The Design Center, DT&G Web Design & Review  /  How to shoot your site in the foot

Doug's Rules

Rule #4: Be Friendly

Respond with friendly answers -- not one liners like this:
"You message has been forwarded to the appropriate person for handling. (signed) Customer Service."
Nothing irritates me more than to get a letter signed "Staff" or "The Jones Company."Is this a human talking or did I just hear from The Borg?

It's all about putting a human face on your company, so sign your name to every email letter you send. Include your title if it's appropriate. Customers feel special when the owner or manager answers their query.

Be careful with email humor and jokes. Ask yourself is a stranger going to find this funny?

Rule #5: Use a real email program

If you're running an online business, don't be content with those watered-down versions included with today's web browsers. Personally, I've used Eudora Pro for many years. It's one of the few software programs I can claim complete satisfaction with, and that is saying a lot.

Why a real email program? Because you can do so much more with it. Create, organize and store address books with hundreds of email addresses. Choose filters to sort your incoming mail. Send a letter to one person and everyone on your "quick recipient list" will get the same letter. Format the text to suit you. These are just some of the features found in a program like Eudora.

Learn how to create stationery files. That's a fancy name for form letters, which you can store and call up the appropriate one just before you hit the reply key. I personalize every single form letter I send out. It only takes a minute to add a paragraph or a few words here and there, and voila, the customer thinks you've taken a personal interest in them. Always close email by thanking the customer for contacting you.

Learn how to create signature files. A signature file can be much more than your name and title, it can include your pithy quote of the day (oh please spare me), it can remind the customer about your business, it can even include a hyperlink to your web site. Here's an example of the signature file I use when contacting photo commerce businesses listed in the ACE Indexes:

ACE Increases Traffic
To North American Photographic Commerce Web Sites
"When a consumer finds ACE, they find your business too."
http://www.acecam.com ACE Means All Camera Equipment!
Learn how to create hyperlinks in your email. Did you see the hyperlink in my signature file above? It stands right out and the customer can't miss it. He can go right from your email letter to your web page with one click. It's incredibly simple.

Rule #6: Stay In-House

Never delegate your company's email to an outside contractor.

Many businesses choose to hire third parties to design and maintain their web presence. That's a totally cool solution but you, the business owner, manager or employee must handle the email. No one outside your company knows as much about your business as you do, and only you can control the quality and speed of your email response.

Do I hear some grumbling from web designers out there? Do yourself and the client a favor, and don't offer "cradle to grave" web design solutions which include answering the client's email. Instead teach the client how to handle email effectively and make it part of the contract.

Rule #7 Build your own mailing list

Build your own mailing list, never buy one.

Create a guest book or give away modest prizes once a month selected from among those who register to receive mailings from your company. Send out a regular newsletter keeping customers informed about new products and special deals. Make your newsletter valuable by including free tips, suggestions, and information you've found on the web which you'd like to share with them.

Don't even think about bulk email or using bulk emailing companies. Most of the people who receive your message will toss it in the trash can, those who read it will probably remember the name of your company as a pest, and the few sales you make will be far outweighed by the damage and harm done to your business reputation. Don't believe the claims bulk email firms make about being able to target buyers for your products. The only people getting rich with bulk email are the companies which send out the mail.

I'm sure you have some good ideas which weren't included here. Drop me a line and we'll share them with the readers in future issues of WebDesign & Review.

Doug

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Douglas Clifford is the webmaster of the ACE Indexes, an annotated directory of photo commerce web sites, and online photography and digital imaging magazines.

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