Getting the Most Out of
Electronic Mail for Farm Business
Dr. Michael Stachiw
Format International, Inc.
Jan. 5, 2005
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic Mail for
Farm Business
•Goal: To fully utilize email for marketing and
business opportunities
•Methods:
•One to one emails
•One to many emails
•Automated emails
•Contact Information
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
E-mail is one of the most effective methods of
communicating and therefore is one of the most
important marketing & support tools available.
Why is its so important?
•Easy
•Every person on the web has access/uses it
•Low cost
•Transverses time zones
•Easily shared between recipients
•Can be automated
•Fast
•Can be adapted and utilized in a variety of situations
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic Mail for
Farm Business
In order for email to be affective as a marketing
tool, you need keep in mind the following:
•Should have a website
•Remember the 24 hour “rule”
•Need to “promote” your email address(s) through
traditional means (i.e. on invoices, publications, etc)
•Stay away from spamming
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
E-Mail Etiquette:
•Keep you message short.
•Don’t use all capital letters
•Don’t use excessive punctuation
•Avoid using net shorthand (i.e.
emoticons & abbreviations)
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
Make sure to remember two key items:
•Don’t write messages that shouldn’t/can’t be forwarded.
Good emails, be they technical support or marketing
messages need to be completely capable of “standingalone”.
•Include a signature on every message. A signature file
should include the following pieces of information:
•Your name & company
•Phone/fax numbers
•Email addresses (sales vs. support for example)
•Website URL
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
Types of Emails & Processes:
•“Normal”
•Automatic (auto responders)
•Bulk or batch Email
•Discussion lists/Email lists
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
One to One Emails or “normal” emails
•Can be either you sending the original message, or
response to an inquiry
•Time consuming.
To expedite, consider:
•Writing standard responses (in a file) for standard inquires
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
Auto responders:
•Software that automatically processes emails. Good for
automating the sending of brochures for example.
•Can operate by receiving mail, or via a website “clicked” button
•Remember that “canned” answers are just that. Should state in
your automated response something like “thanks for your inquiry,
we will review your request during the next business day and get
back to you”.
•Very effective tool to take advantage of the fact that web never
sleeps
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
Batch or bulk Email:
•From:
•Exiting customer lists
•Requests for information for your website
•Purchased email lists or business partners
•Usually used for:
•Announcing a sale to preferred customers
•Availability of a new product
•Upgrades to an existing product
•Informative announcements (new business hours, closed
for holidays, etc).
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
Batch or bulk Email:
•If it’s a small list, can be done from within ecisting
email client software (Netscape, Outlooks, etc).
•Large lists should utilize specialized software
To not be classified as spam:
•Include physical address (postal)
•Op-out Email address or website link
•Don’t be attempting to sell “snake oil”
•Subject must match content
•Not scripts or attached file should be used
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
To not be classified as spam:
•Don’t use offensive language
•If asked to remove a name do it immediately
•Really should be used only for existing customers or opt-in
lists
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail for Farm Business
Discussion Lists/E-Mail Lists:
•Group discussions, that by definition people “subscribe”
to
•Be careful of commercial ‘piches” in this forum if its not
your list
•Can use existing list, or develop your own (with the right
software) and host the discussions
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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If you need help or have
questions

Please feel free to contact me, and I will provide what ever
advice or assistance I can. My contact information is:
StachiwMA@WorldNet.Att.net


Phone: 314-428-3156
Fax: 314-428-4102
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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The End
Dr. Michael Stachiw - Format International, Inc.
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