Ethically, it is wrong to send emails to people to promote your business if you don't know the rules and laws that are in place. No matter how useful the information in your email is, it needs to follow the rules so that it doesn't cause problems.
Since the number of people who see an email can't be limited, you need to know the rules that each country has set up for its residents.
I'll talk about a few of the most important laws and rules below. Unlike professional marketers, these would be your salvation.
Make sure you can email the person.
Yes, in many countries there are strict rules that make it clear that you need permission to send emails to people.
Users should have shown interest in your website or any other way you promote your product or service, and they should have given you their email addresses in exchange for more information or access to a freebie or downloadable item.
Emailing someone can be done with or without their permission. If you already do business with someone, that's implied permission. If a user goes one step further and signs up for your newsletters on his own, that's expressed permission.
Don't use header information that isn't true.
"Header Information" includes the sender's name, the subject line, and the address to reply to. Email marketing rules make it clear that the header information should be set up correctly, without using any tricks that could confuse the reader.
The subject line should make it clear what the rest of the email is about. There shouldn't be any lies or over-the-top claims just to get more opens.
Your email should make it clear that it is an ad.
You need to make your emails look like ads. But the law gives you a lot of freedom, so you don't have to say "This is an advertisement" if you don't want to.
You just need to write the email in a smart way that follows the law and the scope that has been set. Users shouldn't think of it as their personal email and shouldn't feel tricked in any way.
Put in your real address.
Laws about email require the sender to include a valid business address in all correspondence. The street address, a post office box, or an address with a registered mail-receiving company can all be used as the address.
Make it simpler to say no.
Most of the countries that have rules about email marketing have made it clear and easy to know how to stop receiving emails. Simply put, if a user wants to stop getting emails and newsletters in the future, they should be able to do so in a way that is easy to understand and easy to find.
In the footer of most companies' emails, you can find the option to unsubscribe.
Act quickly on requests to opt-out.
Under the Can-Spam laws, a request to stop receiving emails should be taken seriously and honored within the next 10 business days. No fee can be charged, and the user can't be forced to visit a website or click on a link to an offer as a condition for opting out.
It's best to keep the process of opting out simple and short. As the user tends to unsubscribe and opt out, you can show a confirmation message saying that the user has successfully unsubscribed and won't be getting emails from you in the future.
By following the rules and laws listed above, you can make sure your business is in line with the current anti-spam laws around the world and keep growing your business.
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