FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
- HOW
DO WE STOP GETTING TELEMARKETING CALLS AT HOME?
The Australian Government has set up a Do Not Call Register that is regulated by legislation. Consumers can register to stop getting telemarketing calls. Note that the Do Not Call list applies to telemarketing to consumers (and government departments and emergency services, and now fax). Political parties, charities, religious organisations and legitimate market researchers are exempt. If you call somebody who has registered on the Do Not Call list, you risk a fine. For more info on the Do Not Call Register click here.
- HOW CAN I STOP GETTING FAXES?
On 1 June 2010, the Australian Communications & Media Authority upgraded the Do Not Call Register to now include faxes. So if you do not want to receive cold faxes, register your number here
- WHY DOESN'T ANYONE HAVE BUSINESS EMAILS TO SELL ME?
We get asked for business emails every day. In most cases we simply cannot get business email data, or what we can get is not spam-compliant. This means it is illegal to send a 'cold email' to the person's email address because they have not given you consent to send them emails.
The Spam Act makes it almost impossible to supply you with spam-compliant or 'opt-in' data for businesses. And because of the Spam Act, list owners find it too hard to stay within the law, so they just don't collect emails.
There are a few special business member databases that are Spam-compliant and the list owner will send your email on your behalf to their members. These tend to be small business owners and not corporates.
Our advice? Unless you are an exempt organisation, do not send spam and risk a hefty fine and being branded as a spammer. Send a letter via the post instead. More info on Spam in the next 2 paragraphs.
- WHAT
DOES "OPT IN" AND "PERMISSION MARKETING"
MEAN?
Opt-in and permission marketing mean the same thing and really apply to email and SMS (mobile) marketing. Under Australian law, you must have the person's permission to send them email or an SMS (text message). If you DO have the person's permission either via your website or phone call, then this is called an "opt in" database because the person has given you permission to send them stuff via email or SMS.
If you don't get their permission, this is called spamming (more on this below). The CONSUMER email lists and member databases that we use for your consumer campaigns all have the recipients' permission...they have opted in to receive marketing messages. We don't spam anybody.
BUSINESSES are a little tricky. There's currently only 1 or 2 BUSINESS email member databases that are permission-based. And one list that is not.
Those emails you get for viagra pills and weight loss potions and dodgy Nigerian businessmen? They are all spams. We can't imagine anyone giving permission to receive those!
- I'M
CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT'S SPAM AND WHAT'S NOT
So are many people. Spam is unsolicited emails or SMS (text messages). If you send out a bunch of emails and text messages to people who have not given their permission, then you are breaking the law. However, if you have an existing relationship with that person (they're a client on your database), then you are not breaking the law.
A good example is, if you emailed us for a quote, and then a month later we emailed you some FURTHER information about another service of ours that we thought you'd like, that would not be considered spam, as there's an existing relationship, and you would reasonably expect us to follow you up. But we wouldn't automatically start emailing you our newsletter each month...we'd ask you first. That's a good approach for you to take too.
For more info on Australia's anti-spam laws click here . ACMA staff are actually very helpful, so feel free to call and ask direct questions.
Please note that telemarketing to non-government businesses, or direct mail is not spam, therefore not illegal in Australia. But most companies will happily remove you off their list if you ask. It's in nobody's interest to annoy you.
- I'M
A TELEMARKETER - HOW DO I COMPLY WITH THE DO NOT CALL LEGISLATION?
The law says you must not, or must not cause a call to be made to a number on the Do Not Call Register. The Do Not Call Register was set up to assist companies to abide by this law, and of course be a revenue generator for the government! The DNCR offers an online data washing service where you can clean, or 'wash' your own data against the DNCR.
You need to setup an account with the DNCR and upload your CSV files, and you'll receive your cleaned file back. Sounds too hard? Let us do it for you. Click here for more info on our data washing service.
- WHY
USE A LIST BROKER? WOULDN'T I JUST GO DIRECT TO THE LIST COMPANY?
Sure! But it makes no difference to price in fact, you'll probably get a quote quicker through us. And we know what lists are suitable for your campaign. We don't charge any markup on lists that we source for you, nor do we charge a fee. The list owners pay us a commission.
And we're not beholden to any list owner so we're free to recommend the best list for your promotion.
- WHAT'S
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RENTING AND PURCHASING A LIST?
This can be confusing, but 99% of list owners have these 2 options....for whatever reason.
Renting is a one-off use of the list only. This means you cannot use that list more than once without paying again. You cannot use that same list again in, say, 6 months time to do another campaign.
The list owner 'seeds' the data with a "spy" so they can catch you if you use it illegally. Of course, any customers you pick up from the first use of the data and add to your OWN database is fine...they are then your customers to market to whenever you like.
Purchase, or multiuse or leasing, is more expensive to buy, but it's yours to keep and use forever. This is perfect for populating your own CRM program or database. You may wish to purchase if you want to run regular campaigns, like post out a newsletter each month, for example.
So which option should you choose? In many cases, renting is usually sufficient, and it's much cheaper. Some list owners will also let you rent 2 or 3 times, which is usually cheaper than purchase. But it depends on what your goals are and how often you want to contact people. Please discuss with us so we can look at the best option for your marketing campaign.
- WHY DO YOU CHARGE A SETUP FEE? IT'S A BIT ROUGH DON'T YOU THINK?
The list owners impose a setup fee on us, so we have to pass this on to you. A setup fee is really a delivery fee and covers the cost of extracting and tidying up the data.
You'll also notice many list owners charge a minimum order, especially with consumer data. Business lists are a bit more generous and most do not charge a minimum order anymore...rather they have the setup charge which really is their 'get out of bed fee'! But as delivery systems improve, setup fees and minimum orders will likely reduce or disappear, which is already the case with a few of the list owners we deal with.
- WHY IS DATA IN AUSTRALIA SO EXPENSIVE?
Australia just doesn't have the population or volumes of overseas countries, so data here can be a bit more expensive. You are also paying for someone else's time and research, which adds to the cost, as many list owners use local facilities to update their data. But if you are looking to buy large volumes, we can usually get a better rate for you. Please ask.
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WANT MORE INFO, A QUOTE, OR PLACE AN ORDER?
Simply email us a brief and tell us what you need. We'll come back to you within 24 hours (usually quicker)
Or
call 1300 668 287 between 9am-6pm Monday to Friday (EST)
(we can and do respond after hours, so you are welcome to email urgent requests!)
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