Email Marketing Tactics #9: Adhere to Legal Requirements

It should go without saying that your email campaigns should be legal.  However, many people that get started with email marketing are unaware of the legal requirements.  Here is a list of the base legal requirements:

  • Authenticate return address
  • Include a valid physical address
  • Provide a one-click unsubscribe feature
  • Prohibit importing lists of purchased addresses that may not have given valid permission

I won’t cover details of these requirements in depth but this guide is a good resource for all the particulars.  Most people now use an email marketing provider that provides list upload, templates, and email sending from their servers.  These typically combine for built in features that guarantee your email communications are CAN-SPAM compliant.

If you are self publishing email campaigns it is essential that you follow these email marketing send rules.  Nothing can be as damaging as sending out email that is rightly designated as SPAM.  The damage to reputation is bad enough but adding litigation into the mix is disastrous.

The only tricky requirement on the list is the last one.  Chances are that the email marketing service provider covers the first three.  Self publishers should build in systems to ensure all email marketing communications comply with the first three.  However there is no way to automate assurances that the email list is valid

Opting in for receiving email marketing communications is technically a legal requirement.  Refer to Email Marketing Tip #4 for guidance on opt- in list building.

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