Marketers have been warned that season`s greetings could be interpreted as spam if certain guidelines are not followed, having a damaging effect on company reputations.
John Ginsberg, marketing director of e-marketing software makers, Envent, says companies should also be wary of damaging the reputation of the e-marketing industry and avoid using technology irresponsibly or inappropriately.
"When sending out well intentioned messages, companies should follow the same rules that apply to legitimate commercial messages. Season`s greetings could be perceived as spam if not properly designed and executed, having the opposite effect to the one intended."
Marketers should think before sending and thereby help curb the growing spam problem which is expected to escalate over the holiday season, says Ginsberg. "All commercial messages, whether of interest to the recipient or not, are considered spam if they are not specifically requested."
Ginsberg says it is essential that marketers remember the rules of opt-in. "Just because someone has purchased from your company, doesn`t mean that you automatically have a right to communicate with them, even if it`s to send good wishes. If a customer grants permission to send product information, it should be remembered that season`s greetings and general chit-chat do not count as product information and are therefore unsolicited."
The opt-out approach should be used with extreme care, warns Ginsberg. "As soon as you mention the word `unsubscribe` in your message, you are indicating that the recipient subscribed in the first place. If they didn`t, they are likely to become irate and have a negative perception about your company."
Marketers also need to be especially cautious with commercial SMS messages at this time of year, says Ginsberg. "Mobile phones are extremely personal devices and recipients of unsolicited text messages might take extra offence if the technology is used for sending anything that has not been requested."
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