According to online statistics, 90% of all email floating around the Internet is spam. In not only crams our inbox full of junk, it also consumes large amounts of bandwidth and computer resources that could be better used.
That is why the CAN-SPAM act was created to help control the problem.
Here is what you need to know about the CAN-SPAM act as an online marketer:
• You must provide an easy "opt-out" option.
• Once a person has opted out you may no longer send messages to him/her.
• You may not include false or misleading content (in the header, source, path, or subject line).
• No sexually oriented material can be sent.
• If the recipient has not "opted in" to your list you must include ‘advertisement' as the first item in the header. If your list is opt-in or double opt-in, you're exempt from this provision.
• You should include your postal address in the content.
• You may not violate your email service provider's policies. Click to read SimplyCast's anti-spam policy.
• Don't share email addresses with others.
• Have a process for handling unsubscribes within a 10-day window.
• Don't use fraudulent transmission data (in an effort to confuse the origin of the message).
• Don't obtain email addresses through "improper means" including harvesting off a website, service or public forum or randomly generating addresses.
If you stick to the following guidelines you will be on the right track with your email marketing campaigns.
Finally, it is good practice to report spam to the originating service provider. This can be done if the sender has included a link to report such activity, otherwise you can use the email header information to trace the sending host.
