Frequently Asked Questions

Mailing List: I have a list from... Can I use it?

InfoBureau has very strict permission policy. This is so important, because not complying with our anti-spam rules can actually land you in legal trouble. Spam is any email you send to someone who hasn't given you their direct permission to contact them on the topic of the email.

But that's not enough. Permission is a fuzzy word open to interpretation. Let's get into some specific scenarios so it's clear what does and doesn't constitute permission.

The type of permission you MUST have:

• They opted in via your web site. InfoBureau will provide you with a subscription process where your visitors can opt-in on your website. This allows you to grow your mailing list, thus growing your leads.
• They completed an offline form and indicated they wanted to be emailed. If someone completes an offline form like a survey or enters a competition, you can only contact them if it was explained to them that they would be contacted by email AND they ticked a box indicating they would like to be contacted.
• They gave you their business card and you explained you would be sending them commercial email. If someone gives you their business card and you have explained to them that you will be in touch by email, you can contact them. If they dropped their business card in a fishbowl at a trade show, there must be a sign indicating they will be contacted by email.
• They purchased something off you in the last 2 years. By making a purchase from you they have provided their permission implicitly. Feel free to email them but at the same time, we think it's always better to ask anyway.

Scenarios that DON'T equate to permission:

• You obtained the email addresses from a third party. Whether you purchased a list, were provided one by a partner or bought a bankrupt competitor's customer list, those people never gave YOU permission to email them and they will consider your email spam. No matter the claims of the source of this list, you cannot email them.
• You have access to this list as a member of an organization or club. Although we know that Chambers of Commerce and Tradeshow lists, for example, often give access to lists with email addresses to each member, we don't consider this enough permission to use with our service, since the permission was not given directly to you. (If you are the organization owner and are contacting them regarding the organization, that's ok)
• You scraped or "copy and pasted" the addresses from the Internet. Just because people publish their email address doesn't mean they want to hear from you.
• You haven't emailed that address for more than 2 years. Permission doesn't age well. Even if you got their permission legitimately, they won't remember giving it to you. If you haven't sent something to that address in the last 2 years, you can't start now.

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