Improving Email Deliverability: Understanding Email Marketing Laws

Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their audience, drive sales, and build customer relationships. However, it is important for businesses to understand and comply with email marketing laws to ensure that their email campaigns are effective and legally compliant.

In this blog post, we will explore the importance of email deliverability and the key email marketing laws that businesses need to be aware of to improve their email marketing efforts.

Table of Contents

1. Email deliverability: what is it and why is it important?
2. CAN SPAM Act
3. GDPR
4. CASL
5. Other international email marketing laws
6. Best practices for email marketing compliance
7. Conclusion

Email Deliverability: What is it and Why is it Important?

Email deliverability refers to the ability of an email to successfully reach the recipient’s inbox without being filtered out by spam filters or blocked by Internet service providers (ISPs). In other words, it is a measure of how successful your emails are at reaching the intended recipient’s inbox.

Improving email deliverability is crucial for the success of your email marketing campaigns. Low email deliverability can result in your emails being marked as spam or not reaching the recipient’s inbox at all. This can negatively impact your sender reputation, which in turn affects the success of future email campaigns. On the other hand, high email deliverability ensures that your emails are reaching the inbox of your recipients, increasing the chances of them being opened and read.

Understanding and complying with email marketing laws is a critical aspect of improving email deliverability. These laws are designed to protect recipients from spam and ensure that businesses are sending emails in a responsible and ethical manner. Failure to comply with these laws can result in serious consequences, including fines, penalties, and damage to your brand’s reputation.

Let’s now take a closer look at some of the key email marketing laws that businesses need to be aware of:

1. CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act)

The CAN-SPAM Act is a federal law in the United States that sets rules for commercial emails. It applies to any email that is primarily intended for commercial purposes or promotes a commercial product or service. Here are some of the key requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act:

a) Opt-out mechanism: The Act requires that every commercial email must contain a clear and conspicuous opt-out mechanism that allows recipients to easily unsubscribe from future emails. The opt-out mechanism should be functional for at least 30 days after the email is sent, and businesses must honor opt-out requests promptly.

b) Accurate header information: The Act requires that the “From,” “To,” and “Reply-To” fields in the email header must accurately reflect the sender’s identity. This means that businesses must not use misleading or false header information in their emails.

c) Subject line requirements: The Act prohibits the use of deceptive subject lines in commercial emails. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the email and must not be misleading or deceptive in any way.

d) Physical address requirement: The Act requires that every commercial email must include a valid physical postal address where the sender is located. This can be a street address or a post office box.

e) Disclosure of commercial nature: The Act requires that commercial emails must clearly disclose that they are advertisements or promotional in nature. This can be done through a statement in the body of the email or by using a clear and conspicuous label in the subject line.

2. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

The GDPR is a European Union (EU) regulation that aims to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens. While it primarily focuses on data protection and privacy, it also includes provisions related to email marketing. Here are some key requirements of the GDPR:

a) Consent: The GDPR requires that businesses obtain explicit and freely given consent from recipients before sending them marketing emails. Consent must be specific, informed, and unambiguous, and recipients must have the option to withdraw their consent at any time.

b) Right to be forgotten: The GDPR grants individuals the right to have their personal data erased or forgotten upon request. This means that if a recipient request to have their data removed from your email list, you must comply promptly and ensure that their data is deleted from your records.

c) Transparency: The GDPR mandates that businesses must be transparent about how they collect, use, and process personal data, including for email marketing purposes. This includes providing clear and concise information about the purpose of the email, the data being collected, and the rights of the recipients.

d) Data protection measures: The GDPR requires businesses to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security and protection of personal data. This includes encrypting sensitive data, regularly monitoring for data breaches, and having data protection policies and procedures in place.

3. CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation)

CASL is a Canadian law that regulates commercial electronic messages (CEMs), including emails, sent to recipients in Canada. Some key requirements of CASL include:

a) Consent: CASL requires that businesses obtain express consent from recipients before sending them commercial emails. Express consent must be obtained through an opt-in mechanism, and businesses must keep records of consent for proof.

b) Identification information: CASL mandates that every commercial email must clearly identify the sender and provide their contact information, including a valid mailing address, phone number, or email address.

c) Unsubscribe mechanism: CASL requires that every commercial email must contain a clear and easy-to-use unsubscribe mechanism that allows recipients to unsubscribe from future emails. Unsubscribe requests must be honored within 10 business days.

4. Other International Email Marketing Laws

Apart from the aforementioned laws, there are several other international laws and regulations that businesses need to be aware of depending on their target audience. For example:

a) PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) in the United Kingdom: This law requires businesses to obtain consent before sending marketing emails and also includes requirements for identifying the sender and providing an unsubscribe mechanism.

b) Australian Spam Act: This law regulates the sending of commercial emails in Australia and requires businesses to obtain consent, provide identification information, and include an unsubscribe mechanism in their emails.

c) Anti-Spam Law in Japan: This law requires businesses to obtain consent before sending marketing emails and also includes provisions related to the content and labeling of emails.

Best Practices for Email Marketing Compliance

To ensure that your email marketing efforts are compliant with relevant laws and regulations, here are some best practices to follow:

1. Obtain Consent: Always obtain explicit consent from recipients before sending them marketing emails. Use opt-in mechanisms and clearly explain the purpose of the emails and the data being collected. Keep records of consent for future reference.
2. Provide Unsubscribe Mechanism: Include a clear and conspicuous unsubscribe mechanism in every commercial email you send. Honor unsubscribe requests promptly and within the timeframes specified by relevant laws.
3. Use Accurate Header Information: Ensure that the “From,” “To,” and “Reply-To” fields in your emails accurately reflect your identity as the sender. Avoid using misleading or false header information.
4. Include Identification Information: Clearly identify yourself as the sender of the email and provide valid contact information, including a physical postal address or other required contact details, as per relevant laws.
5. Be Transparent: Clearly disclose the commercial nature of your emails, use truthful and non-deceptive subject lines, and provide concise and easy-to-understand information about the purpose of the email and the data being collected.
6. Implement Data Protection Measures: Take appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security and protection of personal data collected for email marketing purposes. This includes encrypting sensitive data, regularly monitoring for data breaches, and having data protection policies and procedures in place.
7. Keep Updated with Laws and Regulations: Stay informed about the latest laws and regulations related to email marketing in your target audience countries or regions. Regularly review and update your email marketing practices to ensure compliance with changing laws.
8. Keep Detailed Records: Maintain records of consent, unsubscribe requests and other relevant information related to your email marketing activities. These records may be required as evidence of compliance in case of any legal disputes or investigations.
9. Segment Your Email Lists: Segment your email lists based on recipient preferences and interests to ensure that you are sending relevant and targeted emails to recipients who have expressed explicit consent for receiving such emails. Avoid sending unsolicited emails or spamming recipients.
10. Provide Opt-Out Options: Offer opt-out options beyond just unsubscribe mechanisms, such as allowing recipients to choose the frequency of emails or the type of content they want to receive. Respecting recipient preferences can help improve engagement and reduce the risk of spam complaints.
11. Regularly Review and Update Your Privacy Policy: Keep your privacy policy updated and ensure that it clearly outlines how you collect, use, and protect personal data for email marketing purposes. Provide a link to your privacy policy in your emails and make it easily accessible to recipients.
12. Train Your Email Marketing Team: Provide training and resources to your email marketing team to ensure that they are knowledgeable about relevant laws and regulations, and follow best practices for email marketing compliance. Regularly review and audit your email marketing practices to identify and address any potential compliance issues.

Conclusion

Improving email deliverability is crucial for the success of your email marketing campaigns. Understanding and complying with email marketing laws and regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM Act, GDPR, CASL, and other international laws, is essential to maintain a good sender reputation, avoiding legal liabilities, and building trust with your recipients.

By obtaining explicit consent, providing clear identification and unsubscribe mechanisms, being transparent, implementing data protection measures, and following best practices, you can ensure that your email marketing campaigns are compliant with relevant laws and regulations, and maximize your email deliverability rates.

Stay updated with changing laws and regularly review and update your email marketing practices to ensure ongoing compliance and success in your email marketing efforts.