Bulk email marketing has gotten a bad reputation because it is so frequently abused.

If you have used email for very long, you've undoubtedly been a victim of unmerciful, and maybe even immoral, email marketing tactics.

SPAM is the term used to describe these massive bulk mailings sent to people who did not ask to receive them. SPAM is also referred to as unsolicited email.

There are two things you need to know about SPAM and why you should be extremely cautious not become known as a spammer.

First, if your bulk email marketing messages are identified as SPAM, your email address or server may get "blacklisted" by other email servers, meaning that they will not accept email from you.

Second, the sending of SPAM is now regulated in the United States by the Federal Trade Commission. It is now actually illegal to send unsolicited commercial email.

The CAN_SPAM Act of 2003 is the law that the Federal Trade Commission enforces in regard to unsolicited email.

Basically, the law is intended to minimize the abuse of email marketing which has been known not only to be aggravating, but also to contain computer viruses or other harmful script and to promote scams through fraudulent businesses or to collect personal information for criminal use, a popular form of identity theft. Identity theft is a serious matter.

In fact, it is the fastest growing crime in North America, so the Federal Trade Commission takes the enforcement of the anti-spam legislation very seriously.

If you intend to engage in bulk email marketing, become familiar with the guidelines set forth in the CAN_SPAM Act and make sure that your email messages meet the requirements and that they are absolutely free from being suspected as promoting fraudulent businesses or soliciting personal information for identity theft purposes.

Building your own opt-in list, rather than purchasing third-party lists or using a bulk email provider that supplies lists is the first step to launching a legal, effective bulk email marketing program.

An opt-in list is one that consists of email addresses of people who have actually requested information from your company and are interested in what you are offering.

You can build an opt-in list through your website by offering a subscription to a newsletter or an online course. When website visitors subscribe, they are added to your opt-in email list.

Some companies go a bit overboard to make sure that the subscribers really want to be added to the mailing list by requiring them to confirm their subscription by email before being added to the permanent list.

While that certainly verifies their intentions, it really isn't necessary to use a double-opt-in practice as long as you give recipients of your email messages an opportunity to unsubscribe if they decide they no longer want to receive your mailings.

Bulk email marketing is much more effective when it is sent to opt-in subscribers because they are qualified leads who have already expressed an interest in your products, services or information.

It is an exceptional method for cross-selling to existing customers and cross-promoting your products or services.

Email marketing is also a great way to promote affiliate products and to maintain ongoing relationships with existing customers.

You may even get some referrals from your existing customers who forward your email messages to their friends and colleagues. A well managed email marketing campaign can be very beneficial to any internet-based business.

Copyright Christopher J. Enders. Are you at the end of your rope, fed up and confused by all the scrambled internet marketing advice you're getting? Whether you are new to internet marketing, or a website owner who wants to make more money from your website, learn the proven strategies that will sky-rocket your internet business at http://BiznessTips.com