Can Spam and email marketing

June 18th 2009, Author, by April Weber

ADOTAS - As an affiliate manager that works with mailers on a regular basis, I am constantly reminded of the Can Spam Act and what it means for email marketing.

Many people don’t look at it as simply as it is stated, so I wanted to revisit the Can Spam and what it means. Can Spam is divided into 4 categories or sections: subscriber collection, sending behavior, content and unsubscribe policies.
...read on
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A really easy breakdown of the CAN-SPAM laws, hopefully there is a nice comparison to the UK and EU laws & regulations to see how it all balances out. I expect Brownlow's done one at some point.

One thing to remember is that even though there are spam laws, recipients have more power.
If they think you've spammed them, they'll hit the spam button and when you can't get in the inbox cos your deliverability's pony because of the complaint rate, you can't go back to them a say, "what? I obeyed the law, to the letter".

Always obey the law but you always have to go that much further, just ask Seth.


Clickz: It's Not Just About the E-mail...And Video Complicates Matters

By Jeanne Jennings, ClickZ, Jun 15, 2009

An e-mail campaign I developed for a client earlier this month was successful, but not as successful as it could have been. If you see yourself or your organization in the following case study, it's not too late -- see my tips at the end of this column for making sure you get the most out of every send and video landing page.

Last month I wrote about video in e-mail, partially spurred by a client that was pursuing this strategy. The video was a somewhat late addition to the e-mail campaign -- the video was complete just as we were finalizing the e-mail creative. We included an image of the video which, when clicked on, took the reader to a Web page where the video would play

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Another classic from Jeanne. She goes on to show you the conversion stats and the differences between the click throughs for the video and the rest of the direct links and then takes us to the web-site stats to see how each landing page faired in conversion rates... it is very interesting...read on


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Bronto: 10 Automated Messages That Rock

by Kristen Gregory on June 29, 2009

Would you like to send targeted, relevant messages to your contacts on an ongoing basis without lifting a finger? What about a seeing a steady stream of revenue without logging into your favorite ESP?

You can when you set up automated (or triggered) messages!

There are many different types of communications that you can set up to run in the background of your email program while you concentrate on the messages that need to be uniquely created and set up.

Not sure how to start?

Think about what information (usually fields in a database) you have for your contacts that you can leverage to send one-off, extremely targeted mailings.

Here are some automated messages ideas to consider based on this kind of information:
...read on


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I love all this stuff, although it is easy to over do it and that is where the skill is. My favourite ESP, Pure360 already does most of this out of the box and can do all it with extra modules, it's great fun too.

EmailAdvisor: What is your email creative "saying" to your recipients?

18/06/2009 19:15

Email marketers are in for an uphill battle when it comes to visibility in the inbox. In a recent study from Forrester Research the number of marketing messages for the average email user is predicted to double to almost 25 messages a day by 2014. That's about 9,000 e-mail marketing messages a year for the average "Joe." Even now, email recipients have become choosier on what messages they will open and review. Your email design will become even more important as existing email marketers turn up their game and new marketers turn to email.

Email design, both the look and feel as well as the functionality of the message is one of the most important considerations in your ongoing email strategy. It is all about balancing smart creative, relevant content and a properly rendered message. Here are a few quick email design tips to consider to help your messages make the cut once it reaches your recipient's inbox...read on


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MediaPost: Strategies to Meet 5 Macro Trends Altering Email

by Loren McDonald, Thursday, June 18, 2009, 1:32 PM

Trend forecasts, like mine in my last Email Insider column, "5 Macro Trends That Are Altering Email," also need strategies to help you meet the challenges these trends bring. Here's how you can retool your email program to keep it fresh, relevant and productive in an evolving market:...read on


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Mediapost have probably been the most useful suppliers of email marketing info this month!

MediaPost: 'Delivered' Does Not Mean 'In The Inbox'

by Stephanie Miller, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 10:34 AM

It's rather amazing how much confusion there is between the bounce rate and the inbox deliverability rate. I've been on the road much of May and June speaking at online marketing conferences -- and while every marketer understands that if they don't reach the inbox, they don't earn a response, there is a sense of complacency around inbox deliverability that is not grounded in the right data. Marketers think they know their inbox deliverability rate, but in fact are either misinformed or just do not have access to that information...read on
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This could also relate to the 'render rate' which googled the Email Experience Council and unsurprisingly but deservedly the Email Marketing Reports.

mediapost: Optimizing The First And Last Miles Of Email Design

by Chad White, Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 12:30 PM

I've been growing increasingly impatient with emails that waste my time for no good reason. I think that's because over the past few weeks I've been working on the next edition of the Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season and have been getting flashbacks of the hectic, high-volume email days of the 2008 Christmas season. If marketers don't button up their email designs better before November, they'll be sorry when it comes time to tally up email marketing's contribution to holiday sales.

Here's more on two of the biggest problem areas: preview panes and landing pages
...read on


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clickz: Go With What Works

By Karen Gedney, ClickZ, Jun 10, 2009

When you sit down to write e-mail copy for a new assignment, you don't have to start from scratch and drive yourself crazy writing new copy.

A better way is to work from what has performed well in the past. For example, I have files of e-mail marketing campaigns that have produced stellar results for my clients.

When I'm faced with writing a new assignment, I often follow these proven approaches. While the copy looks new to the client -- because it's specific to their unique product, service, or marketing challenge -- it's actually a tested approach. But instead of risking failure with something totally new, the client has the reassurance that this proven copy is likely to work for them.

Now, what do you do if you don't have a sample file -- or performance numbers? ...read on


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clickz: Midyear Checkup for Your E-Mail Marketing Efforts

By Jeanniey Mullen, ClickZ, Jun 8, 2009

It's the middle of the year and time for a review. Are you making the most of your e-mail efforts? If not, you still have time to mend your ways before budgets and bonuses come around (OK, maybe no bonuses this year).

According to IDC, 1.4 billion people used the Internet in 2008. This number is expected to increase to 1.9 billion, or 30 percent of the world's population, by 2012. The most popular online activities cited were
  • Searching the Web
  • Finding information for personal use
  • Using Internet e-mailAccessing news and sports information
  • Accessing financial or credit information

With over 1 billion people using e-mail as a regular communication vehicle (many checking e-mail more than five times a day), your business can't afford to do without a strong e-mail plan. You can't afford to roll out a lackluster campaign. Remember to test your way to constant improvement and the stepped-up ROI (define) e-mail can deliver for you.

The inbox is the backbone of the Internet. It's the tightest link ever forged between buyer and seller. Whether it's to influence others, drive purchases, extend relationships, or drive consideration, e-mail works. To get the most from your e-mail campaign, make sure you
...read on


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mediapost: I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me... But Should I?

by Kara Trivunovic, Thursday, June 11, 2009, 10:45 AM

I recently read a New York Times article that likened abandoned cart email programs to having a salesperson chase you out of the store and down the street after deciding not to buy -- and it got me thinking. Leveraging behavioral-based information to drive, segment and target your email marketing messages is what is going to lead us to the relevance pot of gold, but we need to be smart about it. As marketers, we have to ask ourselves, "How would I feel if someone sent this email to me?" And if the answer is anything but positive, you need to reconsider your strategy now...read on

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I consult on quite a lot of abandoned cart email strategies and there is a lot of logic and decisions to do when implementing this. Some people will only abandon a cart for a day or a few hours, some a week. Other people will leave it to act like a next purchase list because wish and shopping lists don't have an easy list to cart option - not even Amazon.
It is a really complex strategy on who to target with abandoned cart emails and when.

On the other hand, it is becoming more and more important to integration your results from your web analytics to your emails and back round again. Then match it up with the purchases and carts add to make sure that you can get a full single customer view and email people the right content at the right times. This is a fun one to map out. I recommend Apteco Faststats as the DBMS/Query tool to sit in between all of your data-stores.


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How To Use Email Marketing To Retain Your Customers In The Recession

freshbusinessthinking.com, 10/06/09

As the recession bites, it’s harder than ever to acquire new customers - especially if budgets are shrinking - so marketers need to make the most of those customers they already have.

Now is a good time to focus on retention marketing. And if you need cost-saving as well as effectiveness, email marketing programmes can deliver impressive ROI.

It’s all about targeting and relevance.

No other direct medium allows you to deliver such highly personalised, relevant content, all of which is instantly trackable and measurable, and with a quick turnaround providing you with a strategic and a tactical tool.

Here are top 10 email marketing tips for retaining customers and increasing customer value:
...read on


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MediaPost: Mass Retailers Need To Lose The Mass Mindset

by Jordan Ayan, Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 10:00 AM

I read a great blog post by Seth Godin this week where he challenged the reader to "not be boring." With email, it is easy to get stuck in a rut and send a message that lacks anything that will interest the majority of your readers. Every once in a while, it is worth stepping back, looking at your messages and asking the question, is this message boring?...read on



It must be useful if in mentions Seth Godin!


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Clickz: Six Steps to Easier E-mail

By Stefan Pollard, ClickZ, Jun 3, 2009

At a recent e-mail forum, a group of moms made it clear that e-mail must be fast, easy, and useful for them to continue using it as a communication and marketing channel.

For these mothers, e-mail is one more chore they have to take care of in addition to family, housekeeping, outside jobs, and so on. Relevance and targeting mean nothing if your e-mail makes the chore more onerous. The faster they can deal with their daily load of commercial e-mail, and the more useful the content in them is, the more valuable e-mail will be in their lives.

On the other hand, if you waste their time with vague subject lines and content that doesn't spell out your promotion's costs and benefits, you'll quickly become history. Remember that women in general, and moms in particular, are the family purchasing agents. Don't disrespect them with messages that waste their time, even if they gave you permission to e-mail them.

The following six steps will help you make your e-mail program more mom-friendly. The payoff? You'll make your e-mail easier to use for all your readers, even those who aren't time-pressed mothers
...read on


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Clickz: Friends, Friendly Acquaintances and Your E-mail List

By Jeanne Jennings, ClickZ, Jun 1, 2009

The legendary Jeanne Jennings discusses the subject of the year: permission. Jeanne states that people often have 2 email addresses, I have about 3 and I use a temporary email address service which allows me to create expiring email addresses which I can state how many email I want to receive to it before it expires. Very useful to test if you are going to be spammed......read on

Most peoplehave a personal email address which they use for their close friends, social networks and on-line shopping receipts, they then often have a work email address and then at least one junk address.
It is said the most people will initially give you their junk address a temporary address and sometimes, if you don't use double opt-in for things like free trials and white papers etc, someone else's or a made up address.

They key to permission is earning the trust to get that personal address or work address, depending on why you are in touch with them.


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Pure&EMM: June News: Promote Your Social Media Brand with Email

More immensely useful stuff from the boys and girls at Pure.

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Increasing Your Open Rates



"How can you increase open rates? What factors are affecting the success of your email campaigns? "

Duncan Birch reviews the findings of an 'Email Tune-Up' carried out for this high profile brand. The intention; to look closely at aspects affecting Artigiano's open rates.

Read this article
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Promote Your Social Media Brand with Email

people united

"How can use email to increase your brand prescence on social networking sites?"

If you already have your own social networking groups and are looking to promote them or want to spread your marketing messages across these sites, read on for some top tips.

Read this article
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Converting Email into Multiple Languages



"Marketeers are increasingly finding that they need to communicate to a global community. Audiences have become more sophisticated and mass marketed emails, without customisation are no longer acceptable "


So, how do you fully convert your emails into different languages in order to provide your audience with the tailored message they expect?

Read this article
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"The UK's only event to reflect marketeers changing role."

Produced by Marketing Week, this event is providing a single destination for market research, online marketing, data marketing and in-store marketing activity.

Read this article
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Graze.com

WIN FREE LUNCH!

What is the funniest or most bizarre subject line you have seen? The best suggestion will win.

Enter competition
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FOWD 2009


Seminars and workshops on social networking, microformats and making the most engrossing online marketing platforms possible. Read More.


Silverpop: Dealing with 9000 marketing emails a year

Riaz Kanani on June 22, 2009 9:00 AM

"Forrester have released a report predicting that individuals are are going to receive 9000 email marketing messages a year. That's is nearly 25 marketing emails a day.

Already today, email marketers are being advised to engage with their recipients rather than just trying to target them. If your recipients are going to be receiving that many emails everyday, engagement is going to be critical. Let's face it, most of those emails are not going to be opened
"...read on


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It's all about permission not acquisition.

clickz: Yahoo Mail Ramps Up Add-to-Sender-List Imperative

By Stefan Pollard, ClickZ, Jun 17, 2009

A new inbox-sorting feature for users of Yahoo Mail, one of the world's most popular Web mail clients, makes it more important than ever that your subscribers add your e-mail address to their sender lists (which e-mail clients call contacts, address book, safe senders, or other variations).

The new "View From:" feature allows users to view e-mail only from their Contacts lists (all the addresses they've whitelisted by clicking the "Add Sender to Contacts" icon in the header field) or their "Connections" (a new social-networking feature based on the Contacts list).

Here's a sample inbox scene with "View from: All" chosen...read on


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BtoB: Keeping your e-mail content fresh & How can I use behavioral targeting to improve my e-mail results?

04/06/2009 17:35

Keeping your e-mail content fresh
By Karen J. Bannan
Staring at a blank e-mail template can be nerve-wracking. Where do you get your content? How much should be company-related and how much, industry-related? To answer such questions, consider how well you know your readers. When you know what they want, everything should flow from there, said Al DiGuido, CEO at Zeta Interactive...read on
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How can I use behavioral targeting to improve my e-mail results?
By Kara Trivunovic
E-mail marketers sometimes shy away from behavioral targeting because it seems too challenging or too creepy. However, it doesn’t have to be either of those things if you go about it the right way. It will take some planning and a little leg work, but the investment in time you make here will not...read on


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Zero Strategy: What to do and the rewards that can be reaped

3rd June 2009
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As with perhaps all advertising campaigns, email marketing has a number of dos and do nots. Many experts have shared their views on what constitutes a sound email marketing strategy and it appears that some companies are taking on fresh approaches to their messaging efforts.
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One company seeing genuine benefits from email marketing is Paramount Restaurant Group. It has seen online bookings increase by 150 per cent in the first three months of the year across its six restaurant brands after implementing an ongoing email voucher campaign.

"Paramount Restaurants has managed to grow its audience and sales by using email that’s appropriate for its market - the results achieved can be built upon in the future," commented Anne Collet, marketing manager of Pure, the email marketing company that helped Paramount Restaurant Group with its campaign.
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...read on


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mediapost: Streaming Video - Coming To An Email Near You

by Elie Ashery, Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 12:30 PM

According to comScore, more than 10 billion video clips are viewed online every month -- providing companies big and small with an incredible opportunity for cost-effective branding, product display and demonstration. Ironically, the ability to incorporate streaming video into an email campaign was practiced in the early days of the commercial Internet, yet stymied when inbox providers and software developers started blocking javascript in email for obvious security reasons. With cutting-edge video technologies now available and the pent-up demand for video integration with email from both marketers and consumers, inbox providers are heeding the call by developing new programs for marketers to tinker with email video delivery. Gmail YouTube Capabilities, GoodMail Systems CertifiedVideo,Text Link,Link with Image/Animated GIF,What the Future May Bring...read on


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dailykos: Marketing 101: What The Heck Is Marketing & Where Do I Start

by webranding: Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 06:08:27 AM PDT

This is a weekly diary series focused on marketing strategies and tactics. The objective is simple. Outline the basics to help somebody working on a grassroots political campaign raise money or secure votes, help a group increase awareness about their cause, or just help a small business owner who wants to market themselves more effectively.

Yesterday I asked for input on the topics I planned to write about. Well as they say, ask and you shall receive. Both the topics and order I had envisioned has been altered fairly drastically (at the end of the Diary) based on your input. More than a few asked what I meant by marketing? That question made me realize I was about to jump into talking about specific activities, without first outlining some core marketing principles that are important to say the least.

So in this Diary I will outline these core principals that will serve as the foundation for anything and everything I write about in future posts
...read on


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5 Strategies for Maximizing Search and Email Marketing

By Ram Krishnamurthy and Brad Neelan | June 1, 2009

In today’s challenging economic environment, marketers and advertisers are looking at different ways to maximize the return on their marketing and advertising spend. Due to the emphasis on ROI, more companies will be using a direct response channel like email marketing and search marketing to drive measurable results in 2009 and beyond. In each channel there are key strategies and tactics that need to be employed for maximizing marketing investment, and a marketer can compound his or her success by leveraging each channel’s insight to drive success within the other.

Here are five key strategies for driving ROI in SEM (search and email marketing)...read on


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mediapost: Retention Is The New Acquisition Strategy

by David Baker, Monday, June 1, 2009, 11:00 AM

The market is forcing marketers to address more complex questions than most have the bandwidth, resources and budgets to address. There's a lot of talk about retention marketing these days. In down times many organizations constrict, focusing on retaining customers, maximizing profits and controlling expenses. In good times, companies tend to think about new acquisition options, testing new channels and expanding reach in the marketplace. Two years ago the major goal of most companies we talked to was growing their consumer/b2b database. Today, it's about making money with what you have.

If we are in a constricting market, with the dollar not stretching as far as it has in the past, consumer confidence not as high and new "free" channels emerging to challenge the inbox, what do the small email teams do to make an impact in their companies? I think our Email Insiders are on the right track based on the topics of recent columns: strategy, focus on the database, understanding what metrics truly impact your business and where to place your strategic investments. These topics speak to the basics of what makes email marketing successful; I'll add to them with a few key "recession" nuggets you can pose at your new team meeting...read on


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BtoB: 4 tips for testing & is bounce processing enough?

28/05/2009 21:46

4 tips for testing your e-mail campaigns
By Karen J. Bannan
When it comes to e-mail testing, you can’t overplan or overanalyze, according to a recently released white paper from Experian Marketing Services. Released this week, “A Guide to Effective Email Testing” confirms what many of us already know: Companies aren’t testing as much as they should be and, when they do, they often have it all wrong...read on
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Why is bounce processing not enough for successful e-mail campaigns?
By Sarah Welcome
Bounce processing is a key component of overall list hygiene strategy. Doing it properly has a significant impact on your deliverability and overall sending reputation...read on


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email advisor: Successfully defining your approach to email testing strategies.

28/05/2009 16:18

The problem with email testing isn't so much the actual testing itself - it is fairly easy, cost effective and relatively immediate. The challenge for most marketers is that you need to have a testing strategy in place before your email message goes into production. The time to strategize on your testing tactics isn't when you are trying to get a message out the door and into your customers' inbox. It starts with a solid testing program that can be applied to your future email campaigns long before they make their way to your email sending tool. Additionally, you are likely to get better and more relevant testing results if you are not approaching it as an after-thought. The more robust your results, the better your justification on the additional work as well as the increased value of your email programs.

There is no shortage on resources and research for marketers on when, how and what to test. Get cozy with a whitepaper or two from your ESP and you'll be able to find inspiration how you can start testing your communications but don't forget to apply these basic principles when considering your testing program...read on


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mediapost: Track, Evaluate, And Diversify To Drive Email List Growth

by Morgan Stewart , Wednesday, May 27, 2009

A healthy database of subscribers is at the core of any successful email marketing program. And growing the database is a top priority for 38% of email marketers, according to research I recently completed, working with the Email Marketers Club and Mike Bloxham of Ball State's Center for Media Design.


While list growth is universally recognized as a cornerstone of success in email, it has also become an emotionally charged and trend-driven area of email marketing. Best practices for list growth abound, but my experience has been that what passes for best practices are generally driven by anecdotal evidence and corporate agendas more than comprehensive analysis.


In our study, we found that this lack of analysis carries over into individual marketing efforts. A frightening number of email marketers seem content to place their faith in list growth "best practices" and let their programs run on auto-pilot. While 42% actively track all sources of list growth, 45% only track some of their sources of list growth and 13% do not track any sources. Worse still, even when sources are tracked, 32% say they rarely or never evaluate the performance of those list sources.


While it may seem obvious, not tracking and evaluating these sources is a huge mistake. Lack of consistent tracking and evaluation of sources increases the chance of wasting money on bad list sources, damaging reputation by continually mailing to bad addresses -- which adversely impacts deliverability.


Alternatively, we found that email marketers with large and thriving email databases do three things that others do not...read on


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practical-ecommerce: Email Marketing: Split Testing Improves Results “Up to 191 Percent”

May 26, 2009 · by Matt Carroll

Split testing of email marketing campaigns can improve open rates, click through rates and even purchase conversion rates. More email service providers are offering split test functionality, making it possible to upload two or more versions of a single broadcast and send them to random segments of your database.

A few days later, you compare the results. Ideally, sales or conversion tracking is set up, too, so that you are comparing the results that matter the most to your bottom line. Otherwise you will have to settle for comparing open rates and click through rates. Declare the better-performing version of your test as the "winner" and use it next time, perhaps against a new experiment, and so on, in a process of continuous improvement...read on


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DMABlog: Inactive or Unemotionally Subscribed?

Posted by Dela Quist on June 10, 2009 at 07:34 AM

Inactive or Unemotionally Subscribed?

The term "emotionally unsubscribed" as a way of describing the subscribers who do not interact with your emails for long periods of time seems to be making a comeback - unfortunately.

I first came across the term 2 – 3 years ago and I have never liked it, particularly when it comes to describing people who have given you permission to email them.

I dislike the term because...read on


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imedia: Email's new best practices

By Chris Marriott, June 08, 2009


Article HIghlights:

* During the onboarding process, be clear about what's coming
* Adapt your headers for mobile viewing and preview panes
* Don't be afraid to get a little creative with subject lines

Next in Email

One of the great joys -- and great frustrations -- of my job comes from working with clients whose email experience spans from accomplished professional to rank amateur. The experienced pros help our organization blaze new trails in email marketing while each new client gives us the chance to start fresh and enjoy the benefits of having made mistakes in the past. On the down side, however, we often find ourselves repeating some basic tactics over and over again.

While each brand has its own challenges in email and little quirks that make its emails unique, the fact remains that over time, certain trends emerge that generally hold true for all marketers. By now, you have probably absorbed most of the conventional wisdom of email, such as testing subject lines early and often; using short, crisp copy to highlight the offer; and designing calls to action as text to avoid image rendering issues. These basics comprise Email 101, the freshman course. But over the past year or so, new rules have emerged for email's upperclassmen -- let's call these rules Email 201...read on



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pixelNews: Promotional email is not email marketing

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 10:20 pm

Promotional email is not email marketing

For me, Marketing is a collection of activities and actions that make my target customers want to buy my product or hire my service. Those actions help you to create or strengthen your brand, position you and your company as experts in your market and generate leads that the sales team will convert into new clients. These general marketing concepts apply for your email marketing program as well. However, I receive calls and emails everyday from companies that want to use Pixelnews, and when I speak to them, they usually tell me that they don’t have a list or a value content generation strategy. They just want to send a blast of emails to let people know about their product or service. The exclusive use of promotional emails work for some companies in some markets, but it is not email marketing, it is just a promotional email, the same as if you run a newspaper add, television ad or a telemarketing campaign.

What is true email marketing?
...read on


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It is a fine line but surely if a TV advert promoting a product or brand is marketing, then an email promoting a product or brand is email marketing!
Email Marketing tends to fall into three main areas, Opt-in emails, Lead Gen and Transactional.

Opt-in tends to be the newsletter where people will ask for the emails and for well organised companies there will be a preference centre so each person only gets what they like and in really good companies they will be able to query preferences, web-site activity, e-commerce purchases, cart activity etc. etc.

Lead Gen is emailing new companies to spread brand and product awareness with the aim or bringing in new business. As more and people find themselves getting lead gen emails that they do not want, they hit the spam button and that button gets more and more power over our deliverability every day. Mainly because there is no TPS for email. These are often known as interruptions (Seth Godin).

Transactional email are those email that everyone gets as part of a transaction, ie: purchase receipt, double-opt-in email, welcome email, white paper link. These can only be sent in reaction to an activity by the recipient. These are great emails to get some marketing a round the outside.