As our lives are gradually moving towards a more digital realm, our problems are too. I remember, how our mailboxes would be cluttered with tons of flyers and brochures back in the day. Frankly, it was a menace. I had no use for most of them and they would end up in the wastepaper basket. Now, there are less of these flyers plying around mailboxes.
Sounds good, right? Not quite. Now, these unwanted pieces of paper have taken a digital form. They come disguised as emails and SMSs. Yes, this is spam and this is how it works. But how do you respond to spam? How do you make it stop? Clearly, if you think it is spam that means it has no relevance to you at all.
A Menace That Torments Us All
We face this menace every single day. The reason why such emails and messages become spam in the first place is that they are unsolicited. The marketers who are sending these emails clearly do not respect your opinion or your privacy. They will keep dispatching their propaganda relentlessly in order to gain sales. But does that work? Never.
Most of the time, marketers who resort to such means buy email lists online. These lists are filled with defunct email addresses or email addresses of people who have no idea that they are going to be bombarded with spam. So, there is no opt-in involved. Hence, it results in spam.
Also Read: Do Not Turn Your Email Marketing Campaigns Into Spam
Use an Email FilterMost email service providers like Gmail provide a tool to filter out potential spam or to channel spam into a bulk email folder. Gmail also allows you to segregate emails automatically into folders like inbox, social, updates, forums, promotions. Ideally, all unwanted promotional emails should land into the promotions or spam folder by default.
Ways To Respond To Spam
Don’t let the title mislead you. Spam emails are often dangerous and malicious. Do not even think about replying or “responding” to them. Your best course of action, for starters, is to steer clear of them. Then there are other courses of action that you can take up in order to reduce and respond to spam.
Unsubscribe & Report
All email marketers need to put in an unsubscribe button in their emails. You can click on this button and that will immediately prompt an option to report the sender as spam. Once you have done that, you shouldn't be receiving any emails from this particular company/marketer anymore. It’s one of the simplest yet effective methods to tackle spam.
Many a time, we do not bother and just ignore these emails. If the email doesn't have the unsubscribe button then don't shy away from reporting such emails to your email service provider. A single click can help hurt these unscrupulous email marketers where it hurts the most: their domain reputation. If multiple people keep reporting them as spam, their mass mailing accounts will eventually get banned by the email service provider.
Also Read: Manage Permission Marketing with Marketing AutomationSend An Email
Most email service providers comply with spam laws and there needs to be an unsubscribe button in all emails. Now, what if there isn’t? Then the unsubscribe action does not work for you anymore. Then, how do you respond to spam? Well, you can send the company an email and ask them politely to remove your email address from their list. Most companies should comply with your request. But, then again, there are exceptions. And, obviously, there are ways to tackle these exceptions as well. More on that later.
Then, there’s the second scenario. You like a company and want to stay updated. So, you opted-in and decided to become a subscriber. However, to your utter dismay, they keep sending you innumerable emails every day to the point where it looks like they are spamming you. Your best option is to ask them politely to remove you from their mailing list. Voila! Problem solved.
Connect With Company Representatives
If the above processes do not work for you, this might. If you know someone who works for the company that keeps spamming you, approach them. Explain to them, with proof (if possible) the problem that you are facing. Ask them if they can do anything to help you out. They should comply with your request as the reputation of their company is at stake.
I once had terrible time unsubscribing from unwanted SMSs from a young startup. The CEO, a young chap had no control on the databases and I had to repeatedly follow up before the SMSs stopped.
Report On Social Media
I’m telling you, believe me, social media works wonders when it comes to spam. Nowadays, every company has social media accounts and they try to maintain as positive an image as possible. If you air your concerns on their social media accounts by posting on their page or tagging them, chances are, someone from their end will contact you to solve your problem. No one wants bad publicity on social media networks. It spreads like wildfire and can ruin their reputation.
Report To FTC
The CAN-SPAM Act, a federal law to tackle spam menace sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.
I really hope that it does not come to this. But if you are still getting spam emails from someone whom you unsubscribed from or tried to report, report to the Federal Trade Commission. Gather all the evidence you have, including the spam email and send them an email at spam@uce.gov.
Say Goodbye To Spam
The best way to respond to spam is to be proactive. Fight it whenever you see it and keep reporting it to your email service providers. Spam grows like a weed, and you have to keep removing it until there are no more left.
Have interesting ways to respond to spam? Send them to us.