When used responsibly, bulk email and newsletters can be an effective way to communicate with your customers and deliver information they want to receive. But in order for you and your customers to benefit from these tools, there are certain steps you must take to ensure your email is sent and received properly. Otherwise, you may be spamming your customers, which may not only drive them away, but lead to legal problems.

Put simply, "spam" is unsolicited bulk email. Spam is a growing problem for the online community; email inboxes are becoming more and more stuffed with mail consumers didn't elect to receive. This damages legitimate businesses by ruining consumers' trust in email marketing campaigns. Here is what you can do to make sure your email is being sent in compliance with best practices and will be communication your customers will be pleased to receive.

To ensure your email is received willingly, abide by the following guidelines:

• Get permission
  Permission is the foundation of legitimate email marketing. The main characteristic of spam is that it is unsolicited email. You must have explicit permission from the consumer in order to send them email. Once they have agreed to receive email from you, keep a record of that permission to protect yourself should legal issues arise down the road.
  
• Verify email addresses
  It is essential to verify an email address to ensure its accuracy. Invalid addresses or mistakes made during data entry may result in bounced emails that are never delivered to the recipient and waste server resources needlessly. Confirm addresses by sending emails to new subscribers asking them to reply. This not only verifies the email address, but also provides you with a record of their consent.

• Honor unsubscribe requests
  Always provide an unsubscribe address in your email that the recipient can use to request removal from your list, or a link to your site where they can opt-out of further communication. These requests must be processed in a timely manner. You may also include a postmaster@yourcompany.com that clearly identifies where recipients can reach you with questions regarding email or unsubscribe requests.

Content
Sending email your recipients find valuable is one of the best ways to avoid spam. Offer relevant content that is interesting, beneficial, and straightforward. A newsletter that informs customers about current product specials is a good example.

• Clearly identify your email
  Use a subject line that is honest and straightforward, and includes the date and a valid "from" address. It's also a good idea to remind the recipient where they signed up, whether it was on your Web site, in your store, or when completing a purchase.
  
• Cater to content filters
  Many email programs or services have content filters that scan incoming messages to identify possible spam. As a result, the message may be labeled as spam, sent to a separate spam or "bulk" folder, or be blocked altogether. The best way to avoid having your email mislabeled as spam is to use normal language. When writing your content, avoid using excessive punctuation or symbols (e.g. "$$$$" or "!!!!"), especially in the subject line.

Secure consumer privacy
If you are collecting personal information from your customers, you must be sure to respect their privacy and secure this confidential data. At the bottom of the email, include a brief statement of your privacy policy and state whether or not you sell email addresses to third parties. You can couple this with a description of your unsubscribe process. Here are some guidelines for securing consumer privacy:

• Protect consumer identity
  Put proper security measures in place, such as a firewall, to prevent intruders from gaining access to your servers and stealing confidential data. Be sure employees understand and follow best practices for security and privacy.
  
• Don't sell out
  Selling your consumers' email addresses without explicit permission will ruin the trust of your customers and could get you into legal trouble. ISPs and consumers alike have been taking their spam cases to court, and many of them are winning. Don't share email addresses with third parties unless your customers have given you permission to do so, and be sure to document that permission.
  
• Avoid buying
  It's simple to buy a list of email addresses from a third party for bulk mailing purposes, but these lists are often not opt-in and the consumers may have no idea that their address is circulating without their consent. If you feel you must purchase a list to market your email, be certain (if you can) that it is an opt-in list and consumers have agreed to receive communication.

Email is a useful tool for communicating with consumers when it is used responsibly. To prevent sending spam and losing your valued customers, abide by the rules. By always asking permission and providing quality content, your subscribers will be pleased to receive your email.