Have you ever wondered what the difference is between service emails and marketing emails and why it is important? If the answer is yes, then read on…
Service Emails
A service email is a message which is sent for information purposes only and should not promote your business. For example: A dentist surgery sending an email to a patient to remind them of an upcoming appointment.
Service emails tend to be:
- Neutral in tone
- Administrative in nature
- Information based
Some examples of messages which are likely to be service messages are:
- Updating terms and conditions
- Advising a customer about their usage of a service
- Updating contact details
As sending these emails will involve the processing of personal data, GDPR will apply.
Marketing Emails
Electronic mail marketing is the communication by electronic mail (which includes but is not limited to email) of any type of advertising, marketing or promotional communication. In addition to GDPR, direct marketing rules apply to this type of communication, among them, the need for consent/soft-opt-in as the email message will be caught by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation 2003.
If a service email contains any elements of marketing, even if it is not the main purpose of the message, the direct marketing rules will still apply. However, simply including general branding and logos will not make the message a marketing message.
When sending messages to customers/clients, you should consider the purpose of the message, its tone and content. Are you seeking to promote services or products or are you simply informing customers/clients about something administrative or sending a customer service message?
If you would like any advice or assistance in ensuring you and your staff are aware of their responsibilities when sending electronic mail marketing messages, please contact a member of the team at hello@hellodpo.com.
