Why Sending Emails via an Email Marketing Platform is Critical - What is CAN SPAM Anyway?

Hi Team,

We have recently heard this question from a few team members, so we thought it would be good to share more broadly … please take the time to understand this and share with all new franchisees and any franchisees that have not been sending email via HubSpot or Constant Contact. 

Why is sending marketing emails via an Email Marketing Platform so critical?

As a reminder, it is a requirement to send all marketing emails through our marketing email platform (HubSpot), or for some SwimLabs locations - the Constant Contact platform. But, why is this a requirement? Well, there are a few reasons  …

First, using an email marketing platform (in our case, HubSpot or Constant Contact) allows you to manage a list of all of your leads, customers and former customers so you can communicate with all or a segment of them to deliver the most relevant messages about your school.  The email platform also builds templates so they will render properly in multiple email clients and device types.  It also provides reporting to understand how your message performed – how many recipients opened, clicked, what they clicked on, etc.  The email platform tool also makes sure that all of the email marketing standards are met so your message is actually delivered to your customer’s inbox.

Second, we have prebuilt, branded email templates and brand content so your message is on brand. Making sure all locations are meeting the same brand standards is an important part of maintaining and growing our brand equity and your investment into the franchise network. If you haven’t checked out the new email templates, please do! 

Finally, using HubSpot (or Constant Contact) is critical in making sure you are CAN SPAN compliant. What is CAN SPAM you ask?  The CAN-SPAM Act establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.  Does this apply to you? Absolutely, yes. And, the cost of being in violation is costly – each separate email in violation is subject to penalties of up to $41,484.  Using the email platform and our best practices keeps you CAN SPAM compliant, which is why we have made this a requirement for all locations.  If you’d like to learn more about CAN SPAM, there is some great information on the FTC Website.