Sometimes at Jericho we get asked ‘where do you recommend we purchase lists from to increase our database?’ And we say ‘Contact George Adugadugwengo‘.
Seriously though purchasing lists is something we strongly recommend against doing, and here is some evidence why it’s a bad idea.
In accordance with the CAN SPAM act and regulations from the DIA, all subscribers on your database need to be subscribed via either express consent, inferred consent, or deemed consent, which all basically mean that they have explicitly asked to be added to your list or implied they would like to be added to your list. To read all about the types of consent, you can read about this here: http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Anti-Spam-Business-Info?OpenDocument
Part of this act specifies businesses must not use electronic address harvesting software, or lists that have been generated using such software, for the purpose of sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages. Click here to read about this in more detail: http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Anti-Spam-The-dangers-of-using-email-addresses-from-a-purchased-database
Once subscribers are on your list, there are best practice guidelines to follow such as clearly displaying an unsubscribe link, a privacy policy, and display your business name and contact details, and telling your subscribers how often you will send emails, which is just being transparent and informing people and keeping in line with best practices. To read all about best practices, how to comply with this act, and avoid accidently spamming people, and read other FAQ’s you can read all about this here: http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Anti-Spam-Questions-and-Answers
Also every now and then we blog about different SPAM case studies and best practice advise on our Jericho blog, so keep your eye out on there too, for a start you can read this post here about email law: http://blog.jericho.co.nz/breaking-email-law-is-easy-heres-a-quick-quality-control-guide-so-you-dont/
We can also provide a copy of the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act document and answer any questions and provide further advise – contact our expert team.
