SPAM - Not Just a Meat Product

Email marketing that follows the rules.

We’ve all seen it, the dreaded flurry of emails from people we don’t know selling products we don’t want – a healthy dose of SPAM. Receiving unwanted emails may be one of the most annoying things to wake up to. But sending SPAM is a big no-no and should be avoided at all costs. However, avoiding SPAM does not mean your company should avoid email communications altogether. Many customers prefer to hear about deals or get company updates by email; you just need to be sure you are playing by the rules.

The FTC wants to ‘CAN-SPAM’ and has set forth guidelines to do so:

Do not try to deceive people. Basically, be honest. If you want people to check out your new product, tell them. If they’ve won a brand new car, tell them. If you want them to check out your new product, do not tell them they’ve won a brand new car. Simple as that. Also, if you are sending an advertisement make sure that your company’s physical address is included somewhere in the email.

Tell people who you are and where you are from. Make sure that the “from” email address is valid and it identifies the sender and company information.

Give recipients an opt-out method. Minimally, you must provide recipients with a return email address so they can let you know they no longer want to receive emails from your company. Any reputable email-marketing company will provide an ‘opt-out’ solution within the body of the email that will automatically remove the person’s address from send lists. This method ensures that no mistakes are made and the person never receives another unwanted message.

Collect email addresses in a reputable manner. Send to people who want to be sent to and do not purchase lists from third parties. The best practice is to ask people to ‘opt-in’ before they ever have to ‘opt-out.’ Be careful if you are using association lists; make sure that the association allows you to use its membership directories in this way. Also, check with your email-marketing provider to find out the best ways to create lists.

Spammers are criminals, so make sure you follow the rules. You could face fines up to $11,000 for intentionally breaking these laws, and not to mention you could upset customers and lose business. Be honest and fair and treat your clients the way you’d like to be treated.

Our last post gave you tips on sending out great email campaigns and now that you know the lawsyou should be well on your way! If your company would like help creating SPAM-free email campaigns please contact us at Pick My Brain at 310.771.0665.