Companies that put you on their mailing list without permission

[iiyamadude 6]

There seem to be a fair few companies that put you on their mailing list once you have emailed them with any kind of question. There are one or two in Hokkaido and Hakuba that I have mailed previously and then I suddenly get bombarded with newsletters that I never signed up for.

 

Does this piss anyone else off?

 

It does me and I make a point of not giving them by biz. If any of you'z reading this, lost a sale!

 

[Go Native 70]

I'm sure they'll be most upset considering the huge buying potential you'd represent iiya

[iiyamadude 6]

I'm sure they would be most upset if everyone was being annoyed by it. Don't you think?

[69 5]

I agree with you iiyamadude, it's annoying.

[Go Native 70]

But not everyone is upset and plenty of extra business comes from newsletters otherwise these companies wouldn't worry about doing it. Many people actually like to be kept up to date with latest offers and current news. It's normally pretty easy to get yourself taken off their emailing lists. You're not talking about professional spammers here.

[69 5]

Sounds like spamming to me.

 

Do you know how much of that business comes from people who actually request to be on a list?

Or perhaps how many people might take a dislike to your practices and go elsewhere?

No, thought not.

[Go Native 70]

Oh so you've been working in the travel industry for how long 69? I've worked in sales and marketing most of my life so please don't presume to tell me what I do and don't know...

It's very easy for us to track how many people reply to e-blasts and newsletters and we wouldn't do it if it didn't produce results.

I'm assuming that iiya is talking about accomm providers and he has probably requested a quote or two in the past. That is how he gets on their emailing list. It's not totally unsolicited spamming like the 5 or so emails I get each day offering me fantastic deals on Viagra.

[69 5]

I'm sorry but even with your vast knowledge of the travel industry, how can you possibly know the answer to the second question?

 

And oh yes, it is spamming - just a different kind wrapped up under a different name to make the people feel less guilty about it.

[pie-eater 207]

I really dislike that practice as well. It annoys me.

[Go Native 70]

Pretty much all marketing can piss some people off. Reading a magazine and it's full of ads, webpages taking forever to upload because of all the ads, junk mail in your letter box, movies on TV are cut to hell to fit in all the ads, etc, etc...

Thing is companies spend big money on all these things because they actually do work.

And I didn't call newsletters from accomm providers by any other name but spamming. I just pointed out that it's not totally unsolicited, that you only get on their list by contacting them first. And because they are not in the business of trying to annoy people it is very easy normally to get taken off the list.

So yes anyone who receives a quote from the company I work for will automatically be put on our mailing list for newletters, e-blasts, etc. All emails sent though clearly have a link where you can get taken off the mailing list. We get very few people requesting to be taken off the list.

[RobBright 35]

Any company that spams me, puts me off from buying their product, so effectively a lost sale. Now if I ASK to be put on a mailing list, then that's different.

[Hokkaidough 4]

Originally Posted By: Go Native

We get very few people requesting to be taken off the list.

You are however probably pissing off quite a lot of them before they stick you on a spam/junk list.

People often don't read things and won't know there is a please take me off this list link. Anyhow, they didn't ask to be on the damn thing in the first place so it seems rather arrogant to expect them to have to jump through some hoops to get themselves signed off something they didn't sign on.

[Hokkaidough 4]

Time for a poll

 

Are you put off a company that puts you on a mailing list without asking?

[Go Native 70]

Believe me it will make little difference to any of the companies what a few people here think. Plenty of market research to show that this sort of marketing is very effective. And in my own experience we always see a big jump in emails directly after a newsletter. It's a very effective and cheap way to let people know about latest deals and offers and it really does work.

[griller 9]

Go Native you seem to be unable to split up the "those who wanted to be on a mailing list" with "those who really don't want to be on a mailing list". I'm sure it is effective for those who want to be on there. I doubt though that it is for those who do not. And all this market research probably has the blinkers on that particular point as well as the people practising it.

 

Quote:

Believe me it will make little difference to any of the companies what a few people here think.

 

That's hardly the point though is it. If "a few people here" think it in the space of a few hours on a forum, don't you think that might translate to "a lot of people" in the big real world. There don't seem to be many people supporting the idea here.

[grungy-gonads 54]

I fully support the practice of taking my email and putting it on a spamming list without my permission!

 

Actually, I don't, but the likes of GN's company obviously don't want my megabucks.

 

Whatever, it doesn't really bother me, but it doesn't create any good will thats for sure.

 

[Go Native 70]

When you run a business you use marketing tools that are cost effective and work. Newsletters of latest offers are hardly that invasive and I think people here are overreacting a little. If people really are that pissed off they usually let you know it and we get very little negative feedback and very few people asking to be taken off the list. We do though generate plenty of extra business so we'd be crazy not to do it! We have a mailing list currently in excess of 10,000 people and it costs virtually nothing to create a newsletter. We can spend thousands advertising on websites like this one (which we do) and get little more business from it than we do from sending a newsletter of a latest offer. Do the math!

[Ctrl-Z 0]

I'm with gg. It doesn't bother me that much but it doesn't create a good impression. Big companies going for big bucks probs don't much care about that, esp. in good times when they don't need the goodwill factor, but hey, thats the deal.

[griller 9]

I'm sure I said this before, but, er:

 

Quote:

Go Native you seem to be unable to split up the "those who wanted to be on a mailing list" with "those who really don't want to be on a mailing list".

 

No-one here as far as I read it is saying that newsletters are a bad idea.

[griller 9]

Quote:

If people really are that pissed off they usually let you know it

Wouldn't be too sure about that...

Quote:

very few people asking to be taken off the list.

See above.

[Go Native 70]

Well when you guys are heading up sales and marketing departments in your companies just do whatever you think is best. If using one of the most cost effective marketing tools there is isn't your thing then so be it!

[klingon 10]

It's annoying and disappointing to meet someone or swap email with someone, only to find that they have decided to spam you by placing you on their mailing list without your request. It basically sends a message that they do not have enough respect for you to let you decide yourself whether or not you want to be placed on their mailing list.

 

It doesn't matter if the sender tells the recipient how to get off the list - it's still spam if sent in an opt-out manner.

 

Many people feel uncomfortable responding to unsubscribe instructions on an email that they haven't signed up for. And for good reason.

 

It is unfair to the recipient, too, for them to have to spend their time removing themselves from a mailing list that they never wanted to be on in the first place.

 

Obviously some companies don't give a shit about whether someone wants to be on their list or not. And that is displayed in the "it's just smart business" comments. They just see potential $. It's the way of the world sadly.

 

 

[Go Native 70]

Guys I am only talking about accomm providers from a ski resort in Hokkaido. Hardly that sophisticated and hardly trying to spam millions of people worldwide and klingon definitely not trying to hack unsuspecting people who click the unsubscribe link.

To give you and indication our last newsletter sent to nearly 10,000 people we had 12 request to unsubscribe.

[klingon 10]

But Go Native, that number doesn't mean much at all. Tons of people may be just disliking you guys for spamming them and either not be arsed to click on the unsubscribe and/or not trust it and/or not see it and/or not understand it. And a large number probably going straight into junk folders. One of many reasons.

 

Whatever, I don't mind what you guys do as a business practice it doesn't affect me at all.

 

But it might help just to be aware of some of the issues brought up here rather than just dismiss them as being silly or naive or whatever. Like someone else said it's not about newsletters being ineffective, it's about being added to a newsletter list without permission.

[Go Native 70]

Originally Posted By: klingon

They just see potential $. It's the way of the world sadly.

Yeah all those evil, bad businesses attempting to stay in business! So sad...

Klingon it's not a matter of being dismissive it's a matter of results. Yes businesses are in the business of making money. Shock horror! In our experience our newsletters and other marketing tools via email are very effective in bringing in more business. It has been a very difficult last 12 months for the travel industry since the global financial crisis. Most companies lost a lot of money last season and will struggle to make much this season. Marketing budgets have been cut and practically free marketing tools such as newsletters that are proven to be very effective are going to be used.

I suspect most people who are upset at getting the newsletter are those who have not chosen to stay with us but went through another company or to another resort. I can understand them being annoyed but does that mean we've lost them forever? Possibly but I doubt it.