If you send email for business purposes, this blog’s for you.
On July 1, 2014 Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) takes effect and this has implications for anyone sending electronic commercial messages to Canadians.
CASL defines a commercial electronic message as any electronic message that encourages participation in a commercial activity, regardless of whether there is an expectation of profit.
So if you’re sending emails promoting your latest product or an opportunity this likely applies to you. There are some exceptions for charity organizations, but non-profit organizations will still need to conform to the new legislation.
The new law means that you will require “express consent” in order to send messages to people. To get people to say “Yes, I want to hear from you!” there are some things you must include in your messages.
Specifically, you have to tell them:
- Your name
- Your physical mailing address
- Either a phone number, e-mail address, or web address
- The purpose for seeking consent
- That they may unsubscribe at any time.
Now, if you intend on sending an e-mail to someone to request their consent, you should know that this itself is considered an Electronic Commercial Message.
This is a bit of a catch-22 — how are you supposed to get consent if you have no consent? Well, since CASL does not take effect until July 1, 2014, you have some time to ask your current mailing lists for express consent.
So, chances are you will be required to take measures to adapt to the to the CASL rules.
We can help you:
- Update your email sign-up form and newsletter templates
- Plan your outreach strategy to conform to CASL
- Optimize outreach efforts to improve subscription rates
If you have further questions, take a look at the CASL-Frequently Asked Questions.