Operational Emails - Important Information

Cory,

I have a question about the above as there are many references to 'leads' as part of it.  I'm curious about customer-specific emails.  I'm guessing it's similar to your end statement which is Operational messages should not contain any marketing content at all.  But from a best practice standpoint, does that mean any product update info (not newsletters, etc.) or say an opportunity to join a customer-only webcast for a deep on a specific part of the product.  So no sales aspects, simply focusing on key product updates.  Any pointers/info you might offer would be appreciated, especially as it relates Marketo's terms of service as we wouldn't want to violate those.

Hi@Raul Fonseca,

Is this still Marketo's view, that "Operational messages should not contain any marketing content at all"? I'm seeing conflicting info on Marketo's 'Marketing Central' (this article: 6 Types of Transactional Emails That Every Marketer Should Know) and also in the FTC's Compliance Guide for Business which states:

It’s common for email sent by businesses to mix commercial content and transactional or relationship content. When an email contains both kinds of content, the primary purpose of the message is the deciding factor... when a message contains both kinds of content – commercial and transactional or relationship – if the subject line would lead the recipient to think it’s a commercial message, it’s a commercial message for CAN-SPAM purposes. Similarly, if the bulk of the transactional or relationship part of the message doesn’t appear at the beginning, it’s a commercial message under the CAN-SPAM Act.

So it appears as though they're not prohibiting commercial and transactional content from co-existing in the same email.

I'm currently working on a transactional email where marketing content is being proposed and Marketo's view on this is being taken into account by my company, so your advice on this is very appreciated.

I agree with Jenny Summers above -- is this still the correct view?

Do these guidelines hold true for countries other than the USA?

Hello again, @Raul Fonseca​,

I sent my original message a week or so ago; I really appreciate your guidance on this.

Thank you!

Hello Jenny,

I apologize for the delay. This is no longer my area, let me see if I can find someone who may be able to provide a response.

Thanks, Raul!

Hi @Janet Dulsky​ are you able to direct the questions above to the right person to answer please as this thread has been waiting on reply since July 2016.

1. Is this still the correct view?  - Operational messages should not contain any marketing content at all

2. Do these guidelines hold true for countries other than the USA?

Thanks, Kara

@Kara Pietrykowski​, I'm trying to track down the right person now. Thanks for your patience.

Hi @Kara Pietrykowski​

Yes, that is still very much correct. Operational messages should not contain any marketing content at all

When marking an email as operational, it will be sent no matter what. They are not stopped by Unsubscribe status, Marketing Suspended, or even Communication Limits. Operational emails also do not get the unsubscribe footer appended to the bottom. Because of this, if you have marketing content in an operational email, it can be sent to leads who have unsubscribed. That is in violation of Marketo's terms of service in your contract and is also illegal in most countries around the globe. Many countries have anti-spam laws that are even more strict than those in the US. So the short version is, just don't do it. It's not worth it.

Thanks,

Mike

Thanks Mike that was my understanding so thank you for confirming it.

Kind Regards,

Kara