![]() ![]() The way this scam works is that the scammer will fill out the comment form on your website with a message like: It actually comes through your website’s contact form, but it is nevertheless a scam. The “Your website or a website that your company hosts is infringing on a copyright-protected images” Scam I have since expanded on that original post to include other scams. Note: The original inspiration for this post was a paper letter I received in 2019 from a company that was trying to convince me that I owed them $180 for the cost of hosting my website. Here are six different scams that have crossed my desk. I’ve seen scam emails that were almost good enough to fool me, so I have started compiling a list of scams so that everyone would know what to look for. While a lot of scam emails have obvious flaws, some are more subtle. After seeing that you care enough to send a personal letter through ‘snail mail,’ the follow-up emails that come from you later may, too, seem more endearing.Are you worried that that email you just got may be real? Offer an incentive for joining an email listserv, visiting your website, or becoming a friend of your business on Facebook. This is where social media and websites come back into play. Also, you cannot lose site of the fact that the handout should not be the end of the road instead, you have to find a way to pull the potential customer into further communication with your company. Throughout this entire process, try to remember that you are using a traditional form of advertising, and likewise, you should stick to a simple but informational message. This step should not be taken lightly whether you need a professional letterhead or a bright design, the look should be polished and reviewed by a few people who fall into the audience you are targeting. Your handout should physically appear appropriate to the material you are presenting. Now, with the audience and goals determined, you can begin to create the actual flier that will be sent. A mass mailing to every Joe on the street will rarely be as successful as selecting a target audience that already has interest in or a need for your product or service. This is why the second step is carefully deciding to whom you will be mailing your material. Concentrating on only these three objectives will not only help you to create a clear message, but help you target your audience, as well. One of these focal points may very well be to get the receiver to visit your website or Facebook page. Take a few minutes to write down three objectives you have for the mailing. Why are you choosing to address the public? What is it that you have to offer? What do you wish to gain from contacting a mass audience? The first to consider is evaluating your desired needs and goals. There are many factors that go into successful direct mail marketing. But, just because you may choose to send a postcard or flier through the mail does not guarantee response. At a time when it seems your inbox is full with promotions and offers, and your Facebook is cluttered with Page and Like invitations, a well thought-out, traditional flier in the mail has never seemed more refreshing. Similar to the sincerity felt in receiving a handwritten card from an old friend, sometimes traditional grass roots direct mail strategy outshines an easily deleted email. ![]() Quantity, however, does not always trump quality. With over 230 million people with Internet access in the United States in 2009 compared to 150 million addresses that receive delivered mail from the US Postal Service, it is obvious the direction communication is heading. Instead, the point I bring up is: Are they enough by themselves? Though I say this, and will continue to be aggravated by these Facebook invites, I still support them as a must-have to marketing, advertising and public relations. It is easy to delete an anonymous mass email by a huge corporation, but it takes a second look and a little hardening of my heart to deny or decline invitations from an old classmate or friend. Worse, now it happens on Facebook, too-and by my friends! While I have my email sent to my phone for immediate readability, I too often become annoyed with the dozens of promotional and commercial spam offers I get on a daily basis. Once considered the communication of the future, social media are now thought of as requirements of the present. It seems like the words ‘marketing,’ ‘advertising,’ and ‘public relations’ can no longer be mentioned without the term ‘social media’ following them. Wanting more website traffic? Start with snail mail ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |