Email marketing is typically associated with online retailers selling consumer goods; however, its benefits extend to hospitality industry professionals as well.
An email marketing strategy designed to build trust between hotels and potential guests can also serve to track and analyze key data from campaigns.
CAN-SPAM Act
Email can be an immensely powerful marketing tool, yet many email marketers fail to abide by the CAN-SPAM Act rules and adhere to its regulations. This law grants recipients of commercial emails the right to opt-out and establishes penalties for violations.
CAN-SPAM applies to businesses that send commercial messages directly to individuals, and it requires those messages be clearly labeled as advertisements or marketing solicitations. Furthermore, misleading subject lines must not be used; and an opt-out mechanism such as an email address must exist that allows recipients to opt out from further commercial messages.
The CAN-SPAM Act is a federal statute administered by the Federal Trade Commission. The definition of spam according to this act includes any bulk advertising message sent without prior express consent by recipients, without their knowledge. While email marketers were concerned that its final Rule might allow for faster opt-out requests processing times than that outlined by Act, 10 business days remain as stipulated by Act in final Rule.
Other comments submitted to the ANPR recommended broadening the final Rule’s “sender” definition so as to allow more people to qualify as initiators of emails. For instance, these commenters noted situations in which multiple companies advertise or promote goods through one message with only one of their names appearing in the “from” line; these commenters asked the Commission to interpret its final Rule to make clear that all entities involved would be considered senders under CAN-SPAM.
Some commenters were concerned that the final Rule’s provisions requiring valid physical postal addresses might impose significant burdens on small entities, particularly home-based businesses. As a result, home addresses have been removed from the required fields for sending electronic mail, while language in the Rule provides safe harbor protections for certain home-based enterprises that employ limited employees.
The CAN-SPAM Act does not prevent businesses from emailing existing customers and those who inquired about its products or services as long as the messages are clearly identified as spam and their recipients have provided affirmative consent to receive them. However, the law prohibits businesses from charging an unsubscribe fee or requiring any personally identifying data beyond email addresses to unsubscribe from a mailing list.
The Privacy Act
Email marketing is an effective way of spreading the word about your hotel, casino or adrenaline pumping adventure service; however, its ethics can sometimes prove challenging to manage. Hospitality industry companies must carefully consider how much customer data can be shared without first receiving consent – otherwise this practice could become disastrously counter-productive!
The Privacy Act of 1974 is a set of laws designed to regulate how government agencies use an individual’s personal data. It requires protection of an individual’s private information while restricting how government agencies share it and establishing standards for how businesses handle customer information.
Some of the key aspects of this law include: mandating that agencies obtain consent before using any personal information about individuals for other purposes; and restricting “systems of records” to records which can be found by name, number, symbol or any other identifying characteristic that uniquely identify an individual (Personal Privacy in an Information Society: Report of the Privacy Protection Study Commission 1977).
Under these laws, any violation must have been done deliberately and willfully for anyone affected by it to receive damages from the government. This standard is higher than what would be needed under Freedom of Information Act’s “arbitrary or capricious” standard; but nevertheless represents a high bar.
Hotel and casino industry companies find tracking customer behavior immensely profitable and efficient, and leveraging that information for discounts or perks in exchange for it can be quite effective in meeting their business goals. But be wary of unethical methods of collecting or using this data that may violate laws.
Data breaches have become all too frequent, with hospitality businesses being among the three most targeted sectors by cyberattacks. This is likely due to their need to store large volumes of sensitive and confidential data such as personal contact details and credit card numbers for clients; loss of this data not only poses financial losses for these firms; it can have severe ethical repercussions as well.
The Honesty Policy
Email marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all; hospitality businesses can leverage tailored, personalised emails designed to build long-term relationships with subscribers. This could involve offering discounts or new information about products and services as well as updates about local attractions or events. Furthermore, email marketing provides an effective means for sharing testimonials or customer success stories that build trust among your subscribers.
But it is essential to avoid unethical tactics that might turn off subscribers, like bombarding them with too many emails at once or spamming them with emails from your marketing service. Make sure that if you opt for email marketing service they allow you to control how often communications occur with subscribers; additionally it would be prudent not to sell or share subscribers’ data with third-parties.
Academic honesty is a core value and foundational requirement of learning, especially at institutions that provide project-based education. Violations of academic integrity deprive students of an opportunity to develop secure knowledge of material assigned them and degrade institutions while diminishing degree values awarded by them.
WPI has implemented academic honesty procedures to uphold these principles, with the intent of protecting all members of its community while offering an equitable adjudication process when allegations of academic dishonesty arise. In the spirit of fairness, students accused of violations will first engage in a Facilitated Discussion with their instructor before being offered an opportunity to go before an Academic Honesty Panel and continue discussing it further if that fails.
By understanding the significance of ethics in email marketing, you can navigate the digital landscape with integrity and create lasting connections with your subscriber base while realising all potential of your campaigns. Ensuring compliance with CAN-SPAM, GDPR and other regulations ensures your emails are sent with transparency and in compliance with law – assuring subscribers of transparency and respect from every email sent from your mailbox.
Keeping Your Information Professional
If you operate a hospitality business such as a hotel, restaurant, travel services provider, or anything related to offering people once-in-a-lifetime experiences, email marketing is both an effective and ethical means of promotion. By following the tips outlined herein you’ll ensure that emails sent from your account adhere to both criteria simultaneously resulting in greater sales, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty.
Email marketing can be an exciting way to promote your business, but it’s essential that you remember it is still direct marketing – without permission, emailing those on your list is unethical, and could result in costly fines later.
Hospitality-based companies may find it beneficial to track customer data so as to market their services more effectively. As long as this method doesn’t violate any laws by purchasing email lists and spamming them with ads, this tactic should be permissible. Furthermore, this approach differs significantly from social media platforms which give minimal control to users over what content they see.
Hospitality businesses should remember that customers may be sensitive about sharing too much personal data without their express permission, which means not sharing too much PI without getting their consent first. Furthermore, people will more likely open and respond to emails which reflect their individual preferences so make sure your campaigns reflect that as well.
Cross-selling should also be included when it comes to email marketing for hospitality-based businesses, as it can help boost their revenues and keep their guests coming back for repeat stays. Hotels could send emails featuring nearby attractions or events or hot new restaurants near their hotel – this will keep customers in mind and boost the odds that they’ll book future stays!