Last month I wrote a series of posts on email marketing that covered putting together a strategy, building your list, and creating content. This post is a bit of an addendum to that series, because when you are marketing via email, it is vitally important that you not get tagged as a spammer and watch your time and effort go to waste.
You can Google the term “spam checker” to find tools that scan your emails for possible spammy content. Or you can follow these simple rules, many of them common sense, most of them courtesy of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, which is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.
1. Subject lines: DON’T WRITE IN ALL CAPS, let your subject line ramble on for more than 55 characters, or mislead recipients as to the content of your email.
2. Attachments: Don’t attach anything, ever – instead hyperlink to additional information.
3. Spammy words: Avoid using these words and terms, which instantly trigger spam filtering software – Act Now, Free, New, Credit, Click Here.
4. Email marketing software: Not surprisingly, spammers use cheap software, so the old adage that you get what you pay for holds true here too. Stick with known quantities like Vertical Response, Constant Contact, iContact or MailChimp.
5. Identify yourself: Always include the name of your company and your address in your emails. Every email marketing template I have ever come across will ask you to include your address and phone number at the bottom of your email.
6. Opt-in: As tempting as it is to just add people to your email list – maybe all of your contacts on LinkedIn or every person in your Rolodex – they need to agree to be added. Ask first. Any credible email marketing company (see above) has a registration form you can use on your website and in emails.
7. Opt-out: Make it easy for people to unsubscribe to your email list. All of the above email marketing platforms automatically provide this feature and let you track who is opting out.
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Tags: CAN-SPAM act, Email marketing, Marketing, spam
Posted in Email Marketing, Marketing | 5 Comments »
