Drowning in spam.

Blast e-mail campaigns can be an effective way to market your business on the Internet. Some businesses have abused the Internet by sending unsolicited junk e-mails, known as spam. Spamming is a serious offense. Each state has its own laws governing spam. If convicted of spamming in Virginia your business can be fined $10 per e-mail or $25,000 per day. Maryland¹s spam law went into effect Oct. 1, and violaters could pay $500 and up in fines.

For our purpose, we will define spam as an e-mail message that is not wanted by the recipient. There is a fine line between spam and mass e-mails sent out to solicit business, says Charlene Kurland, director of marketing for Arize Technology (www.arizetechnology.com) in Columbia. You can create a responsible e-mail campaign, she says, by being aware of the following:

• Be aware of existing laws.
• Purchase lists from legitimate companies that have opt-in subscribers and/or create your own e-mail list from an opt-in section on your Web site.
• Make sure the recipient has a simple and clear way to unsubscribe if the e-mail is unwanted.
• Test the unsubscribe link to make sure it works.
• Make sure the e-mail is removed from the list and no further e-mails are sent.
• Make sure your message is clear and not deceptive.
• Do not make unsubstantiated claims.
• Do not misrepresent your product simply to grab attention. A responsible e-mail marketing campaign will drive traffic to your site, build credibility with potential buyers and ultimately turn into sales for your business.