Industry News
By Raha Naddaf, staff writer
DMA
Releases International Anti-Spam Law Summary
By Brian Morrissey
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) released a summary of the
spam laws in 41 countries and the European Union, designed to help
its members keep on the right side of the law when sending commercial
e-mail abroad. The summary, covering Albania to the United Kingdom,
includes bare-bones information on the varied national laws: title,
opt-in or opt-out, and relevant rules and conditions. "Legitimate
e-mail marketers care about the rules and play by them, at home
and abroad," Robert Wientzen, the DMA's president and chief
executive, said in a statement. "By complying with laws governing
cross-border e-mail marketing, we will ensure that this valuable
new marketing channel remains viable."
Source: internet.com
Businesses
Saying it by E-mail
E-mail has become the business world's preferred means of communication,
but it remains a marketing afterthought. A survey has found that
e-mail accounts for 42 percent of daily business communication,
well ahead of face-to-face contact (25 percent) and phone calls
(18 percent). Despite these statistics, the popularity of e-mail
is not reflected in the amount that businesses are spending on e-mail
and web site marketing. Almost half the companies surveyed spend
less than 10 percent of their marketing budget on online marketing
and 14 percent spend less than three percent. Of those surveyed,
64 percent said they use e-mail to develop business or generate
sales on an individual-to-individual basis.
Source: The New Zealand Herald
E-mail
Newsletters Too Long, Too Frequent
When the Nielsen Norman Group took its first look at e-mail newsletters
two years ago, the research firm found that users were having difficulty
distinguishing between asked-for missives and spam. The result,
predictably, was that many newsletters met an ignoble fate at the
bottom of the recycle bin, while the marketers who sponsored them
gnashed their teeth in frustration about inbox clutter. With the
debut of "E-mail Newsletter Usability, 2nd Edition," however,
the company found a vastly changed e-marketing landscape. Results
indicate that consumers are getting better at distinguishing between
spam and legit opt-in newsletters. Many newsletters are still arriving
too often and running too long, compromising their effectiveness
and discoloring consumers' opinions of the sender. According to
the study, the three essential ingredients for any newsletter are
frequency, length and convenience. While this isn't exactly top-of-the-fold
news to any savvy e-marketer, marketers continue to disseminate
densely-packed missives on an almost daily basis.
Source: MediaPost
People
Lie More on the Phone Than by E-mail
Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to
conveying the truth. A study that compares honesty across a range
of communication media has found that people are twice as likely
to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in e-mails. The
fact that e-mails are automatically recorded—and can come
back to haunt you—appears to be the key to the finding. People
appear to be afraid to lie when they know the communication could
later be used to hold them accountable. This is why fewer lies appear
in e-mail than on the phone. People are also more likely to lie
in real time—in an instant message or phone call, say—than
if they have time to think of a response.
Source: The New Scientist
Survey Unveils E-mail Users’ Perceptions Regarding
Spam and Requested E-mail
A survey conducted by Bigfoot Interactive explores consumer perceptions,
behaviors and interests in regard to receiving, unsubscribing and
using e-mail communication in the face of the escalating national
debate on unsolicited bulk e-mail. While in all instances, pressing
"delete" is the preferred method for eliminating all types
of unwanted e-mail, a significantly greater percentage of e-mail
users use of the block feature, setting a filter or using the "Report
Spam" or "This is Spam" button/link for unsolicited
e-mail. Thirty-two percent of respondents agreed that they recently
have not received a requested e-mail sent to them by a trusted source
(such as a friend, family member or company with which they have
a business relationship).
Sources: Bigfoot Interactive
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