Autoresponder Tutorial Part 3: Important Don’ts with Autoresponder

You’ve decided on an autoresponder, now what should you do? First let’s look at making sure you use your autoresponder properly. In today’s world of unsolicited email and Spam laws, it is extremely important that you learn to use your autoresponder properly.

Autoresponders make our lives much simpler, and they are very powerful marketing tools, but if they are used in a way that they are not intended, they can quickly turn your life into a nightmare! Never add people to your autoresponder mailing list that should not be there. If they have requested information from you, they should automatically be added, and you should have a ‘double opt-in’ method in place to make them confirm that they have requested the information. This serves to protect you and them.

Each autoresponder message should include a link that the recipient can click that will automatically remove them from the mailing list.  Without this link, you will be breaking the Spam laws, and you risk having your website, your ISP service, your email, and your autoresponders shut down!

We all want to build a list of a million people, but you must do so properly, and it does take time. Don’t get in a hurry and break all the rules and laws in an attempt to build a large list. This will only result in losing your list altogether!

Using autoresponders in improper ways will make things a bit more difficult for other people, and it could make things really bad for you! Having one autoresponder respond to another autoresponder creates chaos, and in some cases, it can overload servers. This happens when you sign up for something, using your autoresponder email address. You sign up, and a message is sent to someone else’s autoresponder, which responds to your autoresponder, which responds to that autoresponder – and this continues on and on until it is manually stopped and straightened out.

Some people use their autoresponder address on purpose when they sign up for discussion lists. In effect, this causes an their autoresponder message to be sent to the entire list, or to one person on the list, each time a person sends a real message to the discussion list. Needless to say, discussion list members and owners frown on this practice, and the autoresponder owner gets banned.

Avoid these problems and use your autoresponder in ways that it was meant to be used. Do not use the autoresponder irresponsibly! Not only will you create problems for others, but you may find that you get reported for Spam!

Get familiar with the laws on Spam The CAN-SPAM Act was implemented in the United States to protect the privacy of consumers on January 1st of 2004. CAN-SPAM is short for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act. The act prevents the use of misleading to and from headers in the email. Marketers are required to include their physical address in the email. There must be an opt out link in every email that gives the consumer the ability to reach the marketer and tell them they no longer want to receive information from them.

The sender of the email must work to remove this email address from their data base within 10 business days. Any email that contains sexual content must be clearly labeled and identified before the recipient opens it. Marketers have to get permission from the consumer in order to sell their email address.

Regulators of the INTERNET are getting harder on marketers who violate these laws. They are imposing huge fines. In some cases the sender of these marketing emails can be sentenced to jail for a maximum of five years. The harsher regulations are to protect the users of the INTERNET and email services who felt their privacy was being violated as their email continued to be bogged down with hundreds of solicitation emails that were randomly sent without any target market in mind. As the use of email marketing continues to grow, expect the regulations to be further enforced.

In addition, businesses who continue to send such materials to consumers who have requested to be removed from the data base mailing list may decide to sue you and your company. As a business owner, this can be scary. The law protects you as well though. You will not be liable if a spammer has used your business as a cover for their endeavors. You are also not liable if a virus is found in your email marketing campaign as long as you did not place it there or know it was in place prior to sending out the emails.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Autoresponder Tutorial Part 1: An Introduction to Autoresponder
• Autoresponder Tutorial Part 2: Types of Autoresponders
• Autoresponder Tutorial Part 4: Build Interest with Autoresponder Messages
• Why Internet Marketers Need More Protection
• Top Eight Essential Elements You Should Keep in Mind when Choosing a Web Hosting Service
• How to Stop Spam Mail
• 7 Quality Ways where You Can Advertise Your Blog for Free