Email has become a highly accepted form of interpersonal communication, even among business owners and operators and their clientele. However, you may find that the effectiveness of email can be diminished if you don’t take steps to ensure that you’re following the proper procedures and  working from the “right” email recipient list. Here are three best practices for doing so:

1. Know the rules. In accordance with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, senders must ascertain that all email recipients have “expressly consented to receive the message, either in response to a clear and conspicuous request for such consent or at the recipient’s own initiative.” The Act also stipulates that bulk e-mail is considered spam when it contains content that may be offensive to the recipient, the e-mail contains no unsubscribe option, the “from” address is not clearly visible or incorrect, the subject line is misleading, or the recipient e-mail addresses have been stolen from other websites or online services. And the Act notwithstanding, it’s a given that recipients are more likely to open and click-through email if they have elected to receive messages from the sender.

2. Create your own list instead of purchasing one. There is no sense investing the time to create a great email campaign, only to send it to the “wrong” audience. The easiest, safest way to build a database of email recipients is to create a sign-up form on your Web site and or at the point of sale and point customers to it. Offering an incentive, a prize, or loyalty points if customers refer friends also helps.  In the latter case, it’s best to opt for a double opt-in (DOI) sign-up process or at least a confirmed opt-in (COI). With DOI, the referred friends will not automatically be subscribed to receive emails; they must first confirm their subscription via an activation e-mail request. DOI minimizes bad addresses and malicious subscriptions and also helps to ensure that those referred friends do really want to receive your e-mails. DOI and COI help with deliverability and to avoid your e-mail practices running afoul of an ISP.

Additionally, think about printing the Web address of your email sign-up form on the bottom of point of sale receipts and invoices. Employees can even be asked to collect e-mail addresses over the phone when customers call your store or restaurant.

3. Optimize the opt-in process. More than 80% of individuals polled by Habeas said they favor doing business with organizations that use opt-in permission to send them e-mail. It is essential to provide a clear link to the privacy policy in your email/newsletter sign-up form, and advisable to provide links to past newsletters or e-flyers. Further optimization can be achieved through a thank-you page or pop-up when new users subscribe.

Both Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express from pcAmerica support email communication, and Version 12.5 of the point of sale software makes it easier by supporting mass emailing through SMTP mail server. Visit www.pcamerica.com to learn more.