With the festive season is upon us, ACMA notes "for many businesses this means ramping up your marketing efforts using email, SMS and instant message (IM)," so how do you stay anti-spam compliant?
When planning your upcoming campaigns, ACMA has offered its top tips to brush up on, "so you’re enticing customers rather than annoying them."
So, what does ACMA advise in its top seven tips?
Here we go:
{loadposition alex08}1. (Un)tick all the boxes
Express permission is the best kind. Customers should ‘opt in’ rather than ‘opt out’ to receive marketing, so be sure to leave boxes unticked. It will save you hassle in the long run!
2. Make sure your customers know who you are
Your identity should be immediately obvious to your recipient—including how they can contact you. Not providing this information is a good way to guarantee that your potential customer’s cash will be going elsewhere.
3. Check your unsubscribe process
Ensuring your unsubscribe function works will make it far less likely for an unsubscribing customer to turn into a complaining customer. And check that it can handle a potential increase in unsubscribe requests in the New Year.
4. If it looks like spam …
Take the time to check the spelling, grammar and formatting of your message. If a potential customer looks at your message and thinks it might be junk or a scam, they won’t open it—no matter how great your business is.
5. Don’t be the weak link in the chain
If you send e-marketing as part of an affiliate marketing chain, it’s important that the message contains clear information about both the sender and the authoriser. If you don’t, you’re likely to confuse your customers (and potentially fall foul of Australia’s spam laws).
6. Make your list and check it twice
Never underestimate the importance of maintaining your subscriber lists, including keeping records of permission and details of where people signed up for your messages. Don’t be afraid of taking customers off your list—it’s better to focus on those customers you’re actively engaging with.
7. Consider overseas customers
If you deal with international customers, familiarise yourself with any relevant anti-spam laws—there are differences from country to country and it’s important to make sure you comply.
ACMA asks that you please "take the time to really think about your customers’ needs—but also consider how you can use email, SMS and IM marketing to build a positive relationship into the New Year.
"By doing that," ACMA says, "you’re bound to get through the holidays with a great reputation and set yourself up for a successful year ahead."
With that, ACMA wishes you "a safe—and prosperous—festive season," and here at iTWire, we do, too!
