them it is somehow my fault. But I do find these annoying much of the time. An airline sending me specials that I cannot use from my area is really annoying. I think because I tend to feel the need to open them and read them. Obvious SPAM that gets a bulk delete in some cases isn't as annoying as these that I feel the need to read.
Most anything that comes from a "do not reply to" address is SPAM to me. If you don't think it is important enough to listen to my reply, then don't send it to me. I am amazed by the number of companies that send me notices from a do-not-reply e-mail address and then try to tell me they care about me as a customer.
The Key Difference:
If the information in the e-mail is of interest to me, even in a general sense, I will feel better about the company for having sent it to me. If the information is not of interest to me I will feel worse about the company. For example: If Northwest Airlines sent me notices about specials that I might use. I would be glad for the e-mail. However if they send me e-mail about specials I obviously could not use I feel worse about the company.
So the key criterion is the content. If it is interesting to me, even in a general sense, I will feel better about the company for having sent it to me. This includes even items I may not personally be interested in, but I may want to know about. A company in my industry sending me information about some new product or service they are offering will almost always be appreciated, even if I don't use it.
I like the fact that e-mail can be a quick link to more information. A short e-mail that relates to a topic I am interested in, and has links to more information is often appreciated.
Therefore don't always shy away from using e-mail; sure there will be a few complaints. Because it is easy to complain, they just hit reply and complain. The feedback you receive this way can be useful. But don't think just because you get complaints from e-mail that those same people don't think less about you when you snail mail them something. You just don't get the feedback from regular mail you get from e-mail. There are several companies I think much less of because of the regular mailers they send me. They just don't know it because I am not going to pay to mail it back.
Guidelines for Using E-Mail:
- Send only to people who might reasonably be expected to have an interest.
- Make it clear in the subject line what it is and ensure the body of the text is consistent.
- Make the content interesting and relevant.
- Allow people to reply, and read the replies.
- Don't overdo it. Once a month might be appreciated, once a week may not be.
I hope this helps you,
Rick
