Through Email Marketing campaigns, your business can achieve your sales goals; build, increase and keep relationships with your customers and prospects; and of course, you can easily market your products or services directly to your audience. But, the thing is that a huge percentage of email is classified as spam and your target audience may not open your email! How many of these mails are actually read? How can you get attention and respect the Law?
There are several ways by which you can improve your Email Marketing campaign. And interestingly, there are important precautions you must take in order to avoid legal problems. How you can do it? Let’s see!
Firstly, be aware of the Spam Laws in order to avoid legal issues or penalties.
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 refers to email that are sent with the purpose of advertising a product or service, including content on a Web site. It provides penalties to spammers and companies whose products that are advertised violate the Law.
Hey! This is serious! The first thing you must do before launching an email marketing campaign is to get involved with these Laws at a Federal and State level. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is authorized to enforce the CAN-SPAM Act. And, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has the authority to put into effect criminal sanctions. In addition, other federal and state agencies can enforce the law against companies under their jurisdiction.
Now, let’s see some important aspects to keep in mind:
- First of all, your email must reveal the person who sends it and include the correct originating domain name and email address.
- The subject line of your email must be clear and reflect the content of the message.
- You must also have a return email address or another Internet-based response method to provide the option to unsubscribe for future email messages.
- Email marketing campaigns must be clearly identified as ads and also include a valid physical postal address.
If you violate one of these rules, you will be penalized! Fines are up to $16,000. But, some additional fines are available for other violation’s rules such as generating email addresses with a “dictionary attack”, using scripts to register multiple emails, among others. Then; if things got worse, you could go to trial.
For getting information about the Spam Laws in your State, check out this Website. For instance, the California State Law considers that is illegal to send unsolicited commercial email from California or to a California e-mail addresses. Furthermore, certain emails must include contact information and opt-out instructions. At the beginning of the subject line, they must also have the label “ADV:” or “ADV:ADLT”.
Tips to improve your Email Marketing campaign
Subject length and personalize information. Having an attractive and concise subject is essential because this is crucial at the moment of deciding to open the email or not. Clients will only open it if they are seduced by the subject. So, you must think and summarize the main idea. Keep in short!
In addition, personalizing email campaigns is also very important. Only if the message is customized, there are more opens and clicks. It’s highly recommendable that you use a custom template to raise brand recognition as well. According to a study by Mailer Mailer, the best day to send emails for marketing purposes is Monday with both the highest open rate and click rate.
Interactive and attractive content. Once you reach the audience with an interesting subject, you should motivate them to read it until the end. So, say the most important at the beginning! Remember that a picture is worth a thousand words, so include some images. If you just add text, your audience will be likely to get bored. And subsequently, you won’t get many results.
Make the unsubscribe process easy and clear. You will not only avoid legal issues, but also maintain a good reputation with your customers. Including this simple option, you let your clients that your intention isn’t to disturb, but respect their choices and decisions.
Analyze your results. Email marketing campaigns are measurable, so analyze your results and check which strategy is working better for you.
In conclusion, Email Marketing is an effective way of sending your message and increasing sales. But, it’s crucial to get familiar with the Spam Laws. Furthermore, think of ways by which you can improve your strategy. Be responsible and increase your sales respecting for Spam Laws!
Recommended sources:
Email Marketing Q&A’s
The Enormity of Email – Ogilvy
8 Steps To Email Marketing Success
Tips for Tracking Email Marketing Campaigns – Google Analytics
http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/03/tips-for-tracking-email-marketing.html
Create Your Own Custom HTML Template and Better Your Brand Recognition
Email Marketing Metrics Report – Mailer Mailer – June 2009
CAN-SPAM Laws
DoJ scores largest ever CAN-SPAM prosecution
New spam tactic: Spam profiles on social networks
Federal Laws:Â The CAN-SPAM Act: Requirements for Commercial Emailers
State Laws:Â Email Spam – State Laws
