In a nutshell, CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing) is an act that gives recipients the right to have a business stop emailing them. Violating this act can result in penalties as high as $16,000 per email. To avoid these hefty fines, always keep these rules in mind:
Tip #1: Include an unsubscribe link
It may seem counter intuitive to give people the chance to leave your list, but it’s actually a good thing. There’s no point in keeping someone on your list who doesn’t want to be there. And you’ll see lower open and engagement rates by making it hard for people to unsubscribe. Since you only want to send marketing messages to a targeted list of readers, think of the unsubscribe button as a way to automatically refine your list of prospects and advocates. Plus, it also keeps you CAN-SPAM compliant, so it’s truly a double win. Make it as easy as possible for users to unsubscribe once they do hit that link at the bottom of your emails. If recipients have to jump through several hoops and a myriad of questions, they’re more likely to bail on the process and flag your emails as spam. Again, this will only hurt your sender credibility.
Tip #2: Actually remove people who have unsubscribed
Next, you have to physically remove those who unsubscribed from your list within 10 business days, according to CAN-SPAM regulations. Generally speaking, your email service provider should have a feature that helps automate this process so you don’t have to get stuck doing it manually each time.
Tip #3: Include your physical location in your email signature
Many email providers are making this a required feature, but not all of them have implemented it yet. Either way, you should always include your physical location in the form of a valid postal address in your emails. While this may seem unimportant, it’s an ideal way to show transparency in your brand. A simple address builds trust for your readers and proves that you’re a credible, accountable sender to your email service provider.