NEWSLEAD
Contact: Heidi Argue
231.932.0400
E-Mail Marketing: Honest or Illegal – Take Your Pick
The Issue:
Marc Shulman, R – West Bloomfield Township, introduced Michigan House Bill 5777 on March 7, 2002 to add unsolicited, deceptive commercial e-mail practices to the list of unlawful acts covered by the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. The proposed legislation is similar to that which other states are now considering. The bill targets those who send e-mail with a misleading subject line, false return address or that uses a third party's server without permission. Both the sender and the entity profiting from the e-mail could be held liable.
This type of legislation increases the urgency for organizations to adopt solid permission-based marketing principles for e-mail strategies.
Minimizing the Risks:
InetSolution, Inc. develops Web technology solutions for a wide variety of industries, including security software, permission-based e-marketing software, and response management software.
To stay on the right side of the law, and in the good graces of your customers, the company's president, Jason Sherrill suggests five guidelines to consider when conducting e-marketing campaigns:
- Use a legitimate name in the "mail from" field
- Establish an e-mail address that matches your organization’s web address
- Use specific and descriptive language in the subject line
- Honor your customers' wishes when they decide to opt out of your e-mail list
- Allow your customers the opportunity to provide you with specific criteria to guide the subject and frequency of marketing information you send to them
Sherrill further notes, "Organizations invest time and money in e-mail marketing, and to maximize the investment it is crucial to stay on the right side of the law. Proposed penalties of House Bill 5777 are $25,000 for each violation." He continues, "E-marketing is attractive because it is an affordable way to quickly reach customers and prospects, however it is also critically important to stay in the good graces of the customers by using fair and honest tactics. Our company advocates use of permission-based automated marketing systems to keep both the customer and law enforcement happy."
Contact:
Jason Sherrill from InetSolution, Inc. is available for additional comments. To schedule an interview, call Heidi Argue at 231.932.0400.
