Can one really get through those SPAM filters?

The e-mail marketing scenario has certainly changed over the past
year or so (the most significant changes being the increase in
e-mail blocking and filtering). These changes have resulted in
updates to e-mail marketing best practices that all legitimate
e-mail marketers should follow. The difference is that some of
these practices are now required by law. An innumerable amount
of SPAM complaints have forced the law to enforce certain
norms that should be complied to so as to keep your business
out of disputes.
Hence, there are certain precautions which are recommended to
keep your marketing campaigns unblocked and on the other hand
law friendly.

There are a couple of questions which need to be answered before
you press that send button:

Are you using a good permission policy?
Make sure you have a preexisting business relationship and/or
affirmative consent i.e. the recipient of your e-mail has made
a purchase, requested information, responded to a questionnaire
or a survey, or had off-line contact with you and that he/she
has been clearly and fully notified of the collection and use
of his/her e-mail address and has consented prior to such
collection and use.

Now, coming to the "From" and "Subject" part of the e-mail:

Does your "From" line include your company name or brand?
Is your "Subject" line the right length? (5-8 words, 40
characters including spaces)
Does your "Subject" line describe a specific benefit?
Does your "Subject" line include your brand?
Does your "Subject" line create a sense of urgency?

After implementing the above, the body of the e-mail comes into
action:
Mailing to a targeted audience eliminates the chances of being
filtered in the future. Is your e-mail personalized with the
recipient's first name, last name or both, if appropriate?
With respect to the above, it should also be kept in mind that
the consent has been taken to collect the recepient's details.

According to the law, all the e-mail campaigns should include a
way for recipients to unsubscribe or opt-out. This can be in the
form of a link or instructions provided anywhere in the e-mail
And the most important of all, unsubscribe requests must be
handled within 10 days of the request. Apart from this, the law
also requires you to include your physical address in the e-mail
campaign.
Follow these and you are a legitimate business in the the e-mail
arena.
Remember, when your answer is "yes" to these questions, you are
ready to hit the send button and maximize your success.

For more information on legitimate online marketing practices,
visit www.lead-solutions.com.

Anubhav Sinha is the webmaster and creator of lead-solutions.com which is a reknowned newsletter in the field of internet marketing and advertising.