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| Sales | 0208 045 4945 | 0800 458 4545 |
| Support | 0208 045 4944 | 0800 230 0032 |
22 June 2005 | |
 How can I make sure that my email marketing campaigns don't contravene current laws? Lawrence Jones of UKFast reveals the methods for success... A Many Businesses leap into e-marketing without pausing to consider the effect of their emails. 75% of all email is spam. Spam is bulk email received without request and is characterised by consent not content. So when a company adds info@channelinfo.com to a contact list and innocently includes it on a newsletter mail out they are effectively spamming. And we hate receiving spam. The technique is ineffective and illegal. The best way to build an official mailing list is to get people to 'opt in' to receiving your email. Companies with a walk in service can place a goldfish bowl in reception requesting business cards from customers offering discounts and special offers or even prizes in exchange. Online businesses create virtual goldfish bowls. You fill in contact details and agree to receive email then get the chance to win a free gift or peruse discounts. Even cleverer are marketers who let their existing contacts build their list. A high profile airline recently sent a game to their list offering free flights to winners. They only got to play if they passed the email on to four friends. The friends then had to 'opt in' to play and then pass it on themselves. When a friend played, you could play again, as long as you emailed four more friends. The challenge is to find the innovative ways to build your mailing lists and stay on the right side of the consumer and the law. | |