How big is yours?

Your mailing list I mean.....

There is lots of talk of how big your mailing list is and this can be a wonderful addition to your business but only if you have collected the information in the right way. I have been talking to a couple of companies recently who are growing their mailing list by adding people to it, without asking their permission.

Generally they are people who have done business with the company before so have some history with them but the company didn't ask the individual if they wanted to receive further information. This usually boils down to a couple of reasons; the company thinks its OK to add people, they think the person might say no but they want the numbers on the list to increase or they didn't understand the benefits of asking the individual.

I would always advocate asking someone if they want to receive further information from you. Firstly it opens the discussion as to how staying in touch can help them keep informed of new events, etc. It also tells them that you will be adding them to a list and they can expect an email at some point in the future. Gives them something to look forward to! Also asking whether you can stay in touch indicates some thought for the persons privacy.

Finally it is always useful to show whether you intend to share the personal information with other companies, I always look to see, when I am providing my information, who it is going to be shared with. Lots of companies now state that they will not sell or share your information with other companies. (Good for them)