Ask Lisa: What is considered email SPAM when sending email?
Q: What exactly is considered email SPAM when sending email?
A: Excellent question. In short form, any unsolicited commercial email is considered SPAM. So, if you are sending an email for your business without permission and adding people to your email list for promotional purposes, you are basically breaking the law.
What many people don’t realize is that email is regulated by Federal law. It’s highly advised that you read through the official CAN-SPAM Act on the Federal Trade Commission website.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer but here are some ways you can ensure you’re NOT breaking the law when it comes to email marketing.
In order to be CAN-SPAM compliant here are some things you can do.
Invest in a platform that provides professional email service. You can explore companies like AWeber, MailChimp or Constant Contact (there are many others and you’ll want to research based on your business strategy and technical capabilities/needs)
Only send commercial and promotional email to people who have requested the email by opting in. Opting in means they signed up on your website by using a contact form and requested that you send them information. Do not add anyone to your list without permission even if their email address is publicly displayed. For example, Some people “scrape” email addresses from Linkedin as a way to try to prospect new business. This is SPAM and truly poor form.
Don’t buy or sell email addresses. You’re never 100% sure where a purchased list came from and if you sell your contact information that’s a direct violation of trust.
Always include your physical mailing address on all email messages and on your website. This is also required by law. Plus, it adds another element of trust when people know where your office is located (note: if you work from a home office, it’s advised to use a P.O. box or UPS Store address so you don’t attract unwanted visitors)
Always include an unsubscribe button or a way to easily unsubscribe. Sending email messages with no way to opt-out is very bad form.
Once someone unsubscribes from your list NEVER email them again. It’s required that you comply within 10 days and most professional email services will give unsubscribers a way to tell you why they are opting out. If you are SPAMMING, they can also report you for that.
Permission-based email and internet marketing is the best way to protect your professional reputation. Bonus tip: When in doubt ask if someone is interested in what you want to share. Don’t add people to your Facebook groups without permission either. While adding people to your FB groups without permission isn’t a direct violation of CAN-SPAM it’s annoying and rude. In many cases, you can damage your reputation by tossing people into groups without asking first.
Lisa Manyon is known as The Business Marketing Architect. She’s the President and Founder of Write On Creative, host of the podcast Your Message Matters and a bestselling author.
She teaches, trains, and transforms on two core topics 1) Marketing With Integrity (it’s time to take the pain out of planning and the pain points out of your marketing message). Her strategies are known to create million-dollar results, and 2) Healing With Love (based on her bestselling book Spiritual Sugar: The Divine Ingredients to Heal Yourself With Love with a foreword by Dr. Joe Vitale and an afterword by Neale Donald Walsch.
Lisa lives in Magical Ashland, Oregon. Visit WriteOnCreative.com to learn more. Feel free to ask questions via https://writeoncreative.com/about/ask-lisa/ and be sure to let her know SOBJ sent you.
By Lisa Manyon
WriteOnCreative.com
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