[quote]The Post, like a lot of other businesses we work with doesn’t seem to realize the valuable commodity they have in an opt-in email list.[/quote]

do you mean use the commodity as incentive to drive them pass along?

[quote]Granted, a lot of their customers don’t have websites but I’m betting there are a good number that do. To add a simple link request line and a small incentive to an opt-in mailing list just makes sense and is smart marketing. [/quote]

How to check if they place an link? To get discount code, they must send an email attach the site they place an link and you will review manually? if so, customers will take the time to do the thing? is there any better way?

Against the background of Google profiling SEOs as almost criminals and considering any incentive for a link as link buying wouldn’t the links you get this way considered paid ones? Now I know we shouldn’t become paranoid thinking that the big G knows everything but still the storys of well-known SEOs getting hit by Google for ‘indirect’ link purchases suggest you should think twice when planning your linking scheme.

But, the “incentive” to “connect to Washington” wasn’t enough to motivate me since I’m already connected through my subscription. They should have come up with something better for current customers

To many new (bigger) businesses are missing this point (along with others) with SM and marketing with these social sites in general. When we have done campaigns for Twitter followers, or FB friends there has always been two things – 1. Reason for them to sign up … 2. a link in somewhere for us. It really is that simple!

Great post Debra!

No matter what incentive they dangle the discount will affect their bottom line, the cost of doing business doesn’t discriminate between types of promotions, just their effectiveness.

I think they missed an opportunity by not adding a simple line of text: “Pass this along”. The Post, like a lot of other businesses we work with doesn’t seem to realize the valuable commodity they have in an opt-in email list.

Thanks!

If they had a new paid online subscription service, however, that might be worth offering a free trial to check out.

I’m not saying the idea of “incentivizing” a customer to act is a bad practice. I am saying that those two marketing ideas are probably in direct conflict with the guys who run the Post’s accounting department.

And in most cases, the guys who run accounting win over the guys who run marketing (unfortunately).

Lets hope Old School Media, keep repeating these type of mistakes…lol