Deliverability:
Identifying Email Spam and Spammers
What is Email Spam?
Spam is email that is unsolicited by the recipient and sent in a similar form to multiple recipients. Email spam is also known as Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE).
Spam can be non-malicious emails with content regarding products or services or malicious attempts to trick the email recipient (see “phishing”). In both cases the received email is UNSOLICITED. In other words, the recipient never gave consent to receive those emails.
Swiftpage emarketing does not condone unsolicited commercial email (spam), and the purpose of Permission Central is to educate our customers about spam and its ramifications.
Are You a Spammer?
You may be sending spam and not even know it. Here are some rules to help you stay CAN-SPAM compliant:
1. Check your list
Where did your email list come from? If you have not received consent (to receive your emails) from each person in your sending list, then you are spamming them. Many list providers claim that they provide "permission-based" lists. This may be true for them, but not true for you. If you have purchased a list do not email that list! Call them or send a direct mail piece to obtain their permission first. Learn more about obtaining lists and permission.
2. Opt-out mechanism
Swiftpage emarketing
automatically manages opt-outs for you by inserting an opt-out link at the bottom of all emails sent through our servers. However, some recipients may choose to reply to your email and personally ask you to Opt them out of your mailings. Are you actively monitoring and fulfilling these requests?
3. Content
Are you sending content that your recipients signed up for or agreed to? For example: if your customers sign up for a newsletter about “gardening”, and you send them an email about “telephone services”, you are spamming. Also make sure you do not send emails with illegal or illicit content.
4. Headers and Subject Lines
Are you deceiving your recipients with false subjects or headers? Are you misleading them about the content of your email or the products and services you provide?
5. CAN-SPAM Compliance
Are you violating the current CAN-SPAM laws? The Federal CAN-SPAM Act was put into effect on January 1 st, 2004 – and penalties for violations range from $250 to $2 million and affect nearly everyone who sends email.
6. Swiftpage emarketing
and CAN-SPAM
It is possible to be legally CAN-SPAM compliant and still send spam emails. Swiftpage emarketing
holds our users to a higher standard than just being CAN-SPAM compliant. As a user, you must remain CAN-SPAM compliant, and have permission based email lists. We do this for the good of our users, our company and the entire internet/email community. These practices help Swiftpage emarketing
increase delivery rates of all of our users.
7. Sending your first email campaign
We talk to many customers who are going to send their 1 st email marketing campaign. On your first send we recommend stating the purpose of your email and your company as well as mentioning that this person consented to receive emails from you. Typically a welcome message or greetings is very appropriate. This is the start of your email relationship and you want to be as transparent as possible. We do not recommend sending a promotional email for your first campaign.
8. I am not a spammer, how do I make sure I don't look like one?
Spam has wreaked havoc on those of us who have legitimate customer bases and opt-in email lists. Spam has created serious deliverability issues for everyone using email. Swiftpage emarketing
employs many tools and policies to ensure that our users have the best delivery rates possible. To learn more about email deliverability click here.
To learn more about SPAM visit these organizational resources
FTC Spam Home page: www.ftc.gov/spam/
FTC on Opt-outs and Deceiving Content: www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/remvalrt.shtm
The Coalition Against Unsolicited Email www.cauce.org
California Spam Laws www.spamlaws.com/state/ca.shtml
Australian Spam Laws http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sa200366/
Canada Spam Laws http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/P-8.6/text.htm
