What is Spam?

Spam is the bulk sending of unsolicited messages via electronic communication and includes but is not limited to email marketing.

The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that regulates the use of emails for marketing purposes.

Violation of this act can result in hefty fines of up to $16,000, and it is advised that to avoid breaching this act, marketers use a reputable permission based email marketing service. The responsibility of the individual marketer does not stop there though. In the case of a spam report or dispute, the marketer is held equally responsible and it is important that one familiarises oneself with the law.

Following is a brief description of the CAN-SPAM Act in easy to understand terms:

1) Do not use misleading or false headers. There should be no confusion as to who the mail is coming from.
2) Do not use deceptive subject lines. The content of the email should correspond with the subject line.
3) Identify the message as an ad. This is not as difficult as it sounds. Simply be sure that you do not mislead the recipient into thinking it is something else!
4) Inform recipients of your location.
5) Provide a method for the recipients to "opt-out". This should be a simple direction, with an "unsubscribe" link.
6) Honor a recipient's opt-out request within 10 business days.
7) Ensure that those who are doing your mailing for you, are not in breach of the act.

Permission Based Email marketing is the best way of ensuring that you limit the possibility of spam accusations. The process is as follows. After inviting or requesting further information or communication, the recipient receives an e-mail from the marketing company - often a list builder or Text Ad Exchange. Within that e-mail is a confirmation link. Once the recipient has followed through and clicked that link - they are agreeing to willingly receive further communication.

A reputable program that offers permission based email marketing services will provide you with an already confirmed list of recipients and all mail sent from such a program will include accurate headers, indication that the message is an ad, and an opt-out link.