20 Jul 2009

High open rates 'for successful spam'

Email spam is prevalent because is works, it has been claimed, although large volumes of such messages into business inboxes may reduce the efficiency of operations.

According to Econsultancy, spam can enjoy high open rates and also may prompt an increasing number of recipients to respond.

The use of emotional words or a question in the subject line all increase the attractiveness of spam emails, as does the fact that many are readable by erring on the side of simplicity.

Indeed, the publication draws on recent research by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), which found that over 50 per cent of respondents have clicked on a spam email.

MAAWG's report also noted that a large amount of spam emails originate from bot-infected computers, but only a fifth of individuals think that their computers could get infected.

Businesses who want to help eliminate spam from their inboxes and therefore reduce the risk of infection could adopt Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services.

This may provide online tools to minimise spam and malware, as well as maintaining access to email during and after unexpected events.