May 20th, 2020
Spam...
We get it every day, and it gets more and more annoying. As a marketer, it gets even tougher sending out mass emails that are continuously being marked as spam. Internet service providers, email hosting companies, web hosting companies (in short), just about everyone is frowning on all this mass email marketing. So here are a few pointers to ensure that your email list is legitimate.
The Law
Every sender’s location will be different. So you must possess knowledge and understanding of the laws regarding email solicitation before you begin. This also means that if the sender is using a service outside of his/her country, to even know the laws of that country regarding unsolicited email. Otherwise, you can find yourself in a heap of trouble. There are critical points to these laws:
- The recipient must have expressed consent to receive the email.
- There must be complete clarification of consent
- emails must have accurate information regarding the sender and/or the organization of the sender
- emails must have clear visibility of how to contact the sender
- emails must have clear visibility of how a sender can opt-out of receiving emails in the future
Avoid Spamming
Most often, email campaigns will consist of tens of thousands of emails. Do not send them all at once. If you have the foresight of upcoming sales, new products, and services, etc., do not start your email marketing campaign at the last second. Start sending them weeks if not at least a month ahead and send no more than a few hundred at a time every other hour. In other words, space them out. If you bombard the net with tons of emails, more than likely, your emails will get marked as spam, you will be blocked, complaints to your email provider will increase, and your email and quite possibly your website will be shut down.
Validation
Email validation is vital in aiding against spam. When a subscriber joins you, make sure that you do not allow them access to information until they validate their email address. This validation should explain that they will become part of a list to receive emails. Remember, this must be made clear and understandable that they will be receiving emails and that they accept joining the email list. It should also explain that they can opt-out of receiving emails by either refusing now or in the future, and a clear means must be made plain and clear of how to opt-out either during the email validation process, or a link to a page that will allow them to opt-out in the future.
Buying Email Lists
Buying email lists is a significant mistake. Your eyes might see dollar signs, but right at the outset, when you first start to use them, this will end up causing more trouble than it is worth. You and your company will receive complaints, which could lead to being forced to move to different hosting companies (because you are (in fact) spamming), or even worse, get into trouble with the law. So, in short, buying email lists should be avoided at all costs.
Conclusion
If you follow the above guidelines, you will be well on your way to a safe and, most importantly, legal means to a successful email marketing campaign.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this blog, feel free to contact us.