What is a legitimate email marketer?

The battle for inbox attention comes down to a struggle between spammers and legitimate email marketers. The problem: It is often difficult to tell which one is which.

In order to preserve this form of communication, legitimate marketers must be the ones to stand out and set a good example. Here are some ways to set you apart from the more questionable email marketers:

Confirm subscriptions
Ensure that your email list contains people who are interested in receiving what you want to send. By confirming your subscribers you not only protect yourself from bogus sign ups, you have a record of confirmation should somebody question where you obtained an email address. With a confirmation, you can always prove that the subscriber actually signed. This may become important if someone complains about what you send.

Manage email lists
Email lists are dynamic. People come and go. The average person only hangs onto an email address for a year or so; changing jobs or avoiding unsolicited email are the primary reasons for switching. Most of the time, they will not inform email marketers of the change. If you are still sending to old email addresses that are no longer valid, your list is polluted and you can tarnish your email reputation.

Honor unsubscribe requests
Federal CAN-SPAM law says you must honor unsubscribe requests within 10 days of notification. Legitimate email marketers will honor them right away. With today's technology, there is no reason to send another email after somebody requests removal from your list. If somebody who requests removal receives another email, the next email they receive is likely to be reported as spam. Honor unsubscribe requests right away and preserve your reputation as a legitimate marketer.

Don't act a spammer
If you look like a spammer, and behave like a spammer, you are going to be treated like a spammer. Attempting to hide who you are and through which mail server you send messages through is what illegitimate, illegal email marketers do. You need to make sure your email headers identify you properly. SPF and DKIM are important tools to prove to remote ISPs that you are who you say you are. When more marketers adopt these technologies, it will be more useful for legitimate email marketers.

Care about your subscribers
Even though people may have subscribed to your newsletter or free offers, you want to limit the number you send. There are many other people vying for their attention, don't waste their time. The information must be useful, timely, and relevant. A great offer sent everyday for a month will most likely result in an unsubscribe request, or worse, a click on the spam button.

Email Marketing Director and Campaign Enterprise can help you manage your lists and keep your email campaigns relevant. Opt-in, permission-based email marketing is what differentiates legitimate email marketers from the bad guys. If you haven't done so already, download a free trial of Email Marketing Director or Campaign Enterprise today and see how permission email can help you grow your business quickly, and keep you in the legitimate email marketing camp. -- Arial Software

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