Email Marketing Basics

Email marketing can be the most efficient, effective and expedient way to communicate your message to constituents. It’s also the easiest, as long as you follow some basic guidelines:

Understand Regulations with Regard to Email Contacts or Solicitations

The CAN-SPAM Act,a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations. But following the law isn’t complicated. You can find a complete rundown of CAN-SPAM’s main requirements on the Federal Trade Commission’s website at Federal Trade Commission’s website but the basic rules of the Act are:

• Don’t use false or misleading header information.
• Don’t use deceptive subject lines.
• Be clear that you identify the reason for the message
• Tell recipients where you’re located.
• Tell recipients how to opt out of receiving future email from you.
• Honor opt-out requests promptly.
• Monitor what others are doing on your behalf.

Affirmative Consent and Pre-Existing Business Relationship

Some email service companies, such as ResultsMail, will allow clients to only send email to individuals who have either provided affirmative consent through an "opt-in" process that they want to receive the type of email communication being sent or with whom they have a pre-existing business relationship.

Federal law (S.877 Sec. 3 (1)) states that "the term 'affirmative consent', when used with respect to a commercial electronic mail message, means that:

• The recipient expressly consented to receive the message, either in response to a clear and conspicuous request for such consent or at the recipient's own initiative; and
• If the message is from a party other than the party to which the recipient communicated such consent, the recipient was given clear and conspicuous notice at the time the consent was communicated that the recipient's electronic mail address could be transferred to such other party for the purpose of initiating commercial electronic mail messages.

Pre-existing business relationship means, when used with respect to the initiator and recipient of an electronic mail message, that:

• Within the 5-year period ending upon receipt of such message, there has been a business transaction between the initiator and the recipient (including a transaction involving the provision, free of charge, of information requested by the recipient, of goods, or of services); and
• The recipient was, at the time of such transaction or thereafter, provided a clear and conspicuous notice of an opportunity not to receive further messages from the initiator and has not exercised such opportunity.

So basically, if you have email -matched your voter file list, your list will most likely qualify under a Pre-Existing Business relationship, if not affirmative consent.

Determine How Best to Disseminate Your Email

Know your Limits

Distributing mass emails from your office may not be as easy as it sounds. Most internet providers set limits on the number of emails you can distribute in a day. In addition, the pressure of keeping up with Opt-out requests, out-of-office replies, etc., can put additional time limits on your staff.

Investigate Email Campaign Services

There are numerous companies that will distribute your email campaigns for a one-time, monthly or subscription fee. Here are few to consider:

• Results Mail
  
  
• VoloMP
  
  
• JangoMail
  
  
• Lyris
  
  

Test Your Message

Easy to Send, Not so Easy to Retract Before you send your email be sure to test send it to employees or trusted volunteers to check for content and typos.

Check for Readability and Ease An overdone or over-animated email message may take too long to open on a potential donor’s computer.

Keep your message simple and professional.

What to Say

Sky’s the Limit

Email addresses can be used to transmit great amounts of information, such as newsletters, or provide quick updates on an office’s weekly activity. The greatest use of email is its immediacy and the unique opportunity in provides to engage your audience. Interested in what your voter base feels about an issue? Send a well-crafted email and ask their opinion. Need constituent support at an upcoming rally? Send an email announcing the day and time of the event. Follow the same communication guidelines that you use for all of your correspondence: Be direct, be thorough and most importantly, be accurate.

Samples

Sample Opt-out Language:

We hope you enjoy receiving e-mail notices and updates from our office. If you do not wish to receive e-mail messages from [office/name], please reply to this e-mail and change the subject line to “Unsubscribe.”]
OR
e-mail us at______].

Sample Opt-in Language:

To: [ Appended Email Address ]
From: Joe Candidate
Subject: [Must be included to run the opt-out]

Dear [Fname or Fname + Lname]:
Every day more and more exciting and important information is being communicated electronically via the Internet.
I would like to communicate with you via E-mail, and send you exciting and "up to date" information. I am presently seeking your permission for the privilege to serve you efficiently and electronically via E-Mail.
If you do not wish to have me contact you via e-mail, please reply to this message and type "REMOVE" within the subject area and your name will be deleted from our E-mailing lists immediately.

Sincerely,


Joe Candidate
[Postal Address]