Affiliate Advertising: Know The Can-Spam Act
September 5th, 2010
The quantity of false information available about e-mail marketing about the net is staggering. If you are marketing your affiliate plan through e-mail campaigns, make certain you know what your responsibilities are.
The lawless times of spam e-mail are more than, at least for U.S.A. based advertisers. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) sets forth particular needs for marketing via e-mail. The law has been tested numerous times because being passed and fines happen to be levied, property seized, individuals have even been sentenced to prison.
As an affiliate marketer obviously you don’t want to be about the incorrect side of this law. Luckily, complying with the provisions within the law is fairly simple. Here is what it demands:
No misleading or fake header information. This includes the “From:” and “To” fields.
No deceptive topic lines. You want your client to know what you are selling anyway, so this ought to be no problem.
Messages should be labeled as advertising. Again, the moral is: no sneaky stuff.
An “internet-based” opt-out method should be provided. You’ve 10 days to stop e-mailing a person once you have received their remove request.
Messages must include your company (or house) physical address. This provides accountability along with a way for that customer to verify that your company is real.
Breaking any of these rules could lead to some fine of as much as $11,000 per violation! Honesty is now really the very best policy. You might be thinking: if this really is such a large deal, why is my inbox flooded with spam every day?
It’s not a ideal globe, and also the short answer is that many of those advertisers are breaking the law. Commonly they are outside the United States in areas where prosecution might be unrealistic. You, however, would probably be very easy to catch.
Be sure to read the detailed needs for your self.
Additional Resources: