Adding an unsubscribe link to your
commercial messages is absolutely crucial to avoid recipients from filing a compliant, which they may do if you don't provide a clear, visible, and easy way to unsubscribe. Complaints can result in:
- Lower reputation for you as a business that sends emails, and therefore reduced deliverability
- More emails delivered directly into the SPAM folder, or not delivered at all
- Termination of service if your compliant rate exceeds certain levels
The presence of an unsubscribe link is also required by consumer privacy protection regulations in most countries. For example, in the USA this is required by the CAN-SPAM Act. Failure to include an "unsubscribe" link in commercial messages can lead to substantial fines.
For more information on the CAN-SPAM Act, please see: "
CAN-SPAM Act: a compliance guide for business"
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business
A commercial message is "any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service".
When the message is
not a commercial message, you may not be obligated to add an unsubscribe link under consumer privacy laws. However, it is still a good idea in most cases to do so. There are scenarios, however, when you may want users to receive certain notifications as long as they use a product or service that you provide (e.g. a security alert or alike). In that case, you may decide not to include an unsubscribe link, but rather a link to a page that explains why the message is sent and why recipients may not unsubscribe.
Article ID: 268, Created On: 3/1/2011, Modified: 7/25/2011