Spam | Habefast
Spam : definition
Spam refers to unsolicited emails and more broadly to any unwanted electronic messages.
Often promotional in nature, it is a mass and automated email prospecting technique.
Spam emails, also known as “junk mail,” are generally ineffective as a communication method, as they generate few conversions and frequently end up in trash or spam folders.
The different types of spam
Spam can have different purposes, since it can be used for advertising, commercial announcements or scams.
In fact, we distinguish the main types of spam:
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Advertising spam
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Spam that contains a scam attempt
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Phishing spam (or pishing) aimed at extracting identifiers by impersonating a service or company's communication
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There is also spam or malware, which refers to malicious software that can compromise the security of a device. Often, these harmful links are transmitted in the form of forum or blog posts
All of these are carried out on a large scale and now appear across various platforms.
Email remains the preferred channel for spammers, but there is also content or link spam, which aims to boost a website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) by misusing SEO techniques.
SMS spam is also widespread (and often fraudulent). It is an intrusive method commonly used to send unsolicited promotional messages.
How widespread is spam?
Spam is such a widespread phenomenon that it has developed its own vocabulary: spam, spammer, spamming. The term is even used in everyday language today to describe repeated and unwanted interventions.
In the 2000s, spam accounted for 90% of all emails received. Although this percentage has decreased, spam still represents a significant portion of global email traffic. In 2024 alone, the Swiss Federal Cybersecurity Office received 975,309 reports via the antiphishing.ch platform — a 79% increase compared to the previous year… Moreover, managing spam on a daily basis can result in the loss of up to 10 minutes per day for employees in some companies, particularly those in finance or human resources roles.
Due to its scale, many anti-spam techniques have been implemented to prevent inboxes from being overwhelmed. These filters are designed to sort out unsolicited messages and automatically divert them from your main inbox. Most email services offer this filtering feature, which is generally effective at classifying and adjusting criteria to define unwanted, promotional, or useful messages. You can also set up a blacklist system to block spam messages entirely.
How to launch an effective email campaign without being seen as a spammer
📨 Obtain your recipients’ consent
First and foremost, make sure you comply with the rules of the new General Data Protection Act (nLPD) and the opt-in principle: your contacts must have given explicit consent to receive your emails. The use of purchased or rented email lists should be avoided if you wish to protect your sender reputation.
📨 Craft your subject line and sender name carefully
The subject line should be clear, honest, and relevant. Avoid overly aggressive or misleading phrases (unrealistic promises, excessive capitalization or punctuation). Use a recognizable sender name to build trust.
📨 Polish your email content and structure
A good email should deliver added value to the reader. Offer relevant, personalized content with a clear call-to-action. Avoid overly promotional keywords that could trigger spam filters.
📨 Use a professional sending platform
Emailing platforms help you optimize your sends, ensure good deliverability, and track campaign performance. They also handle unsubscribes and spam complaints.
📨 Test and measure your emails
Before launching a large-scale campaign, run tests to check how your email displays on different clients and whether it passes spam filters. Then analyze open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates to optimize future campaigns.
📨 Include a clear unsubscribe option
A respectful email campaign always includes a visible unsubscribe link. Not only is this a legal requirement, it’s also a good way to maintain an engaged contact list.
To launch high-performing email campaigns that comply with current regulations, you can rely on our agency. We specialize in emailing strategy, deliverability management, and prospecting campaign creation.
We support you at every step—from building qualified email lists to optimizing content and delivery—while ensuring full compliance with the nLPD. Our goal: to maximize your results while protecting your brand image.
