It has been nearly six months since CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation) went into effect. And it’s probably been about ten months since the “panic” and “this will ruin our business development program” cries began. I have spoken with many businesses since July. We use email for messaging (you are reading one now) as well as for marketing programs, etc. We also have many clients who use the internet, direct mail, and other forms of CASL-affected scenarios.
I want to get to the point… the world did not crash. Much like the panic back in 1999 about Y2K and how all our computers would crash, clocks would stop, electricity would vanish, etc., the scare that ensued leading up to July 1, 2014, and the social media and other chatter about how this CASL legislation would ruin our businesses, was all for naught!
Here are some observations about “CASL Six Months Later.”
- Boy, the lawyers made a lot of money advising and re-advising about this legislation with their workshops, seminars, and what we needed to do and why – huge scare tactics – much like the computer companies in 1999 insisting that you needed all this new hardware and software to survive Y2K.
- The legislation has really done nothing to curb spam from Canadian companies, let alone those outside our borders (which do not have to comply with CASL anyway). But lots of jobs were created.
- All the people and companies that cried like Chicken Little with regard to the sky falling in on their business development and marketing programs that would be obliterated… heck, if you didn’t spam in the first place and had compliance from all the people in your data base to begin with, CASL should have had no effect on you (other than the time and labor to move forward with the required compliance emails, etc.).
- So the process was a pain, it took time and money (and even more if you went to all the lawyers’ workshops and online sessions, or if you were a spammer to begin with and had to do a ton of work to comply. But odds are, if that was you, you didn’t comply anyway and probably are not reading this editorial. It did nothing to curb spam. But it did not kill anyone’s business development programs, marketing campaign effectiveness, or outcomes according to anyone I have talked to.
- What did it do? It made us all clean up our data bases or start the process (we actually have three years during which we can still email those folks who have not given specific consent as yet) toward cleaner data bases. At the Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists™, that means we will be removing those who have not given us specific consent. We have already removed those who asked to be removed. We have always had an accessible and visible “opt out” opportunity, and are quick and efficient at removing people who ask to be removed. The outcome-we are (or will soon be) talking only to those who want to hear from us. If 40% of my data base had not opened an email from me in five years, why would I want to reach them anyway? They are not interested in me, so I shouldn’t be bothering them!
- Many people say it decimated their email data base lists. But those people didn’t want to talk to you anyway. That’s why they opted out. Furthermore, you are probably the company that has a 10,000 person data base and a 5% open rate (500 people out of the 10,000 on your list) and always say that you have a data base of 10,000 instead of telling the truth and saying you “interact or have conversations with about 500 people”!
So, what is the outcome of CASL six months later? There was a lot of cost (in both money and labour) which really did nothing to curb spam. At the same time, I didn’t lose anyone who wanted to hear from me or valued what we send them. It helped clean up my data base. We didn’t lose any market share or revenue. Our business development continues to grow.
How about you? Let me know your thoughts on CASL six months later!
These are just one person’s thoughts. Yours are welcomed as well. Please add your thoughts or comments below. Thank you for reading and your feedback.