Email security has improved over the years, but even with advances in encryption, fire walls and other types of security, your mailing list may be compromised at some point. Prepare in advance so you can provide instant damage control to save subscribers from becoming victims and save the reputation of your business.
Monitor ESP Data
Email service providers track usage data for a variety of reasons. One reason is to catch hackers before they launch an attack. Hackers are interested in information such as geographic location of subscribers, email addresses (both marketers and subscribers), and other information such as credit card and bank account numbers.
Review all data you receive from your ESP to make sure the email frequency recorded matches your records. If you notice an increase in email frequency, but you haven't increased the number of messages sent during this time, your email address may have been used by another party to contact subscribers.
Contact the ESP to report the incident, change your sending email address, and alert subscribers as to why you're making this change.
Let Subscribers Know Right Away
As soon you discover your list has been compromised in some way, send a message to all subscribers letting them know what's going on. Even though this may cause a few people to opt-out of your list, it's best to be as honest as possible to ensure the safety of subscribers.
Inform subscribers as to the steps you're taking to prevent future safety breaches. If changing your email address, let subscribers know. Include the new email address in the message so subscribers know that future email content coming from that address is safe. If shutting down the list for a few days, let subscribers know when you plan to start sending new content. Use social media pages in the meantime to maintain contact.
Prevent Future Attacks
While you can't prevent future hacking attempts or security breaches 100%, there are things you can do to help keep subscriber information safe:
· Don't store email addresses in contact folders or other places in your email account. Upload your list to a reputable email marketing service provider or store email addresses on a spreadsheet instead.
· Ask all new subscribers to confirm their email address prior to sending content. Delete those on your list that do not respond.
· Clean your list monthly to remove inactive or inaccurate email addresses.
· Contact your ESP right away if you notice increased activity on your account or if a subscriber alerts you that they have received a suspicious message from your email address.
· Never store payment information on your website or email account. Use encrypted software to protect subscribers when they make a purchase from your website.
· Always send email from the same address so subscribers know it's from you.
By following these simple tips, you can run a safe and profitable email marketing campaign.