Careful if using Messenger in email marketing

Email marketing is a great way to connect with customers or stay connected with customers. It is also necessary to maintain relationships and loyalty to your brand.

However, if done incorrectly, it can turn people away.

Recently, I've had friends on Facebook send me messages via Messenger asking for their support to buy tickets for an event for an organization they represent. BE CAREFUL DOING THIS!

In 2003, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act of 2003 was signed into law by President George W. Bush. CAN-SPAM established the United States' first national standards for the sending of commercial email. It's overseen by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce its provisions.

Here is more on the law.

Here is a snippet from the FTC's website:

"Despite its name, the CAN-SPAM Act doesn’t apply just to bulk email. It covers all commercial messages, which the law defines as 'any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,' including email that promotes content on commercial websites. The law makes no exception for business-to-business email. That means all email – for example, a message to former customers announcing a new product line – must comply with the law."

It's unclear if Facebook Messenger fits into this category. I did a lot of research and digging, and asked some experts. One told me, "It's misguided, but doesn't seem malicious."

One thing it can be is highly annoying.

An email is defined as "messages distributed by electronic means from one computer user to one or more recipients via a network."

The general rule of thumb, in many or most cases, is people have to voluntarily opt-in to an email newsletter database. Then, they have to be given opportunity to opt out whenever they want, and that request must be granted in adequate time.

Sending a message to friends via Facebook Messenger as a representative of a company, business or organization, can qualify as spam if the person didn't request that information to be sent to them. When you're in an email newsletter database, you are giving the sender (in most cases a company, business or organization), permission to send you emails about anything from exclusive offers, specials, news updates, ticket sales, etc.

Assuming your friends on Facebook wants to see something about something a company you work for or represent via Messenger is not a safe practice. It can be irritating. Most people already get plenty of unwanted emails per day. They likely won't want it in their Facebook inbox either.

If you want to use Facebook Messenger in your marketing efforts, it's a safe practice to request permission to do so to the people you plan to send it to. And do this BEFORE sending the email or message.