The rise of the digital age means prospects are easier than ever to identify, track and contact—the myriad of online platforms affords companies a widened sales territory and greater access to new business than ever before. Used professionally, this opportunity can mean increased profit, stronger brand identity, and positive long-term customer relationships.
However, this new, automated environment also makes it easy for spam communication to enter the inboxes, social media feeds and mobile phones of your customers. For every well-intended e-mail marketing campaign or personalized push notification, there’s a mass, unsolicited message, spyware/malware installation, phishing attempt, or network rerouting scheme looking to capitalize on the enhanced accessibility of customer data. In fact, 90 percent of global e-mail traffic is spam. That’s one trillion spam e-mails sent globally. Every day.
Though the spoiled apples abound, Canada is taking important steps to salvage the whole bunch. Passed into law in December 2010 and effective July 1, 2014, Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL) mandates that Canadian, and global organizations that send Commercial Electronic Messages (CEMs) within, from or to Canada, must have permission from the recipient, via implied or express consent, before the message is sent. CEM messages can range from simple e-mails to instant messages, texts, refer-a-friend promotions, and social media correspondence.
Instead of being inundated with unsought materials until pressing the fine-print “unsubscribe” button to opt out, consumers are now required to opt-in to receive collateral and are still given the option to stop the information flow at any time. Moreover, companies must identify themselves at communication onset, with contact information valid for at least 60 days. With very few exceptions, the law is remarkably rigid—businesses and consumers who don’t comply face up to a maximum of $1 million per day in civil charges and up to $10 million per violation for corporations.
Though restrictive in nature, the regulation has the power to completely transform the marketing automation landscape, for the better. Now, campaigns are required to be more direct, reaching only those truly interested in your message, and customer relationship management (CRM) databases can be filtered to maximize outreach efforts.
Integrating the anti-spam legislation measures into internal audit and risk management procedures can help your team ensure legal accountability while maintaining excellent business relationships with clients around the globe. Tune in next week to learn how your organization can meet new CASL requirements and simultaneously strengthen and centralize your digital marketing practices to establish more meaningful connections and communications with prospects and customers.
If you’d like greater detail on the new CASL legislation, we’d love to speak to you. In the meantime, to learn more about how our seasoned consultants can help your organization design CRM and marketing automation solutions that comply with the new standards, please contact any member of our consulting team at [email protected]. We also encourage you to contact Tokara’s VP of Business Development, Mark Fillingim, directly at +1 972-719-0213.
Sources:
Salesforce and Deloitte Live Webcast, “CASL is Now in Force: Is Your CRM Ready?” October 2, 2014, https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/11091/127809?elq_mid=7674&elq_cid=9437424
Deloitte, “Impact of CASL,” Navigate Magazine, Vol. 6, Summer 2013, https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ca/Documents/consumer-business/ca-en-consumer-business-navigate-summer.pdf
NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
