Useful Industry Links
Email marketers may find the following information and links useful when researching best practices and understanding usage standards and regulations.
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
DMA Council for Responsible E-mail (CRE): E-Mail Delivery Best Practices for Marketers and List Owners
CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
FCC's CAN-SPAM Rules
Michigan Children's Protection Registry Act
Utah Child Protection Registry
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
The leading global trade association of business and nonprofit organizations using and supporting direct marketing tools and techniques.
Go to DMA Website
DMA Council for Responsible E-mail (CRE)
E-Mail Delivery Best Practices for Marketers and List Owners
Recommendations developed to promote best practices for marketers and list owners seeking to maximize delivery of communications with their in-house files of customers and prospects that have given their consent/permission to be contacted via email.
View CRE E-Mail Delivery Best Practices Report
CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
The federal Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003, or the "CAN-SPAM Act of 2003" was signed by President Bush on December 16, 2003 and went into effect on January 1, 2004.
While unsolicited commercial email is still legal under the Federal law, organizations must follow rules when sending e-marketing messages:
- No false or misleading header information.
Your email's "From," "To," and routing information – including the originating domain name and email address – must be accurate and identify the person who initiated the email.
- No deceptive subject lines.
The subject line cannot mislead the recipient about the contents or subject matter of the message.
- Your email must provide recipients an opt-out method.
You must provide a return email address or another Internet-based response mechanism that allows a recipient to ask you not to send future email messages to that email address, and you must honor the requests. You may create a "menu" of choices to allow a recipient to opt out of certain types of messages, but you must include the option to end any commercial messages from the sender.
Any opt-out mechanism you offer must be able to process opt-out requests for at least 30 days after you send your commercial email. When you receive an opt-out request, the law gives you 10 business days to stop sending email to the requestor's email address. You cannot help another entity send email to that address, or have another entity send email on your behalf to that address. Finally, it's illegal for you to sell or transfer the email addresses of people who choose not to receive your email, even in the form of a mailing list, unless you transfer the addresses so another entity can comply with the law.
- Commercial emails must be identified as an advertisement and include the sender's valid physical postal address.
Your message must contain clear and conspicuous notice that the message is an advertisement or solicitation and that the recipient can opt out of receiving more commercial email from you. It also must include your valid physical postal address.
(Source: FTC.gov)
View CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
FCC's CAN-SPAM Rules
Prohibits sending unwanted commercial email messages to wireless devices, including cell phones and pagers, without prior permission.
View FCC’s CAN-SPAM Rules
Michigan Children's Protection Registry Act
Legislation in the State of Michigan establishing the computer crime of sending certain electronic messages to minors, creating a child protection registry, providing notice of contact points to which a minor has access, among other provisions.
View Michigan Legislation
Utah Child Protection Registry
Legislation in the State of Utah establishing a registry of contact points for minors, prohibiting the sending of certain materials to a registered contact point, among other provisions.
View Utah Legislation