Complying with CAN-SPAM may require integration and automation.

Many companies have still not dealt properly with compliance with the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN-SPAM), according to a recent survey by ExactTarget. In the research, respondents were asked how concerned they were that a customer who has opted out would receive email from their company. Seventy-eight percent said they were somewhat to very concerned, while 35 percent of the respondents said that subscribers had received emails during the past year after opting out. Given that the CAN-SPAM legislation was passed six months ago and that most legitimate marketers run automated, real-time opt-out systems, marketers need to ask themselves why this is still happening.

Compliance is harder than you think

The problem is that many marketers maintain multiple customer databases (CRM databases, internal contacts databases, email marketing databases) and use all of them to email to customers. This makes complying with CAN-SPAM much harder than everyone initially thought it would be. For example, the marketing department uses the email database to send promotions to the entire database while the internal sales division uses the CRM system to send individual promotions to their own customers. If someone unsubscribes from all company communications after receiving a marketing email, the CRM system is not updated. This means the customers will continue to receive promotional messages from the sales team, in violation of CAN-SPAM.

The answer is integration

Integration will resolve the problem, and is a simple concept but a difficult project to undertake. Success demands a strong internal sponsor, a diligent champion, cooperative techies and a flexible email solutions provider. Above all you need to develop detailed "use case" and technical documentation as well as a detailed project plan to move things along.

Start by answering the following questions:

1. What data (list the profile fields) need to be kept in sync?
2. What database will prevail in case of conflicts?
3. What is the primary key (email address, customer ID, account number etc)?
4. How frequently should databases be synced?
5. Are there additional business rules that need to be applied before data is updated?

The technical details of each integration project will differ, but if you are using a good ASP email tool, you should be able to integrate in many ways -- http, FTP, XML -- what you choose simply depends on what suits your internal systems best.

This sounds like a mouthful, but if you are serious about compliance you have no choice but to do it.

Automation is the flipside of integration

With integration usually comes automation. There is no point in figuring out how data must be synched and updated if you are not going to automate the process. If your integration system relies on human intervention, you are once again opening yourself up to errors.

While you’re at it, do an audit of all your data processes and evaluate what else can be automated. Are you doing endless manual queries and then uploading lists to your email tool manually? Are you manipulating data (merging, purging, duplicating, and filtering) in the same way week after week before you can mail to it? If the answer is "yes," you are wasting your time. All these actions can and should be automated.

The benefits of automation and integration

By properly integrating your databases and automating your data processes, you will not only ensure compliance with CAN-SPAM, you will achieve enormous efficiency in your email marketing activities. The automation of repetitive tasks will free up productive time to allow you to become more proactive and strategic. Offer testing, detailed segmentation, personalized content, remarketing based on past results -- new strategies that will have a very real effect on your online marketing results.

You will also have time to start developing email marketing programs as opposed to simply sending out individual emails. For example, welcome emails, compliance programs, birthday wishes and account renewals can all be set-up as ongoing programs that need no further manual work once they are set up. The messages go out every day -- all you do is evaluate and optimize.

Integration and automation are the keys to increasing the efficiency and impact of your email marketing many times over. So take the leap -- start integrating your databases and automating your processes immediately.

The law requires it and your business will benefit from it enormously.