SPAMs Skyrocket as Businesses Crash

A sobering find: Spam devours corporate resources, clogging up to 50% of a network's assets. Clearly spam remains a major force to contend with, underlining the importance of good combat readiness.



Facebook recently brought spam back into the headlines with a $711M judgment against infamous social media spammer Sanford Wallace under a law known as the CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act). Lawmakers passed this act in 2003 fully intending to take a bite out of internet marketing spam. Unfortunately a number of anti spam advocates expressed concern that the act did not go far enough. And they may have a point: since 2003 the number of junk mail messages has increased ten-fold, leaping from 45% of all emails to above 90%.



Consider this: in June the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shut down an Internet Service Provider suspected of harboring malware programs and other tools hackers use to carry out web activities related to email spam and identify theft. In another case, the FTC doled out a $2.9 million fine to advertiser ValueClick, Inc. for deceptive advertising through emails, banner ads, and pop-ups.



Here are a few steps to make sure you protect your business:

• Start with a spam filter to protect your business on the front lines, although keep in mind that a variety of anti spam solutions exist, so shop around and find an offer attuned to your company's needs.
• Introduce your network security team to the spam blacklist.
• Educate your employees: get them to understand what spam is, how to identify it, and how to overcome it.
• On public web pages, use a technique like a response form to protect company addresses from a spammer's prying eyes. Make sure to add a "captcha" for authentication.
• On the customer end, ensure your network security protocols are robust and updated, and have a notification policy to keep customers informed.
• For internet marketing, consider that many consumers' previous experience with spam makes them wary of unexpected messages. Encourage your business to use an "opt-in" policy when developing internet marketing campaigns, and follow the terms of CAN-SPAM as a guideline in identifying what differentiates email spam from honest selling. Make sure your tactics avoid landing your business on a damaging spam blacklist.

You do not need to pay expensive per-email pricing in order to participate in Internet & Email Marketing campaigns. DPS' Technologies recently launched their "Smart Flyer Software" which includes a powerful network & campaign management center (within your website), allowing you to control multiple campaigns, and a comprehensive email list. The software purchase includes a registration form compliant with SPAM laws.

By Joe Unander

Generating Votes & Election Support through Smart Internet Campaigns

We live in a Democracy, where "every vote counts". So, it seems obvious that with 250 + million internet users, politicians would be utilizing the plethora of internet marketing tools in their campaign management, and expansion of loyal voter base. If you are a politician, or a campaign manager, here are some simple steps you need to consider, prior to your next election:

• Create a website, as your online campaign headquarters.
• Generate an online support network (voters) through registration:
• Conduct offline campaigns directing consumers to your website, to receive updates on campaign specific interest(s).
• Create & distribute ad campaigns, linking ads to your registration page.
• Set up an affiliate network (online partners) to co-campaign/advertise for you. Groups that are stationed within your campaign area, have a local/ geo-targeted consumer base, and have similar political interests would be ideal. These campaign affiliates are extremely important as they will play an integral role in acquiring votes for future elections. Distribute your ads through your affiliates' online websites. You can even target specific consumer groups depending on the affiliate specifics.
• With the eventual goal of creating targeted voter email campaigns, ask your supporters about their individual political interests (through a brief survey)...

... What topic interests you the most?

• Local/ National Economy
• State/ Federal Unemployment
• International Business Relations
• Immigration laws
• Gay Rights & Marriage Equality

... Get basic demographic information - age, sex, ethnic origin (make this optional).

• Optimize your website content through composing & incorporating a list of "geo-targeted keywords" (content incorporating your consumer bases' political interests & location for better visibility)
• Utilize a mass emailing software; segment your voters and campaign affiliates into separate address books in order to run aggressive personalized campaigns.
• Set up pages on major Social Networks (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter) and keep fans involved in the issues that majority of your registered network appreciates.
• Create a YouTube page, and run advertising campaigns through YouTube. Optimize your YouTube videos with rich geo-targeted keyword content.

Begin Campaigning!, but don't forget to utilize the valuable consumer data you have collected.

Internet Marketing specialist, Rohit Barman, president of DPS America insists that "political officers and campaign managers MUST get acquainted with internet marketing, as it allows them to acquire valuable data on voter interests, segment it seamlessly with the help of automated email registration software(s), and run aggressive campaigns targeting voters with interests that effect them the most. Tapping a voter's core nerve will create enough excitement to get them out on Election Day."

By Kevin Haggerty

"DPS' 2.5 hour interactive training, Digital Promotions Strategy, beginning in January and based in New York City, is the first of its kind to incorporate the entire spectrum of creating, engaging & expanding an online network. Extracted from the internet's scientific principles, the live seminar(s) will provide celebrity agents the knowledge, structure, and tools to track consumer/ fan behavior & campaign effectiveness - an internet marketing strategy that will give agents the confidence to manage their public relations campaigns more effectively than ever before."

Is SPAM the ultimate rejection in e-mail marketing?

Email marketing, commonly associated with "SPAM" has a less than stellar reputation. We're all used to cleaning out our spam/ junk mail folders, while skimming through computer-generated promotions for products we aren't particularly interested in.

But the reason that email marketing still thrives, is that bulk email blasts cost little to nothing to produce and send. Promotional productions avoid the likes of direct mail costs, such as packaging, printing, postage, and affiliated manpower. So, if only one out of ten-thousand consumers buy the "Deluxe Rolex Watch - CHEAP!!", the promotion is profitable. Businesses are now introduced to an inexpensive means to mint money from good strategy.

A clear incentive in email marketing is the ability to create a legitimate consumer audience (address book), engage them through strategized promotions, and expand network through automated referrals. Tracking of bounced emails & adherence to SPAM laws maintain a genuine network of interested consumers, with very little expense. Promotions can be strategized in advance, tested for efficacy (focus groups), and successful campaigns can be promoted to out of network consumers by means of incorporating a "Forward to Friend" feature within each campaign. Additionally, the Social Media surge (facebook, myspace, twitter, etc.) has amended the tradition structure of an email promotion to include posts to consumer profiles with a single click.

Email marketing's most exciting attribute is in accumulating brilliant market research on target audience & consumer trends. Businesses can acquire demographic details during consumer registration, allowing them to construct segmented email lists, and devise targeted promotions for specific consumer groups. Male & female recipients can now view the same Rolex promotion with imagery that compliments their personal style. Additionally, with the advent of embedded tracking cookies, campaign strategists can ascertain the success of individual promotions, creating priceless market research.

While 92% of emails are considered SPAM, recent consumer surveys indicate that majority of people (62%) prefer to receive marketing promotions via email, than direct mail. In fact, three-quarters of consumers report they've bought something as a direct result of e-mail marketing. Don't be mistaken, the email marketing strategy will create record buyer rejections, but don't take it personally. Always, remember that a few hot minutes can alter the tide of your sales and proper analysis of each promotion will create an encyclopedia of effective sales pitches.

--By Ben Jacoby