All of us receive emails that come from folks we do not know, and that we did not ask for. Likewise, many of us have sent out emails about our listings to other agents and friends. When we send out unsolicited emails to folks who do not know us, it's possible that we can be guilty of a felony!
What is SPAM Technically?
SPAM (Stupid Pointless Annoying Messages) are illegal. SPAM usually takes the form of an unwanted email, but pertains to any unwanted message (i.e. advertising a product on a message board).
Many of the unsolicited emails we receive cannot be classified as Spam, and many of the email messages we send to promote ourselves or our listings are inadvertently SPAM.
I thought it would be helpful to describe the difference. An email is considered Illegal SPAM if:
- The "Subject" of the email is completely different than the internal message.
- The email does not give the receiver the ability to opt out of any future emails.
- An additional email is sent to a receiver who has "opted out."
- The email is malicious in seeking to defraud the receiver
- The email seeks to infect the receiver's computer with malware.
Most of us have never done the bottom two, but we've all probably broken the first three.
The Bottom Line:
Spamming is illegal period. Emailing our listings and other promotional materials to agents, clients and potential clients is completely legal as long as we follow the rules. There can often be a blurry line, but if you follow the standard guidelines, you can and should use email as a crucial marketing device.
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