Using Mailing Lists For Marketing Purposes

A mailing list or email list can provide marketers, website owners, and business owners with a powerful list of potential leads. However, many factors should be considered before you begin to send a course of emails to your new prospects. Initially it is vital to consider how you received the list in the first place. If a list you are using was generated by anything other than legitimate needs and is populated by anybody other than willing recipients then you are likely to be labeled as a spammer and the majority of those that do not report you will simply delete your email without giving it a second thought.

What Exactly Is Considered Spam

The literal meaning of spam is an unsolicited bulk email. As such, buying mailing lists that are not genuine opt-in lists and emailing them en mass is absolutely the definition of spamming. As such, this is not looked on kindly by recipients, anti spamming companies, or the Internet powers that be. If you already have a mailing list then it is important that you research where the list came from and how the details were taken from the list members. Unless they checked a box that enabled the original list creator to sell or share their details with “authorized third parties” then you are running the very real risk of spamming.

Give Your Opt In Members The Chance To Opt Out

If you are certain that your list is indeed an opt-in list there are still steps that must be taken. Primarily this means that you have to provide recipients with the opportunity to opt out of receiving any future mailings. This can either be done by providing a link or asking uninterested recipients to email you with a subject of unscubscribe or something similar. This opportunity must be clearly labeled and present on every single marketing email you send. You may also consider a contingency of having a similar service on your website, if you run a website.

Providing A Mailing Address In Communication

All emails should contain a physical mailing address that pertains to your company or to you personally. Again, email advertising without this can actually be reported and, again, you may be penalized accordingly. This is to prevent people from spamming without any fear of come back and to try to minimize the scams and thefts that are conducted via advertising and marketing email.

Email Frequency

Sending too many emails to your list may also push some recipients into reporting you as spam. Weekly, fortnightly, or monthly emails are not usually considered too much trouble, but some companies insist on sending numerous emails every single day. This will annoy your leads and they will either unsubscribe if you are lucky or report your for spamming if you are unlucky.

Combating Spam Online

The Internet and online marketing are riddled with spammers. Many steps and actions are being taken to try to prevent these unauthorized marketing ploys and while spammers seem to find new and annoyingly innovative ways to bypass these rules if you are reported for spam it can be incredibly difficult to have your name cleared. The best option is always to err on the side of caution in a bid to protect your good name and that of your website, business, or service.

Spam Certainty

In past posts, I have mentioned that I used to receive hundreds of spam messages a day. Now, my spam problems have virtually disappeared thanks to being better educated about how to prevent spam, a change of email addresses, and anti-spam software. Earlier, I was looking at my Junk Mail folder to see if any legitimate email messages wound up inside it. Just one did. The others were coupons, newsletters, and stuff like that. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where are all the offers for low-cost mortgages, miracle cures, and penis enlargements?”

Spammers haven’t stopped spamming me, of that I’m certain. The reason why those emails aren’t in the Junk Mail folder is because of “spam certainty.” Spam certainty is a concept used by the spam filter developers to further screen out spam and spare my innocent eyes from having to see X-rated messages and other unwanted junk.

For example, if the spam filter can identify a message to a specific level of certainty that it is indeed spam, then the message is deleted and I’ll never see it no matter where I look. However, if the message does not meet this specific level of certainty, it will be marked as spam and placed in the Junk Mail folder where I can review it before hitting the delete key. If the spam filter sees a message and is 99.9% certain that it is spam, then what’s the point of bothering me with it?

Spam certainty is an excellent feature to look for in your anti-spam solution, especially if you receive a great deal of unwanted junk mail. I don’t know about you, but I don’t see the point of wading through known spam in an attempt to find legitimate messages. If the spam filter is certain that a message really is spam, then I say, “Spam be gone.”

What’s the difference between user-based and non-user-based filters?

Spam filters come in two varieties: user-based and non-user-based. But I wonder, what exactly does this mean? After all, I’m a computer user, so wouldn’t my spam controls be user based?

Not necessarily. For example, if I worked for a large company and accessed my email on the corporate intranet, I may or may not have user-based spam filtering. The company’s server may do the filtering on my behalf, removing any messages it deems as spam long before they arrive in my mailbox. In this case, this would be a server-based spam filter.

Depending on how the network administrators have set up spam filtering, I may also have a user-based spam filter. If this were the case, the server passes all emails to my inbox. My computer would have a local spam filter which would then handle the messages according to settings that I have set up to meet my individual needs. In this case, this would be a user-based spam filter.

Server-based spam filtering has its pros and cons which is why some companies implement it and others prefer user-based filters. On the plus side, workers don’t have to deal with unwanted junk mail and administrators don’t have to hear complaints about sexually offensive material. Blocking such material is also a proactive move as far as sexual harassment policies go too. However, blocking messages companywide at the server level also has the potential to block legitimate messages. Users do not have control over the level of filtering that takes place, nor do they have the ability to scan the deleted messages in search of legitimate ones.

User-based spam filtering puts the user in control of the filtering. They can adjust the filter to best meet their needs as well as view the Junk Mail folder to see if any legitimate emails have been filtered along with the junk. In addition, they can add or block senders on an individual basis. While this type of filtering is ideal for individual computer users, it’s not necessarily so in a corporate environment. The servers must still handle and route spam traffic which puts a greater load on them and administrators may not want users dealing with spam, especially if there’s a lot of it and if it’s sexually (or otherwise) offensive.

I also want to mention a related type of spam filtering which is similar to user-based filtering: community-based filtering. With community-based spam filtering, the anti-spam solution offers some sort of reporting function. When a message arrives that the user deems as spam, they click a button on the interface to report the message as spam. Likewise, a similar button is used for reporting legitimate messages as “not spam.” If the spam filter marks a legitimate message as spam, you can inform the developers of your opinion.

As a member of a larger community of users, your input is entered into a database. If enough community members report a particular message as spam, it will then become part of the algorithm. For example, spammers send millions of messages at once. A new spam message will get through filters that haven’t yet identified it as spam. However, when enough users say, “This is spam,” this particular message will be identified and blocked.

What about newsletters? What if enough users report this type of email as spam? Subscribers to newsletters may disagree. In community-based environments, this problem is solved when enough users say, “This is not spam.”

How efficient should a good Spam filter be?

Any technology that you pay your hard earned dollars for had better be efficient, right? If I’m going to buy a product, I expect it to be efficient. However, spam filters can be too efficient. I know, that sounds contradictory. However, there’s a method to my madness: spam filters that are too aggressive will mark too many legitimate messages as spam which defeats the purpose.

For example, if your spam filter is too efficient, many of your legitimate emails will wind up marked as spam. You may start to wonder why no one is emailing you or you’ll miss important emails. Eventually, someone will advise you to check your Junk Mail folder. When you do, much to your horror, you’ll find numerous important emails hidden amongst the offers for herbal remedies and investment opportunities from Nigerian kings. Soon, you won’t trust your spam filter and you will religiously search your Junk Mail folders for legitimate messages. What good is that?

On the other extreme are spam filters that are not effective enough. The whole idea is to avoid spam. If your inbox has enough spam to annoy you, your filter isn’t very efficient. I can deal with one or two spam messages a week finding their way into my inbox without being annoyed but much more than that and I’d be opening the anti-spam program interface and making adjustments.    

No matter which anti-spam filter you use, finding the right efficiency balance is critical. The goal is to keep legitimate emails where you want them (in the inbox) and never have to look at another spam message ever again.

Fortunately, most good anti-spam filters offer various control levels. You’ll have to experiment with the different levels to find the right balance for your needs. Start at the lowest level and see if the filter is catching enough spam. The lowest levels generally leave your legitimate emails alone but the drawback is that more spam gets through. If you’re not satisfied with the efficiency, bump up the level to medium and see if that provides the right balance or not. The highest setting will catch the most spam but it may also compromise your legitimate emails.

The anti-spam program that you chose should be efficient at blocking spam and not marking legitimate messages as spam. I’ve had good luck with both Trend Micro PC-Cillin Internet Security and ParetoLogic Spam Controls. I’ve also used iHateSpam and a few other products. Each has its own way of identifying and dealing with junk mail.

For example, spam control in the PC-Cillin product is just one feature of many. This product is a suite that offers other protections such as virus and spyware protection. The anti-spam feature is an added enhancement. ParetoLogic Spam Controls is dedicated to spam and only spam. It is unique in that it uses pattern classifications rather than keywords to identify spam. By analyzing the content for known patterns, false positives are virtually eliminated. 

Because spammers are continually changing their methods, today’s most efficient spam protection will be obsolete in weeks, if not days. That’s why creating your own spam filter using keywords and message rules doesn’t work. Believe me, I’ve tried. It’s impossible for the average computer user to keep up. Instead, select an anti-spam program that is updated regularly with the latest spam definitions. 

Are there different ways to prevent spam?

Yes! I have learned about spam the hard way and will share my lessons learned with you. Just a few years ago, much of my work day dealt with deleting hundreds of spam messages a day. Now, I rarely give spam a second thought as my inbox generally contains only wanted messages. How did I go from hundreds of spam messages a day to one or two a month?

First, I changed email addresses. Once your email address gets on a list and that list is circulated amongst spammers, it becomes exceedingly difficult to clear your name. But, changing email addresses alone won’t prevent spam. Unless you change your Web surfing habits and actively protect your email address, you’ll soon find yourself dreaming up a new email address and informing all of your friends that you have yet another new address.

Here are some steps that you can take to prevent spam:

• Never post your email address on websites, bulletin boards, or forums. If you do, your email address will quickly be harvested by automatic Web robots whose main purpose is to seek out email addresses for spammers. If you must do so, have a graphic made and post the graphic or use a format that drops the @ sign such as:

yourname < at > ISP <dot> com

• Limit the amount of free newsletters that you sign up for. Signing up for free newsletters means that you just “opted in” and have agreed to receiving newsletters from the supplier. Pick carefully so that you only sign up for those that you really want.
• Watch out what you are signing up for when registering with websites. Many registration forms have preselected checkboxes that automatically opt you in for receiving future communications, or even the sharing of your information with “partners.” Make sure to clear these checkboxes.
• Use a disposable email address. Sign up for a free email account such as a Hotmail or Yahoo account and use it when registering for websites or making purchases. This way, if the address becomes a target of spam, you can let it go and create a new one.
• Use a self-destructing email address. I signed up with Spam Gourmet a few years ago and highly recommend this service to anyone who likes to tryout lots of newsletters or websites. You get a basic email address that you customize per Web site. As you customize it, you get to specify how many emails you will accept before the address self destructs. Once that number has been reached, you’ll never receive another related message again. If you decide that you want to continue using that address, you can allow it. This lets you try out a newsletter without compromising your email address.
• Protect your primary email address and share it only with colleagues, family, and friends. Use disposable and self-destructing email addresses for everything else.
• When sending messages to multiple recipients, use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) feature and educate others to do the same. This prevents email addresses from being visible to others. After all, you never know who’s forwarding emails with your email address on display.

Use anti-spam software. Despite your best efforts, spammers may still find you. Anti-spam software will filter out the junk so you don’t have to deal with it.

How does Antispam Software know an email is not something I need?

Anti-spam programs are smart but they’re not intuitive. For example, you may very well need a new mortgage, Viagra, or debt counseling. Of course, you’ll probably approach your own bank, doctor, or financial planner for these services rather than sign up based on a spam message, right? Promise me you will because by responding to spam, it encourages spammers. They wouldn’t do it if it didn’t work.

My computer is protected with anti-spam technology. This has dramatically reduced the amount of unwanted junk that used to flood my inbox. But, every now and then, I will miss an expected message. For example, I’m going to look in my Junk Mail folder right now. I bet I’ll find something in there that I might have wanted. Let’s see what it might be.

Here’s one: “Deadline this week.” This email is from two months ago reminding me of a deadline for an assignment. Obviously, that deadline is long past and it would have been helpful to have actually received the email. Fortunately, I don’t rely on email reminders for managing my deadlines so it’s not a big deal. Everything else in the folder is irrelevant: coupons for products, updates from my cell phone provider informing me of new ways I can pay them, invitations to attend charity parties, and so forth.

I have my anti-spam filter set to “medium.” I can adjust this up or down. If I was concerned about missing important messages, I’d lower it but more spam would land in my inbox. If too much spam works its way past the filter, I can increase the filtering level to high. However, more legitimate messages might be marked as spam and routed to the Junk Mail folder. I’ve found that the medium level of this particular program is the right balance for my needs. You’ll have to find the right balance for your own needs using your particular anti-spam program. This involves a bit of trial and error and monitoring of the Junk Mail folder at first. Once you’re comfortable with the results and have achieved the right balance for you, you can relax and check the Junk Mail folder less often.