Email Marketers…
Use Known Customers Who Opt In. Use a Validation Service for Accurate Results
Use services like Data Validator to clean your lists and make sure they are as up to date as possible. Having an up to date email list is one of the most important steps to having a successful email campaign. Not only are you cutting down on the bounce rate by not sending to non-existent or inactive addresses, you are increasing the amount of contacts that ARE going to see your wonderful content.
These days, services such as MailChimp and ConstantContact require you to have an updated list before you are allowed to send anything at all. It’s considered best practice to gain recipients on a list from cultivating them through your website or other means, but not purchasing a list.
Spammers…
Use Old, Outdated Lists and Purchase Lists From a Provider. Data Validation is for Cowards!
The first step to being a spammer is making sure you have a list. Not just any list will do either. The list should be old. The older and more outdated the better. Who knows if all those people on the list are still active but it doesn’t matter. Quantity over quality is a spammer’s motto.
Email Marketers…
Make Sure to INCLUDE A Physical Address. Be A Real Company.
When using a service like MailChimp or ConstantContact, the initial setup of an email address list asks for a physical address and other pertinent information that will automatically be placed on the bottom of every email sent to that list. This is to ensure that you comply with the CAN-SPAM act with no issues and never forget to include the address on the bottom. Not including a physical mailing address is subject to a fine for each individual instance that it wasn’t included. When you send thousands of emails that can add up to devastating numbers.
Make sure you play it safe and comply with all the rules before pressing the send button.
Spammers…
Make Sure to Exclude a Physical Address. Who Cares If You Are a Real Business or Not!
According to the CAN-SPAM Act, it is required to put a physical mailing address on the bottom of every email sent out for marketing purposes. As a spammer, it’s important that you ignore this rule and exclude any way for someone to contact you.
Email Marketers…
Send Different Emails at Varied Intervals. Have a Conversation.
Frequency of email sent plays a major part in how effective your emails are and leaves a lasting impression on those you send them to. Today’s email inboxes are often bombarded with, well, spammers. People skim their newest mail looking for something that sticks out to them as relevant. With hundreds of emails to go through daily, make sure your contacts don’t end up seeing yours more than they would like to.
Seeing repeat emails just looks like you’re trying too hard to get someone’s attention and can have a negative impact on the way they view your brand or even cause them to unsubscribe just to make you stop sending to them, which is definitely not the desired outcome. You can avoid this by finding a good rhythm to sending your emails, study the best times, do A/B testing and see what works best for your contacts and your industry. Once you have that down, keep it up and it’ll be smooth emailing.
Spammers…
Send The Same Email, 3 Times a Day, Every Day. Maybe they’ll Accidentally Click On It!
Another golden rule to follow as a spammer is to make sure the same email gets sent very frequently. Keep sending it to the same people multiple times a day and since you have no way for them to unsubscribe or contact you, there’s nothing they can do to stop you from filling their inboxes. That counts as brand awareness doesn’t it?
Email Marketers…
Include an “Unsubscribe” Link Option. If They Feel They’re Not Your Customer, Let Them Leave.
Along with the physical address, it’s actually illegal not to include an unsubscribe option in your emails as well. You can be fined the same way for each instance where the unsubscribe link was not provided. People don’t want to feel trapped with you. That causes negative emotions and feelings that attach to your brand.
It’s always good to give your contacts options. When you include an unsubscribe link, let it take them to a page that gives them more than just an “all or nothing” unsubscribe option. Let them have choices like choosing receive your emails monthly instead of weekly, or every three months. By providing more than one option, studies show more people will stay if they feel they can choose when they receive their emails as opposed to quitting altogether.
Spammers…
Don’t Include an “Unsubscribe” Link Anywhere. The Important Thing Is to Trick Them Into Responding!
You know what’s best for your contacts, so there’s no need to include a way for them to unsubscribe, even if it is illegal and also part of the CAN-SPAM act. Including a way to unsubscribe would just give them a way to remove themselves from your irrelevant list and content so you can narrow down who really wants to talk to you. Remember, quantity over quality!
Take Away
The lesson to be learned is not to try and cheat the system by sending out irrelevant emails to whatever email list you can get your hands on. It doesn’t work out for you, your brand, or your subscribers and can often get you blacklisted or fined large sums if you ignore the CAN-SPAM act long enough for just one person to report you.
Take your time in cultivating your lists from people you know have given you their information freely. The emails sent to those contacts will have a much higher success rate because they were already interested enough in your business to give you permission to send to them.