When a national PR organization (which shall remain nameless) initiated an email discussion group, little did it know the project was doomed from the start. The idea was to
build an electronic platform where organization members could exchange ideas, ask for help and keep in contact with fellow associates. But, instead of insightful tips and friendly
communiqués being pushed to mailboxes, members were burdened with spam-like messages that clogged-up their systems, leading them to unsubscribe to the discussion group. And thus
causing the entire service to be scratched.
Craig Jolley, founder of Online and Strategic Information Solutions, witnessed the fiasco and shared with PR NEWS the systems' shortcomings.
Mistake One
The email discussion group was scantily publicized -- an unfathomable oversight for any organization to commit, especially when the group prints an offline newsletter
for its members.
In its defense, the organization put a blurb in the publication months before the system went live. But the line was buried and most everyone forgot about it.
"The first time members knew about the discussion group was when they received an email welcoming them to it," says Jolley. "It came out of the blue because so little publicity
had been done."
What Should Have Happened
Giving the announcement a little more ink in the newsletter would have helped the situation immensely. Numerous page one headlines or back page boxes touting the benefits of
the email discussion group would've not only prepared members for the arrival, but also built anticipation.
Mistake Two
The organization expected members not wishing to partake in the email festivities to unsubscribe. They were instructed to forward this intention to a specific address.
But, the organization offered them two addresses. One to unsubscribe from the service and another to participate in the discussion.
Unfortunately, users couldn't decipher which address unsubscribed and which sent messages to the list. Before long, users' boxes were filled with messages saying "unsubscribe
me."
"If you didn't have much experience [with email messaging] you'd be totally lost," says Jolley. "Unsubscribe messages were being bounced to everyone on the list, including the
ones who sent them, which made members try to unsubscribe again, which got bounced to everyone again. Soon, every member had 30 to 40 'unsubscribe me' messages in their
mailboxes."
What Should Have Happened
As always, never assume. Instead of automatically enrolling members to the list, the organization should have done the opposite. If interested members understood the
benefits, they would have taken the time to subscribe to the service, making the database stronger. Also, the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) has rules against an organization
assuming participation of its members. There must be a call to action.
Mistake Three
The initial email was far too full of technical jargon. Once again, the organization assumed its audience was more computer savvy than it actually was. Phrases like;
"set your display default to digest mode" or "send an email note to domain server at xxxlist@net" confused most recipients. There was also no explanation of what these things
meant.
What Should Have Happened
The organization should have beta tested the service's instructions on a 6-year-old child. At any step, if he got confused, chances are a grown-up would have stumbled there,
too. The group needed to make sure that all the instructions were written in clear, concise, step-by-step terms. No technical mumbo-jumbo.
Mistake Four
The organization promoted some functions about the email that weren't yet available. It launched without members being able to change how they received the emails (one
time a day, several times a day, etc.). When the email distribution remained unchanged, members got angry.
What Should Have Happened
It would have been better for the organization to miss its launch date (which most didn't remember). Crippled or incomplete services are far worse than a late launch.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
These mistakes caused the system to be shut down and the jury is out as to it ever being relaunched. Negative experiences online can sometimes stop users from giving a site a
second chance.
(Craig Jolley, 937/438-8771, <a href="mailto:[email protected].[email protected].>)
Dollars and Cents
Some of the cost-variables surrounding the price of building a list service are:
- How much space the server needs.
- How technologically advanced the software is that will run the program.
- Other Bells and Whistles that the list serv will offer.
With that in mind, a robust system could run up to $5,000.
Location, Location, Location
- Make sure you are hosted on a quality Web server, one whose users fit with your niche.
- Fifty percent of Web site visitors arrive from links from other sites. Hooking up with complement sites will increase traffic, not detour it.
(Steve Prentice, http://www.websites.co.nz.)