Email marketing, mailings
There are limits and rules on how much bulk email can be sent through the TBA system. The reason is to keep the server free from incidents sanctioned as SPAM, in the interest of our customers. We support you in setting up and maintaining e-mail distribution lists that technically adhere to the rules of the game, and in organizing the dispatch.
Mailing lists – limits by contracts/AGB
The providing partner DF.eu, which technically handles the e-mail dispatch for the TBA, has set limits on how many e-mails can be sent in bulk and what the content restrictions are, e.g. spam. We as TBA and our customers are bound by these limits. – Abuse leads to problem. For us and for you!
For emails sent using scripts, a maximum of 100 emails per hour are allowed through our email server.
This also makes sense, since bulk emails sent via normal email servers can severely disrupt normal email business traffic in a number of ways. Special arrangements must be made for mass mailings or it is better to use a special provider for mass mailings right away.
The following provider terms and conditions also apply to our customers with e-mail accounts with us; there is a risk of severe contractual penalties.
Excerpt from our hosting terms and conditions – based on the terms and conditions of our providing partner DF.EU (you received these at the beginning of the contract – we will gladly send them again):
…8.2. The sending of e-mails via systems or servers of the Provider as well as the sending of e-mails via domains registered via the Provider is not permitted insofar as it is a mass sending of e-mails to recipients without their consent and/or it is a promotional e-mail and the recipient’s consent is not given, although it is required (collectively hereinafter referred to as “spam”). The burden of proof of consent (cf. Section 7 (2) UWG) of the respective recipient lies with the customer. Customers are also prohibited from using spam e-mails sent via other providers to advertise content that can be accessed under a domain registered via the provider or that is hosted by the provider.
8.3. The customer is also prohibited from sending more than 100 e-mails per hour per web hosting package and/or so-called “paid mails” or e-mails advertising a “referral system” via the web server using scripts.
8.4. In the event of a breach of clause 8.2 and/or clause 8.3, the customer undertakes to pay a contractual penalty…
Mailing lists – limits due to spam blockers
Misuse leads to non-deliveries, blocking and reports to the provider!
If too much automatically generated, emails with the same content arrive at a recipient provider (e.g. Gmail, Telekom, 1and1), these providers may block further deliveries for a certain time as an anti-spam measure. This also affects normal e-mails that are sent during the blocking period! The recipient may not receive the email and may not even notice it.
A message is then sent to the provider, who in turn informs us. Sanctions threaten us and thus indirectly you.
The sending of mass mails via TBA servers is therefore strictly limited in terms of time and quantity (see our GTC quoted above), in order not to make the TBA server system suspicious as a SPAM sender, blocking measures could also take effect here.
Discuss a mass mail distribution with us!
In many good mailing list programs, you can “throttle” the mailing, that is, spread it out over a longer period of time, to legally circumvent these restrictions.
For larger and regular mailings, it is a good idea to use the service of a specialist provider for bulk e-mails. The chance that the emails will arrive is significantly increased.
We know the right specialists!
If you are interested in sending e-mails in large quantities (which do not fall under the above-mentioned spam criteria), ask us: we can suggest good e-mail marketing providers and also provide you with further advice and support.
This significantly increases the chance that your emails will arrive correctly and you will also receive good reports on the dispatch to be able to optimize the process.
Setting up an e-mail distribution list – legal limits
Building an email distribution list requires time and patience. The recipients themselves must always agree to be included in the distribution list. Otherwise, even in the EU since 2007, there is the threat of massive penalties and enormous trouble, and the supposedly cheap marketing tool may end in a fiasco. (Other countries, such as the U.S., have even more drastic regulations and sanctions in some cases).
We do not determine the rules for dealing with e-mails; like you as a customer, we are bound by the valid legal situation. We are happy to help you build and maintain email distribution lists that technically play by the rules.
TIP: You can find further information on the legal situation regarding advertising e-mails in our blog.
Tips for building email distribution lists
- Offer incentives to sign up: through a well-designed website and information that really interests the recipient
- Write content and visually appealing emails so customers stay favorably disposed toward you and don’t quickly unsubscribe from your lists.
- Don’t write too often but not too infrequently either; find the right balance.
- See also: Addressing circulars correctly
Tips if there are problems with the delivery
Here is a test tool around the setup (SPF and DKIM). What this is and how to set it is in the support information of the email sender used. In addition, you can check the content of your mail here to see if it can be considered “spammy”: