Contacting leads within the law
Finding a business is legal; how you contact it depends on the country and the channel. This guide sums up the essentials, but it is not legal advice: the responsibility for the contact is yours (terms, section 6).
What applies everywhere
- Identify yourself in every message: who you are and how to reach you.
- Say where you got their details in the first contact: "I saw your public Google Maps listing" (in the EU, GDPR art. 14).
- Offer a simple way to stop receiving messages and always respect it.
- Contact businesses, not private individuals, and do not use the data for anything other than offering your service.
- Keep the data only while you need it and delete it for anyone who asks.
United States
The CAN-SPAM Act allows commercial email without prior consent if: the subject line is not misleading, you identify yourself, you include a postal address and a way to opt out that you honour within 10 business days. Calls and texts have their own rules (TCPA): do not send marketing texts without consent.
United Kingdom
You can send marketing email to companies ("corporate subscribers") without prior consent, identifying yourself and with a way to opt out (PECR). Not to sole traders, partnerships or individuals.
Spain
| Channel | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Marketing email | Not allowed without prior consent, also to businesses, unless they are already your customer (LSSI, art. 21) |
| Marketing WhatsApp and SMS | Same as email: they need prior consent. WhatsApp also forbids unsolicited messages and may block your number |
| Phone | You can call a business's phone. For individuals, check the Robinson List first (LOPDGDD, art. 23) |
| In person | No special restrictions |
Rest of the European Union
As a general rule, unsolicited marketing email needs prior consent, with nuances in each country (in some, it is allowed between businesses under conditions). Check the recipient's country before sending in volume.
If someone asks you not to contact them
Stop contacting them, remove them from your lists and, if they ask, from your searches. If they write to us, we add them to Leadomos's exclusion list and pass their request on to you.