Have you ever heard someone say that they’re going to email spam a message or photo on the internet? Spamming is a slang term that originated from the word “spamming”.

Generally speaking, spamming means publishing unwanted material in large quantities and repeatedly. These messages can be on social networks, forums, cell phones (sms) and also by email.

In the case of emails, spamming a message means sending mass emails without the recipients’ authorization, which is characterized as spamming.

Unfortunately, this practice is common, despite the concept of spam being included in the LGPD rules.

However, for those who insist on this unethical practice, the filters of the recipients’ providers work by blocking the domains and IPs of the spammers and then include their identities on international blacklists.

This creates a vicious circle. The same provider that sent the sender to the blacklists checks the lists for senders with low reputations.

It’s worth remembering that a list that doesn’t go through email verification contains a lot of bounces and spam. This negatively affects email marketing performance.

And for those who use email marketing to support sales teams by inserting links to sales landing pages, the results are even more negative.

Spam emails are inconsequential

A sender who doesn’t follow good practices when sending emails can send out mass emails containing advertising, viruses, scams and many other attempts to invade recipients’ emails.

This is an irresponsible action because it does not take into account the sender’s own classification as a spammer, which violates the LGPD and can lead to fines of up to 2% of the company’s turnover per infraction. It is worth noting that both the company and the individual who presses the “send” button are liable to be fined.

Let’s look in detail at the ways of sending unauthorized messages.

Types of spam

Fake News: these are messages containing slander about a company or individual, with the aim of promoting defamation. They are widely used during election seasons as “campaign tools” against opponents. It is important to note that creating rumors or untruths on the web is a crime, and spamming this type of message also violates the law. These are crimes under the Penal and Electoral Codes, with penalties of up to 3 years in prison.

Cybercrime: these are virtual scams such as phishing, which steal card and bank passwords. The criminal then carries out financial transactions on behalf of the user. Ransonware is another common type of cybercrime. Its characteristic is the hijacking of someone’s or a company’s data in order to later demand a ransom in the form of cash.

Malware: software that specializes in spreading viruses, as well as being bridges for phishing and ransonware scams. This occurs when the person clicks on the link that leads to the malicious application. Malware can be used both to display unwanted ads via popups when the user performs specific actions, and to capture personal information for criminal purposes.

Chain letters: chain letters usually have some kind of emotional appeal, with the intention of spreading a request for help using an electronic fund. In this way, criminals have yet another option for committing the crime of fraud. For example: appealing messages asking for help for a child undergoing treatment in hospital, among other similar situations.

The most popular of all

Advertising: the best-known spam because sending mass emails has a very good return. It is the highest ROI in digital marketing, with earnings of US$ 42 for every dollar invested. Therefore, anyone who works with email marketing and doesn’t follow good practices has an eye on the profitability that this means of communication can bring. However, the consequences are disastrous. After all, those who spam unwanted emails can never recover their reputation.

Why can the user click on the “this is spam” button even if you’re not a spammer?

Yes, this can happen to any email marketing sender. However, high rates of spam complaints signal that the campaign should be reviewed, because there is something bothering the user to the point where they take this action.

Let’s take a look at the main reasons why people click on the “this is spam” button:

• If you send emails without opt-in, the user is more than likely to click the button! So build a list of real, active contacts. Never harvest (buy lists collected from the web by bots).

• Is the unsubscribe button well located on the message? Some senders hide it so much that it can irritate the user. And as a result, the “this is spam” button is triggered, not least because it is easily positioned by all the recipients’ ISPs.

• Pay attention to the visual identity of your brand/company. Some users may click on the spam button simply because they suspect that you are not the sender who always sends the messages. So watch out for changes in the visual design of your campaigns.

• Do the subject lines of your emails deliver what they promise? Watch out for clickbaits, which are those sensationalist headlines that encourage users to open the message, but when they do, they are faced with completely different content.

FAQ