BULK/MASS EMAIL BEST PRACTICES AND WARNINGS

Bulk/Mass email, is a powerful tool for reaching a large audience with your message. But you don't want to be labeled a spammer. It is illegal to send spam and their are guidelines around it in the form of the CanSPAM Act. In summary follow these guidelines as well:

1. Get permission before sending emails. Before you can send bulk email to anyone, you need to get their permission. This means having them opt in to receive your emails, either by checking a box on a form or clicking a link in an email. You should never send bulk email to people who have not explicitly opted in.
2. Clean your email list regularly. Your email list is your most valuable asset, so it's important to keep it clean. This means removing any invalid or inactive email addresses. Invalid email addresses will bounce, which can damage your sender reputation and make it harder to deliver your emails. Inactive email addresses are also a waste of your time and resources. Only use email recipients that have specifically requested your information through a double-opt-in-process and do not email anybody who has not responded to any of your mailings within 6 months or sooner,.
3. Use a clear and concise subject line. Your subject line is the first thing your recipients will see, so make it count. Use a clear and concise subject line that accurately describes the content of your email.
4. Include a call to action (CTA). What do you want your recipients to do after they read your email? Tell them with a clear and compelling CTA.
5. Personalize your emails. Personalization is one of the most effective ways to improve your email open rates and click-through rates. This means using your recipients' names, interests, and purchase history to make your emails more relevant to them.
6. Segment your email list. Segmenting your email list means dividing it into smaller groups based on shared characteristics, such as demographics, interests, or purchase history. This allows you to send more targeted emails that are more likely to be relevant to your recipients.
7. Write something interesting. The copy of your email should be engaging and informative. Use a conversational tone and avoid using too much jargon.
8. Make sure your emails are optimized for mobile devices. More than half of all emails are opened on mobile devices, so make sure your emails are optimized for small screens.
9. Use a consistent sender name and email address. Use a sender name and email address that your recipients will recognize. This will help to build trust and encourage them to open your emails.
10. Provide an easy way to unsubscribe. Make it easy for your recipients to unsubscribe from your email list if they no longer want to receive your emails. Including an unsubscribe link in every email you send is a good way to do this. We can provide an unsubscribe link for you if you like. Today a one-click-unsubscribe link is required at the bottom of all emails by Google and Yahoo.
11. Monitor your results. Regularly monitor your email marketing results to see how your emails are performing. This will help you to identify what's working and what's not so you can make adjustments to your campaigns.
12. Configure Feed Back Loops (FBL)
    1. Feed-Back-Loops (FBL) are ways that Recipient ISPs can notify you of complaints so that you can remove those recipients from your sending immediately.

By following these best practices, you can usually ensure that your bulk email campaigns are successful and compliant with anti-spam laws.

If you are in the European Union you may also be subject to the GDPR. Click here for more info.