Email marketing is a great way to reach customers and grow sales probably today the most cost-effective advertising, so please look into it if you are not using it. But this is a big *but* it also has some legal obligations you must follow.
See this article here. These problems are *NOT* uncommon, as several of our clients and business partners have gotten into trouble with these laws. One was particularly nasty.
Summary of the issue here
Commonwealth Bank (CBA) was fined $3.55 million by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for breaking email marketing laws.
How did CBA violate the email marketing laws here?
CBA sent 61 million marketing emails to customers that required them to log in to unsubscribe.
CBA sent 4 million marketing emails that did not have a working unsubscribe option.
CBA sent 5,000 marketing emails to customers who had already unsubscribed.
Then ACMA said that CBA did not fix the issues after receiving their warnings.
How to Avoid Breaking Email Marketing Laws:
To avoid breaking these email marketing laws and risking fines and reputation damage, here are some ideas that can help:
Use an Email Marketing Platform
An email marketing platform can help you to comply with email marketing laws by providing features such as consent management, sender identification and unsubscribe links. I recommend to my clients, EmailOctopus. It works well with our software and has many email newsletters and campaign features.
Respect Your Customers and Stop Sending Emails if They Have Already Unsubscribed
If someone has unsubscribed from your email list, you should stop sending them emails. This is not only the law but also the right thing to do.
Use Common Sense and Follow the Authorities' Instructions
If the authorities issue a warning. Listen to them. Do not keep doing it until you rectify the issues that they do not like.
Conclusion
Email marketing is excellent for connecting with your customers. It does grow your sales, which is why it is used so much, but it is essential to be aware of email marketing laws and follow them.
If you are our client and need help with email marketing, contact me or Garth. We are both experienced in doing it. We are happy to talk.
We can help you create compelling and compliant email campaigns that deliver results.
