Increasingly, retailers and restaurant operators have been leveraging the power of e-newsletters and promotional email “blasts” to maintain closer contact with customers. That’s a great idea—but we at pcAmerica would like to remind you that it’s also important to ensure that these communications don’t violate the CAN-SPAM Act, which spells out requirements for messages of this type.

Despite its name, the CAN-SPAM Act doesn’t apply just to bulk email. It covers all commercial messages, which the law defines as “any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,” including email that promotes content on commercial websites. The law makes no exception for business-to-business email. That means all email – for example, a message to former customers announcing a new product line – must comply with the law.

Each separate email in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act is subject to penalties of up to $16,000, so non-compliance can be costly. But following the law isn’t complicated. Here’s a rundown of the first 3 CAN-SPAM’s main requirements.

1. Don’t use false or misleading header information. Your “From,” “To,” “Reply-To,” and routing information – including the originating domain name and email address – must be accurate and identify the person or business who initiated the message.
2. Don’t use deceptive subject lines. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message.
3. Identify the message as an ad. The law gives you a lot of leeway in how to do this, but you must disclose clearly and conspicuously that your message is an advertisement.

Above are the first 3 point to get you started making sure your emails are following the letter of the law. Our next blog will continue with the rest of the list of requirements.

To learn more about ways that can help you with your customer marketing at the point of sale visit us pcAmerica.