Internet users guard their privacy jealously, and don't take kindly to unwanted privacy intrusions, especially from businesses. They are especially sensitive about businesses pushing commercial messages on them without permission. This is such a big problem that governments worldwide have enacted privacy and anti-spam laws (some stronger than others; Australia's is in the middle of the spectrum); and Internet service providers have strict requirements about how you can use their service to contact others.
One of the simplest rules to follow is: If you don't have their consent, don't do it. Although that will keep you safe, it's sometimes too conservative; and there are times when you can be more flexible.
The type of consent you have from people in your network can be grouped into four categories, from weakest to strongest:
Assumed: You assume they are willing to hear from you, unless they complain Allowed: They have implicitly given their consent due to their past dealings with you Agreed: They have explicitly given you their consent to interact in certain ways Approved: You have such a strong relationship that you have their permission to contact them about anythingLet's look at each of these four types of consent, and how to deal appropriately in each situation.
Assumed consent
The rule for assuming consent is simple: Don't!
Don't put them on your mailing list without their permission. Don't send text messages to their phone without permission. Don't sic telemarketers on them without their permission.
The consequences can be serious. In some jurisdictions, this is illegal and could incur heavy fines. Even if it's not illegal, most reputable ISPs (Internet service providers) forbid you from doing it, and will cancel your account if somebody complains.
Most of all, though, it's bad business practice. At best, you'll be branded a spammer by the people you reach. At worst, that reputation will spread to their friends, and their friends' friends.
This might seem obvious, and yet it's surprising how often business owners knowingly violate this practice.
Don't think you get a free pass just because you give people the option to "opt out" from future contact. Some business owners assume those who don't opt out have given their implicit consent to continue receiving messages. That's the wrong way around!
Allowed consent
The next level of consent is also implicit, but this time it's legitimate, because the customer has allowed it because of your existing relationship.
For example, it's reasonable to keep in touch with past customers about a product or service they purchased, especially if you're adding value in these messages (for example, with video tutorials). If you maintain a respectful attitude and primarily send valuable information that helps them, you can include an occasional advertisement as well.
As another example, if you have advertisers or sponsors paying for access to your database, you can expose them to your network, as long as you do it appropriately. For example, you might publish a regular newsletter, and include a sponsor's name and a link to their Web site. Your subscribers will generally accept this, because you're not betraying their trust by selling their details to the sponsor.
Even with allowed consent, don't assume you will always have it. If possible, give them a way to opt out of future contact. It doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition, either. If you give them the chance to choose exactly what they would like to receive, you both win: You know they have chosen it, and they know they won't be bombarded with irrelevant messages.
Agreed consent
The third level of consent - and the one that's probably the most familiar - is agreed consent, where the person explicitly asks to receive information from you. This is most common with e-mail marketing, but it also applies to people who connect with you in other ways - for example, by becoming your friend on Facebook, connecting with you on LinkedIn, or following you on Twitter.
The key to communicating with people who give agreed consent is to ensure you know exactly what they have agreed to, and limit your communication to that type of message. For instance, LinkedIn is a business networking site, intended primarily for professionals to connect with and help each other. When somebody connects with you on LinkedIn, they are usually not agreeing to receive marketing messages from you.
The most common way of communicating with people who give agreed consent is with an e-mail newsletter. This is also one of the most powerful marketing tools available to you.
Approved consent
The last form of consent is where you have such a strong relationship that you know they will approve of you contacting them - even if they haven't explicitly asked for it. In fact, they will be disappointed if you don't get in touch.
This is not the same as assumed consent (which I have already warned against). In both cases, you're contacting somebody without their explicit approval; but now you're doing it after you have established a strong relationship.
In a business context, approved consent usually happens when you're dealing with the closest people in your tribe - your best customers, your biggest suppliers, your closest colleagues, your most successful affiliates, or your joint venture partners.
There are no specific rules for dealing with approved consent, except to always respect the other party. Don't do something that is obviously going to upset them; and if you do inadvertently upset them, apologize immediately and make it right.
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