Mass email can be a great way to get your message out to potential customers, provide existing customers with updates, or offer valuable information such as a newsletter or service information. However, mass email can also be an annoyance to clients, which means it could hurt your business. The following are some rules of etiquette (or netiquette as insiders like to say), that can help ensure you stay on your customers’ (and the law’s) good sides.
Check with your ISP
Every ISP has different requirements regarding mass email, bandwidth, and what they consider spam. Keep your account in good standing by checking with them regarding spam practices and what counts as spam. Even legitimate email can get flagged as spam by misguided policy, so ensure that your ISP’s policy suits your needs.
Check with the Law
Many countries have their own laws regarding spam. In the United States that law is called the CAN-SPAM act. You will want to be familiar with its requirements as well as the requirements of individual states that you intend to market to. Here is an overview of the CAN-SPAM act.
- No misleading headings should be used
- No deceptive subject lines are allowed
- Opt-out methods are required
- You must identify commercial email as an ad
- You must include your valid physical postal address (snail mail)
Permission
Never send unsolicited mass email. This is absolutely spam and can get you into a lot of hot water. Send emails to those who want to receive emails. This means that you should avoid using lists that you have obtained any way other than through honest means. Permission also means personal when it comes to email, so make sure your email marketing software can customize mail by including the recipient’s name or other personal information. Make absolutely sure to have an easy-to-use Opt-Out feature so that people can chose to stop receiving emails if they wish.
Good News
Sending good news, or news that is valuable to the customer, ensures that they will regard your email as friendly and not spam. Not everyone considers the same information “good,” which is why you want to send out mass emails only to those people who have requested them. Good email marketing software will help you keep track of who has subscribed, unsubscribed, requested specific information, etc.
Another part of good news is keeping it short. Send brief emails with links to information rather than long emails that contain everything under the sun. Keep formatting simple too. Avoid using bold and avoid over embellishment with HTML.
Rule of Thumb
The following are general rules that you should apply any time you begin to design a bulk email campaign.
- Use your own customer list only and respect opt-out requests
- Send the emails in groups, like 10 at a time
- You must provide an opt-out method
- You must identify your email legitimately. Tell people it is an ad if that’s what it is.
- Include a valid postal address for your business
- Send good news
- Send only to those who want it
- Include a clear and conspicuous disclaimer
- Keep it honest
That’s it. If you follow these rules you will remain in the good graces of your clients, your ISP, and the law. If there were one final thing that could be said about keeping mass email legitimate, it would be this. Ask yourself if you would be upset about receiving the email (either because you opted out or because it was not interesting to you). If you answer yes, then don’t send it.
