Is Spam Perception or Reality… or Both
Jan 30 2006
Great article today from eMarketer. This is a topic we deal with all the time with clients. When is opt in email spam? Well it is all in the perception of the end user. Anything can be “Spam” for a user to report it. You might have an opt in, double opt in, time stamp, date stamp, web page, tracking history of 30 emails read, clicked and a customer relationship with this person, and still they can hit a button and report you as spam. Funny huh.
Many people do not realize the financial impact they cause to companies, ESPs, ISPs and more by reporting a spam complaint that is not legitimate. The leg work and follow up that opt in marketers must do to handle each and everyone costs money. It is Guilty before the trial. Before the Evidenence and before the judge.
I think everyone should take back the inbox, but do it the right way and opt out. If you are getting junk or spam, that is real, report it.
From the Article:
Who Says It’s Spam?
Who decides what is spam and what isn’t? The consumer perhaps?
What are legitimate e-mail marketers supposed to do? They follow CAN-SPAM guidelines. They use proper permission marketing techniques. They mail only to opt-in lists. Still, recipients are increasing hitting the “This is spam” link.
After all, while marketers may have a set definition for spam, and know that they don’t practice spamming, consumers have a broader view. Legally, e-mail isn’t spam if a consumer has opted-in to receive messages. However it could also be argued that, if there is something in a user’s e-mail box, and they don’t want it there, it is spam.
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