How to Deal with Spam
Even the most cautious internet users can end up getting spam, be it in our emails, our texts, or our blogs. Spam is everywhere, and pretty much everyone who uses the internet will deal with it at some point.
The California legislature found that spam cost United States organizations alone more than $13 billion in 2007. So, how can you make sure it doesn’t affect your business? Well thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can fight back against spam!
This blog post will have different sections covering how to deal with spam.
Email Spam
Email spam is the most common type of spam, and probably something that you are familiar with if you have an email address. Some email addresses might been taken over by spam, and as a result, get hundreds of emails per day. If this is happening, it might be wise to think about starting another email address entirely.
Always make sure that you only enter your email on sites that you trust, and know won’t give your address to spammers. If you aren’t sure about a website’s credibility, you can use an alternate email address (that you use specifically for this purpose).
Spam on your Blog
Adding the new version of reCAPTCHA to your website before a user posts a comment can help cut down on spam dramatically. The newest reCAPTCHA has users decipher easy to identify pictures instead of trying to figure out confusing garbled text. It even offers the accessibility option of deciphering a short audio captcha.
If you’re running your blog on WordPress, there are many plugins which have the aim of shutting down spamming on your website.
Akismet offers a free service which aims at fighting spam on your WordPress site. They claim to stop over 7.5 million pieces of spam per hour. They also offer premium spam fighting plans which include more checks, stats, and real-time backups.
Spam on your E-commerce Store
This is another great place to include a reCAPTCHA to verify a user is not a computer bot. If you have a contact form on your contact page, add a reCAPTCHA here so your site is not hit with waves of spam.
Another thing to consider is how often you’re emailing your customers. You may think that emailing them multiple times per day is a good strategy, but odds are that those emails will likely be deleted without being opened, and it’s possible they might be sent straight to the junk folder by the host.
Make sure this doesn’t happen by only sending out an email when it contains information that will interest your customers (to announce a new product, promotion, or give them a coupon).
Some companies purchase lists of millions of email addresses to send out promotions. This may seem like a good idea, but in reality, it is not. Advertising this way is the definition of spam, and can be a big mistake, as it can end up irritating the people you have contacted.
Also, it can end up being a waste of your time and resources. It is better to spend time qualifying a customer before contacting them.
