Off the Page eMarketing, we are aware of our responsibilities as a good Internet citizen and are dedicated to protecting the privacy rights of other Internet citizens. We vigorously oppose the sending of unsolicited e-mail (spam) and have made every effort within our power to discourage and prohibit the sending of spam and Unsolicited Commercial Emails (UCE).
Off the Page eMarketing has implemented various policies, procedures and technology to prevent would be spammers and their unwanted email including:
- Terms of Use that prohibits the use of Off the Page eMarketing for any illegal purpose including the uploading and sending of UCE.
- Advocates the use of permission based marketing throughout customer acquisition processes and via monthly education programs.
- Adheres strictly to the Anti Spam Act 2003.
- Encourages the use of system tools for confirming subscriptions.
Off the Page eMarketing does not allow anyone to use our products or services for the purpose of sending spam. We have and will continue to refuse business from known spammers. If a current Off the Page eMarketing customer uses our products or services for the purposes of spamming anyone, their product license and/or service contract will be voided without refund.
We are highly sensitive to the privacy of each of the subscribers on the lists that we host and will not make their name, address, or any other information that they have provided to us available to anyone without the subscribers express permission. We require that each message sent out includes an easy way for the subscriber to remove themselves via an unsubscribe link. If a recipient calls our offices and requests to be manually removed from a customers list, we will manually unsubscribe the recipient from your account.
Off the Page eMarketing may determine at its sole discretion whether a customer is spamming. There are a number of factors Off the Page eMarketing uses to determine whether a customer is spamming, including, but not limited to complaints sent to abuse report addresses, SpamCop reports, complaints sent to any of Off the Page eMarketing’s upstream providers, and evaluating a customer’s mass e-mail statistics and recipient addresses. Decisions made by Off the Page eMarketing’s personnel regarding a customer’s use of Off the Page eMarketing are final.
Definition of Spam
Spam is unsolicited email sent in bulk. Any promotion, information or solicitation that is sent to a person via e-mail without their prior consent, where there is no pre-existing relationship between the sender and the recipient, is spam.
Examples of emails that are not Spam
To send email to anyone using Off the Page eMarketing, you must have clearly obtained their permission. This could be done through:
- An email newsletter subscription form on your web site.
- An opt-in checkbox on a form. This checkbox must not be checked by default, the person completing the form must willingly select the checkbox to indicate they want to hear from you.
- If someone completes an offline form like a survey or enters a competition, you can only contact them if it was explained to them that they would be contacted by email AND they ticked a box indicating they would like to be contacted.
- Customers who have purchased from you within the last 2 years.
- If someone gives you their business card and you have explained to them that you will be in touch by email, you can contact them. If they dropped their business card in a fishbowl at a trade show, there must be a sign indicating they will be contacted by email.
Basically, you can only ever email anyone who has clearly given you permission to email them specifically about the subject you’re contacting them about.
Examples of Spam
Anything outside the examples above doesn’t equal permission in our eyes, but here are some examples to make sure we’re crystal clear. By using Off the Page eMarketing tool, you agree not to import or send to any email address which:
- You do not have explicit, provable permission to contact in relation to the topic of the email you’re sending.
- You bought, loaned, rented or in any way acquired from a third party, no matter what they claim about quality or permission. You need to obtain permission yourself.
- You haven’t contacted via email in the last 2 years. Permission doesn’t age well and these people have either changed email address or won’t remember giving their permission in the first place.
- You scraped or copy and pasted from the web. Just because people publish their email address doesn’t mean they want to hear from you.
Sure, some of these people might have given you their email address, but what’s missing is your permission to email them commercial messages. Blasting promotional emails to any of these people won’t be effective and will more than likely see your email marked as spam by many of your recipients.
Content that must be included in your email
Every email you send using Off the Page eMarketing tool must include the following:
- A single-click unsubscribe link that instantly removes the subscriber from your list. Once they unsubscribe, you can never email them again.
- The name and physical address of the sender. If you’re sending an email for your client, you’ll need to include your client’s details instead.
Technology used to encourage permission based marketing
Web based forms
Web based forms are dynamically generated by Off the Page eMarketing to help users collect and identify individual subscribers. Users are encouraged to display their Privacy Policy on these forms and be specific about reasons for collecting information at the time of collection.
Confirmation emails
When a person subscribes to a web based form, the system can automatically send the new subscriber an email asking them to confirm their subscription. This is commonly termed double opt-in.
Once the subscriber has confirmed their subscription, Off the Page eMarketing logs the time and date of confirmation next to the original registration time and date stamp. Each confirmed subscriber is then identified within the Off the Page eMarketing.
Existing subscribers, that may have been manually uploaded, can be sent an email with a Please Confirm Your Subscription link.
Search for confirmed subscribers
Off the Page eMarketing provides advanced search functions that enable the user to define search queries including searching for all subscribers that have confirmed their subscription. This enables the user to then send to all confirmed subscribers.
Unsubscribe link
All emails sent from Off the Page eMarketing have, by default, an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email. When someone unsubscribes, they are automatically removed from the database. The account holder is also notified so they can remove unsubscribers from any other database they may appear on.
Other controls
Bounce management
This function encourages proper bounce management and defines bounces in layman terms of either Permanent or Temporary. The account holder is given the option to manage these bounces independent of system directives.
Send to a friend
This function allows the account holder to encourage subscriptions by recipients forwarding on the original message. This referral method encourages the rapid building of databases of opt-in subscribers. This method attaches the persons email address and name to all forwarded messages with a reply email going back to the original sender. Permission is still required to send information to these people.
Screening
Off the Page eMarketing screens unusual activity within the Off the Page eMarketing system and in each instance the account is investigated for illegitimate activity and appropriate action taken.
Privacy
A recipient of an Off the Page eMarketing email will only be able to see their name and email address. No other information is provided regardless of the number of emails sent.
Off the Page eMarketing also takes your privacy very seriously. Click on our Privacy Policy for further information.
Complaint Handling
Off the Page eMarketing has been recognized for its outstanding service to customers which includes being direct about anti-spam measures and how these are handled. The following outlines this process:
- When a complaint is received, the account holder is notified immediately that they have received a complaint from a subscriber.
- If the subscriber is known, Off the Page eMarketing will instruct the account holder to immediately remove the subscriber.
- If the account holder claims to have permission to send to the complainant, evidence must be forthcoming.
- If no evidence is available, the complainant will be removed immediately from the account holders database.
- After a complaint is received, the account holder will be educated on best practice to mitigate further incidence. The account holder will be flagged as having a complaint against it and the details of that complaint recorded.
- If the account holder passes a minimum threshold of complaints, the customers account will be de-activated or terminated. Legal action may also be initiated in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Use.
Off the Page eMarketing acts in accordance with the Anti Spam Act 2003 and encourages all customers to understand their local legislation and that of where their subscribers are located.
Off the Page eMarketing encourages persons who believe they have been sent spam, by an account holder using Off the Page eMarketing, to contact the sender, where known, and / or report your complaint directly to us.
See more information on the Spam Act 2003: A
practical guide for business.