Permission - How to "do the right thing
Note: Before I get started on permission, I'd
like to announce that, beginning today, Email Marketing
Hints & Tips will be published every three weeks instead of
every two weeks. We have determined that this is a better
frequency for readers whose inboxes, like our own, are
becoming more and more cluttered. Your next issue will
arrive on March 29th.
In April of last year I wrote a
Hints & Tips on permission - the right way to get it and
the right way to use it. All of the points in that article
still hold true. Congruently, permission is still a subject of
heated debate among email marketers and email recipients
alike.
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) provides
guidelines on permission,*
ISPs establish their own rules on permission and spam,
Filtering software uses sophisticated algorithms to
identify permission-based email vs. spam (with questionable
results, by the way).
But, the ultimate and the only irrefutable judge is the
recipient. If the recipient thinks your email is spam, guess
what? It's spam. Or it may as well be because the reaction and
the negative impact on your reputation is the same.
Last week we were pleased to have newsletter expert, Michael
Katz, in our offices. He was hosting a newsletter user group
and we were invited to sit in for part of it. During the
roundtable discussion, several attendees raised their hands
with questions about permission.
Here are a few of those questions, and my answers. Hopefully,
this will shed some light on how to "do the right thing."
Q: "When I collect business cards at a business or
networking event, can I add those email addresses to my email
list for newsletters and other types of communications?"
A: My suggestion is to use a personal email to
communicate with each individual the first time and request
permission to add the recipient to your list. There is a
distinct difference between a personal email and an email
campaign, and each one has its place. While some individuals
who gave you their business cards may welcome your next
newsletter in their inbox, some may be utterly offended.
Needless to say, this is no way to begin a good business
relationship. So, ask for permission first.
Q: "What if an individual's email address appears on
the web. Isn't this implied consent to be emailed?
A: In my opinion, no. Once again, use a personal email
to get the recipient's permission to add them to your list.
You will differentiate yourself by doing so, and reap the
ongoing benefits.
Q: "I just acquired a company. An asset of that company
is its email marketing database or customer list. Can I now
mail to this list?"
A: Before you send anything, be careful of the quality
of the list. How old is the list? How were the names
collected? Is the list permission-based? How long has it been
since an email was sent to the list? How targeted is the list?
Has the list been maintained properly and cleansed of
unsubscribes?
If you are selling similar, or the exact same products and
services - thus making the target audience the same and your
email of equal relevance to any previous emails - it is
acceptable to send an announcement to the effect that you are
the new owners of the company, but place opt-out language more
prominently this time. (I am recommending an opt-out approach
in this case based on the circumstances outlined above.)
"You are receiving this email because you are a
customer of Company Name or have opted-in to receive email
communications from Company Name. Please visit the
Subscription Center to edit your interests or unsubscribe.
View our privacy policy."
Will you lose a percentage of your list? Sure you will. But
you will be separating the wheat from the chaff. And never
underestimate the amount of goodwill and trust you will
engender among your subscribers.
As a marketer, you will find yourself navigating the murky
waters of permission on a daily basis. So, conclusively
speaking, how does a marketer "do the right thing?" Only by
knowing the rules and understanding the benefits of
permission, being aware of the consequences of ignoring the
rules and doing your best to abide by them using your own good
judgment.
For your reference, the following is an excerpt of the Direct
Marketing Association's recently released guidelines on
Commercial Solicitations Online.
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DMA Guidelines for Commercial Solicitations Online
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The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) - is the largest
trade association for businesses interested in direct,
database, and interactive global marketing and provides
industry guidelines on marketing best practices. View
their recently released guidelines on
Commercial Solicitations Online
Marketers may send commercial solicitations online under
the following circumstances:
- The solicitations are sent to the marketers' own
customers, or
- Individuals have given their "affirmative consent"
to the marketer to receive solicitations online, or
- Individuals did not opt out after the marketer has
given notice of the opportunity to opt out from
solicitations online, or
- The marketer has received assurance from the third
party list provider that the individuals whose e-mail
addresses appear on that list
- have already provided affirmative consent to
receive solicitations online, or
- have already received notice of the opportunity to
have their e-mail addresses removed and have not opted
out.
In each solicitation sent online, marketers should furnish
individuals with a link or notice they can use to:
- request that the marketer not send them future
solicitations online, and
- request that the marketer not rent, sell, or
exchange their e-mail addresses for online solicitation
purposes.
The above requests should be honored in a timely
manner. |
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