I read something yesterday that struck a nerve with me. And not just with me, but many of my “Email Snob” friends out there. Here’s the headline:
“Sending e-mail when you don’t have an opt-in”
The article (in BtoB Magazine) suggests, that while best practices and the numbers dictate that opt-in leads to better results, the recession has “forced [companies] to drop this etiquette.” Here’s more:
“The requirements of CAN-SPAM are really clear,” said [Gary Halliwell, CEO of NetProspex]. “The sender of an e-mail has to provide an opt-out link, but there’s nothing prohibiting a marketer from sending an e-mail to someone who hasn’t opted in. We’re seeing a lot of companies, including Fortune 1,000 companies, changing their strategies from opt-in to opt-out with good results. As long as you’re sending relevant materials and creating educational experiences, people will be open to receiving your messages.”
Umm… what?
Yes, CAN-SPAM makes it legal to send emails to people who have not opted in. But is it the right thing to do?
No.
As I’ve written before, email marketing’s power is based in permission. There’s something impressive about someone choosing to receive your messages. With choice comes inclination. With inclination comes interest. With interest comes decision. And we all know what decision means: A sale.
It boils down to this: Spam = Unwanted Email.
If someone wants your email, they’ll give you permission to send it to them.
CAN-SPAM is not enough. It’s the bare minimum with serious emphasis, but not nearly enough.
There is one good thing that Mr. Halliwell said in that article: Send relevant messages. After all, even if you have opt-in, there’s nothing to stop someone from hitting the “This is Spam” button if you forget to follow general best practices.
As for the premise that because of the recession, we don’t need to worry about opt-in anymore? Ridiculous.
As I told the VP of Direct Marketing at GNC who responded to my Email Zoo post, us email marketers are all in this together. Social media won’t be the death of email. Spam will, if we’re not careful and dedicated to our craft.
There, I’ve said what I came to say. What say you?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Well said my friend!
Any ESP that allows the use of purchased lists deserves everything they get when they end up being blacklisted. Just because something is legal does not mean it is right.. in some countries it’s legal to marry a 16 year, it definitely doesn’t mean that you should.
“And we all know what decision means: A sale.” I wish it was this easy. We use our own opt-in list and buy lists too. We get sales from both.
@Kent – Goldblum in Jurassic Park; “…were so preoccupied with whether or not they could they didn’t stop to think if they should” & “You didn’t earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don’t take any responsibility… ”
@Topher – Yeah, Jeremy Jaynes made money from email, too, and look where his dirty methods got him. You can’t buy or sell someone else’s permission. If idiots didn’t buy from spammers there would be no spammers. More Jurassic Park; “the problem with [buying lists]: it didn’t require any discipline to attain it” & as above, “You didn’t earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don’t take any responsibility…”
@Kent – Great analogy. Bold and telling.
@Topher – John says it better with Jurassic Park, but you can’t buy permission. And I can probably assume your deliverability rates on your opt-in list are lower because of the lists you buy. Of course you will get some sales from the bought lists, but it’s probably at a much lesser rate than your opt-in list and, again, likely hurts your overall numbers in the long run.
@John – Always a fan of your analogies and references.
.-= Scott Cohen´s last blog ..Permission is the Power Behind Email Marketing =-.
Great post Scott. I totally agree this is just spammers having a meeting to justify why they spam – i.e. recession. *LAME*
Email will always be a permission based marketing channel. To garner any type of success emails need to be sent to opt-in lists. You’d think in 2010 most marketers would have learned from their own experiences in the inbox and in turn applied that experience to their email marketing efforts.
We’ll on the bright side, at least we’re all AWESOME.
I refer to this method “as a quick fix”. Your email program may glean an immediate high (i.e. lift in sales) but it will truly be the death of your program. These nasty practices will catch up to you and your sender reputation. In turn your ESP will have no choice but to take action.
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