Using Mailing Lists to Your Advantage

E-mail or electronic mail is by far the most commonly used and the most powerful feature of the Internet. However, its characteristics are often overlooked as people use the service for more mundane and day-to-day activities. E-mail can be used to distribute information to a large target audience as well as supporting direct person-to-person communication.

E-mail can also be used to keep in touch with one’s customers, or to inform them about special offers or new products, etc. This is further facilitated by the usage of e-mail lists, or commonly known as mailing lists. A mailing list is basically a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers are referred to as "the mailing list".

The use of mailing lists can lower the amount of printed information one needs to dispense. The speed of delivery of email and its low cost are extremely attractive qualities in making mailing lists a huge success. There are several features of mailing lists which can be automated according to your and your customers’ convenience and it is possible for individuals to subscribe or unsubscribe themselves from any mailing list.

Generally, there are two types of mailing lists which are commonly used. In the first one, a mailing list of people is used as a recipient for newsletters, advertising or periodicals. The second type, known as a mailshot, is used when identical material is being sent out to all subscribers on a mailing list.

Mailing lists are often rented or sold. If rented the renter agrees to use the mailing list for only the agreed upon times. The mailing list owner typically enforces this by "salting" the mailing list with fake addresses and creates new salts for each time the list is rented. Unscrupulous renters may attempt to bypass salts by renting several lists and merging the lists to find the common, valid addresses. Mailing list brokers exist to help organizations rent their lists. For some organizations such as specialized niche publications or charitable groups, their client list may be one of their most valuable assets and mailing list brokers help them maximize the value of their lists.

For individuals who are in the process of creating a mailing list, some of the guidelines to keep in mind are:

• It is important to start off with a catchy title in your e-mail's subject line that gets the reader hooked
• Add value to your newsletter by including something of interest to them. This can include product reviews, links to similar sites, how-to articles, etc. It is important to keep an unbiased view in all these fields.

Some of the essential information which need to be included in your mailing lists are:

• Your website address(es)
• The way to subscribe or unsubscribe
• Copyright information
• The e-mail address of your company contact(s)
• Personal introductory note
• Links to any products or sites mentioned
• Note telling readers to forward the letter to people they think will be interested
• Shortened privacy policy along with a link to the full one

If used properly, mailing lists can simplify your life drastically, as well increase your work efficiency. However, do keep in mind that you should not come across as a spammer. Therefore, choose carefully what you put in your mailing lists.