If you’re involved in B2B marketing and sales then you already know the power of email marketing. However, it’s crucial to understand how to stay compliant with the law so you aren’t slapped with hefty fines from regulatory bodies.
In this guide, we are going to talk about the requirements for the CAN-SPAM Act for US-based email recipients. If you’d like to read the legislation for yourself, you’ll find links below to some popular online countries, and their rules for sending marketing emails.
- USA – FTC CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide For Business
- Canada – CRTC – CASL – Spam and malware
- United Kingdom – ICO – Spam emails
- Australia – ACMA – Avoid Sending Spam
CAN-SPAM Act – What Does It Mean For Email Marketing?
To help you ensure compliance, we’ve created a handy chart of Do’s and Don’t’s relating to email marketing. Remember, the fines are high for non-compliance, so it’s best to get your lawyer’s advice before sending unsolicited emails to ensure your state doesn’t have rules that do not allow for your cold-outreach email campaigns.
| DO | DONT |
|---|---|
| Tell recipients where you are located (include a physical address). | Use false or misleading header information (like masking your email address with a false one). |
| Provide an easy means for recipients to opt-out of future emails. | Use deceptive subject lines. Clickbait is not okay here. Intent must be understood. |
| Respect recipient unsubscribe requests, whether they are members or just on your list makes no difference. No means no. | Ignore unsubscribe requests. Ever. |
| Monitor what others do on your behalf. Dodgy email marketers might get you in trouble, so trust a team like us to ensure your compliance is maintained. | Get shady people or businesses to handle your email marketing efforts. |
| Research federal and state/provincial/territorial laws about sending CEMs. | Ignore the law relating to CEMs. |
If you’re not sure about your email campaign, reach out to us for a consultation. We are always happy to help.
