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CAN-SPAM compliance is all about being mindful and transparent.

Email marketing is still alive and generates the highest revenue. The email marketing campaigns to be successful in the long-term needs to be compliant.

There are regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM which every business needs to follow. Neglecting the key regulations are costly mistakes. For e.g. The least civil penalties for CAN-SPAM violation is $16000. There is no maximum limit.

What is CAN-SPAM compliance?

Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing, also known as “CAN-SPAM” is the law that was passed in 2003.

CAN-SPAM compliance is an act that outlines the rules and regulations for sending email messages. It includes all types of emails i.e. B2C and B2B.

As email marketing is concerned, the marketers are not allowed to deceive the recipients via email copies or subject line.

Being CAN-SPAM compliance is not difficult. You need to follow the basic rules and be transparent at all times.

To help you be compliant, we have covered all the key aspects of CAN-SPAM below.

Importance of CAN-SPAM compliance?

Following all the email marketing regulations, helps win the trust of your subscribers and builds a positive image in the eyes of ISPs.

For sending out emails with commercial and transactional intent CAN-SPAM compliance is the very first step to be followed.

Email marketers are familiar with setting-up, formatting, and scheduling promotional campaigns. However, many amongst them are not aware of federal compliance like CAN-SPAM that intends to protect the right of consumers or email recipients.

Before we jump into the methods of being CAN-SPAM compliance we must understand the basics of CAN-SPAM.

• The recipients have the right to stop you from emailing them.
• You cannot ask for the un-subscription fee.
• Do not write deceptive subject lines and email copies.
• Asking for the personal information associated with the email is prohibited.

How to make your email marketing CAN-SPAM compliant?

• Accurate header information

The header information is the very first thing that will be noticed by the recipient.
It must contain a company name and accurate information on your identity.

The purpose of email headers is to provide information about the sender, prevent spam, and identifying email routing information.

• Write clear and concise subject lines

You cannot be deceptive with your subject lines. The subject line and your email copy must align with each other. The information given in the subject line must be short and convey a clear message.

In an urge to boost your email open rates you cannot mislead the recipients with the subject line. Follow the best practices to write openable yet informative subject lines.

• Communicate if it’s an Advertisement

The commercial intent of your email must be known to the recipient immediately. Being transparent with your email messages is a good way to earn the trust of your subscribers.

Per CAN-SPAM there is no need to write a specific word “Ad” in the subject lines or email copies. You can simply place a text in the footer as “This is an advertisement sent by (Your business name).

• Make un-subscription easy

The recipients have the right to stop you from emailing them, this is why the un-subscription must be simple.

It must be like this, An old lady or a techy both must be able to un-subscribe from your emails with just one-click and minimum efforts.

• Honor the opt-out request

It is not pleasing to receive an opt-out request from subscribers. But, you must honor the opt-out request within the 10 days of receiving it. Not honoring such a request harms your image and marks you as a spammer in the eyes of ISPs.

Once the email is removed from your email list make sure that the email is not transferred or sold.

• Do not hide your location

Last but not least, don’t hide your location. The office address must be located at the bottom of every email. Hiding such information is the practice followed by the spammers, we know you are not!

To conclude – Not following the important email marketing laws can cost a lot in terms of money as well as the goodwill of your brand.

You need to work up-front to set up an email template that is fully compliant. Once it is done you can simply use it for all future email communications.