Be Relevant! Email Marketing Blog

links for 2010-10-15

• How to Resolve Common Deliverability Challenges
  -- More than 80% of all delivery issues arise because of a problem with your sending reputation. Your sending reputation is based upon your sending patterns and volumes, mailing infrastructure, list hygiene (spam traps and unknown users), and subscriber complaints. George Bilbrey explains how you can resolve the reputation issues and get your email back to the inbox. --
  (tags: deliverability)
• The Content Marketing Playbook
  - 42 ways to connect with customers -
  (tags: content-marketing content-strategy)
• 3 Good Welcome Email Examples
  - In this article, Crystal Gouldey looks at three businesses that have done an excellent job in setting up their welcome message -
  (tags: welcome_emails)
• Back to the Basics - online writing vs old school journalism
  - Online readers typically have less time, they scan the writing instead of read it, and for the most part are not big on delayed gratification. They want their information right now, thank you very much. And if you don't give it to them, they'll navigate away to someone else who will -
  (tags: copywriting)

links for 2010-10-14

• Death of Forward-to-a-Friend
  - forward-to-a-friend (FTAF) has some fatal flaws. Among them: it's still easier just to click the "forward" button and fill in a friend's e-mail address. And, there's the trust issue, because some subscribers don't trust marketers to behave responsibly with their own e-mail addresses, much less their friends' addresses -
  (tags: ftaf social swyn)
• The Dangers of Freemium (Video)
  - Ben Chestnut from @Mailchimp discusses the difference between "fuzzy spam" and "spammy spam" - interesting presentation on dealing with abuse -
• Email Use Is Not -- I Repeat, NOT-- Decreasing
  - "Nielsen only tracks email accessed through a website." This was a direct quote from Nielsen's Vice President of Media Analytics. The way Nielsen measures the time spent on email use is by looking at website traffic. If someone opens a browser and goes to Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, or something similar, they are "using email." This measure takes no account for the time spent using email through Outlook, MacMail, Thunderbird or any other desktop client. -
  (tags: stats)
• False idols: four beliefs that can hurt your email marketing
  - 1. don't overestimate the relationship - 2. you can't increase frequency - 3. people use email like us - 4. we’re the only people who send this kind of offer/content to our subscribers -
  (tags: strategy frequency)

links for 2010-10-13

• Windows Live Hotmail still breaks some email headers
  - Do you send foreign-language campaigns? Have you seen a string of characters that starts off with "=?utf-8?Q?..." in your subject lines? Yes, here we go again with the email glitches: Hotmail doesn't like some UTF-8 encoded characters in email headers.
  (tags: coding hotmail)

links for 2010-10-07

• 7 "profit practices" any e-mail marketer should follow
  - let's throw out the best practices rule book and look at seven "profit practices" any e-mail marketer should follow -
  (tags: strategy)
• Statistics for Email Use on Smartphones
  - 94% are checking the same email on both their mobile device and their PC.
• The Best Day and Time to Send an Email
  - There is no universal best day/time to send. However, senders may discover—by analyzing their own performance data—certain windows that perform better than others. The only way to know what the best date and time for you to send an email is to test your email campaigns.
  (tags: timing)

links for 2010-10-06

• Feeling blue over Yahoo email?
  Those of you in the email coding world may have noticed a recent change from Yahoo. If your links are all appearing blue, here is the work-around. Simply add a tag with the color directly inside the <a> tag.
  (tags: coding)
• If you do this in an email, I hate you - The Oatmeal
  (tags: fun unsubscribe)

links for 2010-10-01

• New Data: Want More Leads? Offer Downloadable Content
  the folks over at Hubspot conducted a survey asking people to rank a handful of offer types. The results show that people prefer content-based offers rather than "demo" type offers which imply a more sales-oriented process. If you want leads, try offering a downloadable kit, or a free trial of your product.
  (tags: call-to-action lead_generation)

links for 2010-09-29

• Stupid Marketer Watch: Firm Abandoning Email
  "And the latest installment of “email-is-dead” stupidity comes from Holiday Brokers, a firm that is abandoning email marketing in favor of social media, according to Travel Weekly."

  "They’re switching from a proven channel that delivers the highest ROI in marketing to one that people still haven’t figured out how to measure."

  "Consider this: According to a Hotmail representative at the Email Insider Summit in April, a recent survey of Hotmail users revealed that for the first time, managing commercial relationships is the No. 1 reason people have their accounts."

  
  
  (tags: cases social_media strategy)
  
  

links for 2010-09-21

• Spam unsubscribe links no longer considered harmful
  We've always been told never to follow unsubscribe links in spam. However, the CAN-SPAM act has created a curious paradox. If the message is readable, then it's highly likely the unsubscribe link is safe and functional.
  (tags: unsubscribe spam)

links for 2010-09-20

• Tamara Gielen & Litmus Email Deliverability Webinar
  In this webinar, I will discuss email deliverability and provide information on improving deliverability for your email campaigns.
  (tags: deliverability)
• The Elephant in Marketing's Room (funny cartoon)
  In this funny cartoon, Steve points out the elephant that’s hiding in plain sight for many marketers:  Why interrupt when you can converse? 
  (tags: fun)

links for 2010-09-17

• I Love Marie Forleo - because she gets email marketing copy.
  an interesting approach to list building and a call-to-action you can't miss...
  (tags: copywriting list_building)
• New Study Reveals 3 Things You Can Learn from Effective Content Marketers
  Junta42 & MarketingProfs surveyed over 1,100 B2B marketers in North America and claim it's the largest study about content marketing in the B2B space to date. In this post you'll find the link to the study "B2B Content Marketing: 2010 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends" and some highlights.
  (tags: b2b content-marketing)

links for 2010-09-15

• What You Need to Know About the #NewTwitter
  (tags: twitter)
• Take the MarketingSherpa Email Marketing Benchmark Survey
  (tags: survey)
• Holiday planning webinar now available on-demand
  The webinar covers highlights from Chad White's 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season as well as additional insights, including five holiday email marketing predictions. Highly recommended!
  (tags: holidays)
• Previewing your HTML email: review of the Litmus tool
  I simply love this tool :-)
  (tags: tools)
• Holiday email marketing 2010: top resources
  Mark's annual holiday email marketing resources post.
  (tags: holidays)
• Chart: The Testing of Email Elements
  "tweaking" elements based on testing can produce dramatic improvements in campaign results and has proven to be well worth the time and effort required.
  (tags: stats)
• Increasing Reach through Social Sharing
  about eight in 10 marketers agree that social sharing "extends the reach of email content to new markets" and "increases brand reputation and awareness."
  (tags: social_media list_growth)
• After the Click: Give Your Landing Pages Some Love
  (tags: landing_pages design)
• Email, Facebook, And Twitter: Retention Or Acquisition?
  (tags: facebook twitter retention acquisition)
• How do I create a printer-friendly email newsletter?
  there's no silver bullet when it comes to making your email printer-friendly. However, if you or your client is determined to make your email look great in both the inbox and from the printer, here are some pointers to consider.
  (tags: design coding)
• 6 Common Email Marketing Mistakes
  (tags: list_growth subject_lines canspam frequency call-to-action testing)
• Top email marketing info sources: 2010 edition
  Mark Brownlow lists the best email marketing information sources on the net.
  (tags: blogs forums publications)

links for 2010-02-18

• How to Get Subscribers to Whitelist You
  Each subscriber has the opportunity to whitelist you within their own inbox. This can prevent confusing messages and keep inboxes from filtering you out. So how do you get your readers to give you their stamp of approval? You ask, of course.
  (tags: whitelisting tactics list_management)

links for 2010-02-17

• Webinar: 30+ Proven Tactics to Increase Response for your Email Campaigns
  (tags: tactics list_growth social_media welcome_emails subject_lines frequency webinar)

links for 2010-01-29

• Protecting customer data
  Data security is not something that can be glossed over and ignored. Most of the cases I am aware of have actually been inside jobs. Data has been stolen either by employees or by subcontractors that had access to it and then sold to spammers. There are steps that companies can take to prevent leaks and identify the source when or if they do happen.
  (tags: security spam data)

links for 2010-01-14

• The Secret to Effective Email Marketing: Setting Subscriber Expectations
  Telling someone what you’re going to do or getting them to do something, just by asking them, is easy and completely obvious, right? Yet most email and web communications don’t do it.
  (tags: strategy messaging tactics)
• Planning: E-Mail Marketing
  Kevin Hillstrom: "Often, in retail, we see that e-mail marketing generates MORE demand than is measured via typical e-mail marketing analytics. Classic e-mail marketing fails to capture all of the incremental retail volume driven by e-mail marketing."
  (tags: analysis)

links for 2010-01-13

• International Email Marketing Metrics Benchmark Study
  Silverpop analyzed 7,000 emails sent to 188 countries to find the answers.
  (tags: study benchmarks international)

links for 2010-01-12

• Email Strategy & Tactics (Online) Roundtable
  During this highly interactive, 60-minute session, 5 email marketers are invited to present one email marketing issue they are facing in a 3-minute presentation. Our 3 experts will review the material in real-time and provide feedback on the matters at hand. All attendees are able to join in on the conversations via a live chat. Should be lots of fun!
  (tags: events)
• Give Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Emails Yearning for a Makeover
  Have your emails kept up with these challenges and changing times? If you suspect your messages could use an extreme makeover, but you're not sure what needs to be fixed, let a few email pros weigh in with a friendly but thorough critique.
  (tags: events)
• Tips for Increasing Response Rates (Part 1)
  If you are looking for ways to maximize your email program response and increase conversions, consider introducing more triggered messages to your marketing strategy.
  (tags: triggered_emails transactional_emails)
• TA Associates invests over 60 million euro in eCircle
  for those of you that read German...
  (tags: industry)
• Deep Thoughts About Email Marketing #2
  If I sign up for your email program and you send me a welcome with a “do not reply” address, does this mean that I am not really welcome?
  (tags: quotes)
• Email Promotions versus Email Newsletters
  Unless part of a drip marketing campaign (triggered emails), promotional emails are usually short-term in value. If the email recipient doesn't respond immediately to the offer, then the value of the email has been lost. It has little long-term influence on the recipient. Newsletters, however, are all about building long-term relationships.
  (tags: newsletters strategy)
• Focus on Early Engagement
  The first 60 days after opt-in is the most critical time period to engage consumers, convert prospects into new customers, and incent first time buyers become repeat buyers. Here are some simple steps you can take to influence response during this critical time.
  (tags: welcome_emails)

links for 2010-01-11

• Developing A Scalable Messaging Strategy
  Morgan Stewart discusses a good approach for creating both manageable and scalable messaging programs.
  (tags: messaging strategy)
• Simple Email, Simple Results
  David Baker offers three reasons why email will remain an under-funded channel for 2010. Good stuff!
  (tags: trends industry)
• DMA UK Email Client Report 2009
  The DMA UK Email Marketing Council recently published the results of their 2009 DMA Email Client Report.
  (tags: study)
• The 2009 Anti-Spam Measures Survey
  In 2009 ENISA launched an Anti-Spam Measures survey, asking e-mail service providers in Europe about the measures they take to combat spam in their networks. This survey provides a view of how the fight against spam has evolved since the last survey two years ago.
  (tags: spam spamassassin spamfilter)

links for 2010-01-06

• Long-term email marketing using PPC techniques - Marketing Advisor Blog
  From impulse buyers to strategic, rational long-term thinkers, internet commerce is split between an incredibly wide range of people. This is reflected in the massive range of different sales tactics and marketing methods out there. Some people respond to sales pages, while others are much more interested in methodical research and moving at their own pace. What does this mean for you as an email marketer?
  (tags: strategy)
• MediaPost Publications Email Opens & Clicks Climbing
  According to Epsilon, email open and click rates experienced year-over-year increases in Q309 vs. Q308 as the industry headed into the traditionally busy holiday season.
  (tags: study)
• Are You Digging into Your Data Gold Mine? | Silverpop
  A wealth of data is hiding within your email program. While many email marketers rely on the standard email reports, slicing this data by various factors, including opt-in source, time, demographics, activity and much more can reveal a number of actionable insights.-- this is a must read article about metrics!
  (tags: analysis metrics)
• Email Newsletter Checklist for 2010
  The following checklist will help keep your efforts focused and give both new and old email campaigns a great start in 2010.
  (tags: checklist)
• Technical Tip: Use table tags instead of divs for structure
  If you code the HTML for your own emails, we recommend using table instead of div for the structure of your email. Although many web developers and designers despise doing this, it's safe to say that it only applies to the realm of web sites. When you're creating an email for all sorts of different clients, you have to "dumb down" your markup and go old school.
  (tags: coding)
• How to grow your email list in 3 easy steps
  My answer? Buy your traffic, not your list:
  (tags: list_growth)
• For The Email Designers: Fixed vs. Fluid and Another Option – Part 2 of 2
  (tags: design coding)
• What makes a good ESP?
  There are a number of things that make a responsible ESP, including setting and enforcing standards higher than those set by the ISPs.
  (tags: esp)
• Building a compelling landing page: Your checklist
  Use people photos, big headlines, and lead the eye to the conversion button - Make sure the important information is above the fold and that forms are easy to complete - The only real way to ensure conversions is to test landing pages with consumers, under real marketplace conditions
  (tags: landing_pages)
• SpamAssassin 2010 bug
  If you use SpamAssassin and today it's suddenly scoring every email you receive with at least 3.2 points, and it says that "the date is grossly in the future," then you should read this.
  (tags: spamassassin deliverability)
• The End of Tonnage Marketing
  tonnage marketers will increasingly be identified as senders of garbage and will see their blasts treated as such.
  (tags: trends)

links for 2010-01-04

• The One Worst Question: A Lesson Taught in Song
  Purchased e-mail lists are by definition not permission based. The marketer who buys names and mails to them will invariably draw significantly increased spam complaints while hitting spam traps and a bunch of nonexistent addresses. This will result in e-mail delivery troubles as inbox providers determine the marketer is mailing to a garbage list and begin blocking the marketer’s mail. Moreover, once the mailer’s e-mail reputation is damaged with this mailing, it may take months to clean up.
  (tags: list_rental)
• Why E-mail Marketing Is in Need of a Makeover
  Older e-mail best practices haven't necessarily gone bad. They are not applicable today.
  (tags: trends)