Importing Contacts to New Email Platform Without Opting in Again

Examples of Compliant and Not-Compliant Lists

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We've helped a lot of customers and we've seen lots of email lists, then we assist you identify a list that is likely to come across some trouble if y'all import it to your Mailchimp audience. In this article, you'll learn about some common scenarios that'll help y'all decide whether or non your e-mail list is okay to apply in Mailchimp.

Every situation is unique, so if you don't see a representative example, refer to our Terms of Use. Please also exist aware that this commodity provides guidance on whether a scenario complies with our Terms of Use and Acceptable Use Policy, simply you should always check local law requirements (such as local marketing rules) as well to ensure that you're sending compliant emails. Oftentimes, whether your e-mail list is okay to utilize or not will depend on whether you're sending service-related information to your customers or if you're sending marketing information.

Note

This commodity is provided equally a resource and does not constitute legal advice. Our Back up Team is available to assist you lot, only none of our agents are attorneys. The rules tin be complicated so if you have more questions, nosotros encourage you lot to contact an attorney in your surface area who is familiar with this topic.

Scenario	OK?	Communication
"I bought a listing of 30 million emails from this guy on the Cyberspace, and..."		As a permission-based service, purchased lists violate our Terms of Employ. These addresses could also result in higher bounciness and abuse rates, which can harm your sending reputation.
"Nosotros set up a booth at a trade show, and the trade show host provided me with a list of all attendees who came, so they're plain interested in what we're selling..."		This is considered a 3rd-party listing. If the contact did not sign upwards to receive emails from your company specifically, you gamble corruption complaints and such lists besides violate our Terms of Use. At that place are ways to collect email addresses offline that are compliant and more probable to consequence in profitable email marketing.
"We recently presented at a trade evidence, and we had an email opt-in form/kiosk at our booth. Nosotros desire to send them a thank-you note, plus some followup information."		This is okay to use if each attendee or visitor knew they were going to receive emails from your company. Nosotros recommend that you prepare upward a new audition for these recipients, and send a "hey, thanks for visiting us at the trade show" email. Ask them to subscribe to your regular email audience, or let them know you'll transport regular emails presently and provide a link to opt out. Send this email as before long as possible later the show, and then they remember signing up to hear from you lot.
"A few years ago, nosotros collected email addresses at a merchandise show/seminar/briefing, and now nosotros're gear up to finally start sending email newsletters!"		If it's been a while since your contacts signed up for your emails, there'south a run a risk they've forgotten who you are or inverse electronic mail addresses. Onetime addresses tend to have higher bounciness and unsubscribe rates, and aren't likely to contribute to your ROI, or open and click rates. If you do want to email contacts who y'all haven't contacted for some time, we recommend y'all send your contacts a reconfirmation e-mail to be sure they withal desire to hear from you before y'all send new marketing campaigns.
"People who sign upward for my service sign in through Facebook and hand over their email addresses by signing upward."		This doesn't necessarily equal permission, and can event in bounces, unsubscribes, and corruption complaints, which could impairment your sending reputation. If Facebook is a big office of how you connect with customers, post a signup form on your Facebook Page.
"We're a PR bureau, and we want to send announcements on behalf of our clients."		In principle, you can use Mailchimp to send emails on behalf of your clients about their products and services. Merely information technology'due south a violation of our Acceptable Utilize Policy to programmatically ship emails on behalf of third parties without creating or reviewing the content. PR firms are in gray area, so nosotros encourage you to consult with your lawyers about Tin-SPAM and other legal requirements before y'all ship emails.
"I've been running an e-commerce site for years. Now I'yard ready to start sending my customers electronic mail newsletters. They're my customers, so I have a prior business organisation human relationship with them, right?"		Information technology depends. Buy history with a customer does qualify as permission nether our Terms of Use and Acceptable Use Policy, merely this may not qualify as marketing permission nether local rules. Contacts are also more probable to be engaged and active in the long run if they've given their express permission to receive emails from you lot. We recommend you include a link to your signup class on your purchase confirmations or receipts, or send your customers a reconfirmation email to be sure they want to hear from you before you send new marketing content.
"I'm a photographer. I bought my list from Bureau Access, and I want to send art-buyers an e-portfolio..."		This is considered a purchased list and is a violation of our Terms of Use. However, Agency Access offers an email-commitment organisation, so you can use that tool to send an initial invitation. Inquire recipients to view your sample work, and include a link to your Mailchimp signup form. The people who opt in are more than likely to get active contacts who brand purchases.
"I fix a fish bowl past my cash register, so customers can drop in their business cards for a chance to win a free lunch..."		Although these people voluntarily provided their contact information, they didn't ask to receive emails. Follow all-time practices for offline collection to build an audience of active, engaged subscribers.
"I set upwards a fish bowl in my store, and asked people to drop their cards in to subscribe to my email newsletter."		If you lot explicitly told people you would send them emails, information technology may be okay to use Mailchimp. But keep in listen that since these are offline contacts, you lot'll have difficulty proving they gave you lot permission. If you get a lot of spam complaints, and ISPs or anti-spam organizations threaten to denylist you (other providers may refer to it as "blacklist"), y'all may accept difficulty proving you were given permission. Hold on to a copy of the contact's business cards in instance yous need to provide these every bit proof of permission.
"I'g a real manor agent. I got this e-mail list from our local real estate organization and..."		This is considered a third-party list. These lists tend to generate corruption complaints and are a violation of our Terms of Utilise. Nosotros recommend you add a signup form to your website or Facebook Page to build your ain audience of contacts who are most likely to appoint with your letters.
"I own a restaurant, and we leave a little bill of fare at every table that asks people to subscribe to our newsletter."		Great, y'all've collected a permission-based list and tin utilize it as a Mailchimp audition. It'due south important to send to your audience fairly regularly to continue your contacts interested in your business. Offline collection methods get in difficult to prove permission, so save a copy of the opt-in cards.
"We've got some big, exciting changes coming at our visitor, and we want to transport an annunciation to our customers."		It depends. This is fine as long as it's a service-related announcement and every single email includes an unsubscribe link, which is a requirement under our Terms of Use. If this includes marketing information, you also need to check that you have the appropriate permissions.
"Our company is moving. We desire to ship our new address to all our customers."		This is fine, every bit long as every single e-mail includes the required unsubscribe link. If you haven't sent to your customers in a while, reconfirm that they're all the same interested in your concern or production.
"I'm a freelance web designer, and I'm not so certain about my client's list, and..."		Don't send to these contacts until you make sure they're using all-time practices for audiences.
"We desire to ship a thank-y'all email to everyone who came to our issue."		If the people who gave you their e-mail address were explicitly told they would receive your electronic mail newsletters, then you tin ship to them. If you lot got their email address because they purchased tickets online, then you likely used an online RSVP organisation. In that instance, use the RSVP system to send a transactional give thanks-you e-mail that includes a link for them to opt-in to subscribe to your emails.
"When people purchase from my online store, I enquire them if they'd also like to subscribe for electronic mail newsletters and promotions."		If they checked a box to subscribe to marketing emails, and so they gave you permission. We advise confronting using a box that is checked by default, because no action is required. Consider using our API to automatically add together customers who opt-in to your emails.
"We want to send an email survey to our customers."		You can use Mailchimp to ship a survey invitation to your customers if they gave y'all permission to send them emails. Acquit in listen that surveys are sometimes considered marketing, so you may as well need to consider your customers' marketing preferences.
"I'm sending an email to other members of this local system..."		This is considered a third-political party listing, which violates our Terms of Employ because it'due south likely to generate bounces and abuse complaints. If the organisation has a public forum or Facebook Folio, contact the person who manages it and enquire if you tin can post a link to your signup form.
"We want to ship an announcement to our employees."		Mailchimp is a permission-based email service, so every email must include our unsubscribe link. Because you likely want your employees to read every email and non give them the ability to unsubscribe, yous should send internal emails from your own system rather than Mailchimp.
"We're an agency, and we're helping our client with their email marketing. Their sales and marketing team has assembled a list of emails from their address books, and..."		It depends. Mailchimp's email marketing service is permission-based, so if any of these contacts are prospects and didn't opt-in to receive emails from the company, and so they need to be removed from the list.
"CASL says I can contact anyone whose contact information is publicly bachelor data to gain consent."		CASL'south regulations are a little looser in some areas than Mailchimp'southward Terms of Utilize. Using publicly available data is a violation of our Acceptable Use Policy. Unsolicited postal service tends to generate abuse complaints and bounces that negatively bear on your sending reputation. We require you to obtain permission to ship email because it encourages subscriber engagement and improves ROI. Find out more about CASL and how you can stay compliant using Mailchimp.

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Source: https://mailchimp.com/help/examples-of-compliant-and-non-compliant-lists/

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