By Linda Bustos
The July 1 deadline for CASL, Canada’s new anti-spam e-mail legislation has come and gone. If you’re not familiar with CASL, the legislation requires re-opt in for any Canadian email subscriber on a commercial mailing list. (This applies to any business, not just Canadian, that wishes to email a Canadian contact).
Not unlike the EU privacy directive, it’s created a hassle for businesses to comply, and added friction to the customer experience. Unfortunately, marketers can expect lazy and indifferent customers to just let the opportunity pass by.
Our own CMO Matt Dion shares 10 realities of digital marketing that every marketer should take note of on the TechVibes blog, the first 3 tips relate directly to marketers dealing with re-opt-in compliance. Check out the full article on TechVibes.
1. Don’t worry too much if your new e-mail list is smaller.
While a large e-mail marketing list is great, smaller doesn’t necessarily mean worse. Customers who opt to continue hearing from your business are motivated, and in theory more valuable than those who are not. Consider it extreme list hygiene.
2. Your subject line just got a whole lot more important.
The subject line is critical to grab attention, otherwise your subscriber is lost. Marketers need to craft a subject line that indicates an immediate need and communicates a sense of urgency, and be optimized for various email clients (e.g. those that truncate subject lines vs. use preview panes).
3. Mobile, mobile, mobile.
More than 50% of e-mails are opened on mobile devices, so email creative, landing pages and opt-in forms must be mobile-friendly.
This advice is not only useful in the CASL context, but with all your marketing efforts. Regular list cleaning is critical, and losing subscribers in general is only letting go of the un-engaged. Every subject line should be optimized for maximal interest and open-rates, and mobile is too big to be ignored.
