Be Relevant! Email Marketing Blog

links for 2009-12-30

• Aweber Makes a Statement About Their Data Being Compromised
  Problogger's Darren Rowse comments Aweber's data being compromised saying "While not all will realize why they’re being spammed now some who have set up specific addresses for my newsletters have – and they’re now angry and have a damaged view of my brand "
  (tags: esp aweber spam)

links for 2009-12-29

• Call to Action Buttons: Examples and Best Practices - Smashing Magazine
  How can we create effective call to action buttons that grab the user’s attention and entice them to click? Jacob Gube tries to answer this question in this post by sharing some effective design techniques and exploring some examples.
  (tags: design call-to-action)
• Bypass image blocking by converting images to HTML
  this is pretty cool! I'd love to get my hands on that app!
  (tags: design coding)

links for 2009-12-18

• The Value of Sharing: Social Engagement | ShareThis
  Despite reports of its demise, e-mail is still the most popular method of sharing, and despite its meteoric rise of late, Twitter is still not a very popular sharing channel. In research performed by ShareThis, they found that 46 percent of shares came via e-mail, 33 percent from Facebook, 14 percent from other channels such as Digg, del.icio.us, LinkedIn, etc., and just 6 percent from Twitter.
  (tags: study sharing)
• 24 ways: Rock Solid HTML Emails
  When it comes to coding html for email, the key is to focus on three things. First, you should keep it simple. The more complex your email design, the more likely is it to choke on one of the popular clients with poor standards support.

  Second, you need to take your coding skills back a good decade. That often means nesting tables, bringing CSS inline and following the coding guidelines I’ll outline below.

  Finally, you need to test your designs regularly. Just because a template looks nice in Hotmail now, doesn’t mean it will next week.

  
  
  (tags: coding html)
  
  
• 
  
  Seven Questions for Co-Registration Service Providers
  
  
  "Despite claims to the contrary, co-registration isn't a quick fix or shortcut for list growth. It requires significant planning and maintenance to keep the program running well. However, if your partners and vendors are well chosen and monitored, it can be a solid way to grow your list beyond what you can achieve through more traditional means." says Derek Harding in this ClickZ article.
  
  
  (tags: co-registration list_growth)
  
  

links for 2009-12-17

• Email Industry Experts Speak Out: Pivotal Veracity
  "ISPs are now moving toward customer-level adaptive learning filters and placing explicit and learned customer-level behavior over all other levels of filtering (with the exception of outright Port25 blocks).

  This is an incredibly important shift with huge implications for mailers. It means, for example, that it does not matter if you have 0 complaints and 0 unknown user rates – if customer X has negatively engaged with your mail (e.g. historically ignored your mail, moved your mail to the spam folder, etc), it will be placed in the spam folder for that customer.

  Conversely, if your spam complaint rates and unknown user rates when computed at the IP or Domain level are such that you’re designated as spam, your mail will still be placed in the inbox for those customers who have positively engaged with your email (e.g., opened, clicked, replied, moved you to inbox, personal folders, reported you as not spam, added you their address book, etc)."

  
  
  (tags: deliverability engagement authentication)
  
  
• 
  
  4 Tips to Get Ready for Domain Reputation
  
  
  A number of top ISPs are putting in place, or have already established, domain-based reputation systems. It is a major shift in how email messages are delivered - one for which email marketers clearly need to prepare.
  
  
  (tags: deliverability reputation)
  
  

links for 2009-12-10

• Feedback Loops De-Mystified - AOL Postmaster Blog
  Annalivia Ford explains how the AOL Feedback loop works
  (tags: fbl deliverability aol)
• The coming changes
  ISPs and filtering companies are seeing increasing percentages of spam coming out of ESP netspace. Current processes for policing customers are extremely reactive and there are many ESPs that are allowing their customers to send measurable percentages of spam. This situation is untenable for the filtering companies or the ISPs and they’re sending out warnings that the ESPs need to stop letting so much spam leave their networks.
  (tags: deliverability industry spam)

links for 2009-12-09

• Let's Play the E-mail Blame Game!
  Amid reports that e-mail deliverability issues are up, experts from two leading e-mail service providers confirm that, yes, there has been a predictable surge in deliverability problems, but the marketers who are experiencing them are those who, for the most part, have failed to follow best practices.
  (tags: deliverability)
• Email: In Transition, Not Fading Away
  While the explosion of mobile applications and social media outlets is clearly creating shifts in email and channel usage, bad marketing practices will likely have the biggest negative impact on our beloved channel.
  (tags: industry trends)

links for 2009-12-07

• Debunking common email deliverability myths
  Did you sign up with your last email service provider after a whirlwind romance, only to find yourself disillusioned just a few months into the relationship?

  If you picked that firm because it promised to make all your deliverability problems go away, you probably fell for the ESP equivalent of "I'll call you tomorrow." Here are five common promises that ESPs make, but find hard to keep

  
  
  (tags: deliverability)
  
  
• 
  
  What email users say: Part 2 (spam, value and branding)
  
  
  Nobody should want to send spam, and not just for ethical reasons: if you send spam, expect a hit to your brand and image. And expect people to report you as such, which leads to blacklisting and other problems.

  It's all about individual perceptions here, so let go of your own opinions. Everyone has their own definition and what matters is what recipients think: they're the ones with the finger on the (delete) button.

  So what criteria do users apply to define spam?

  
  
  (tags: spam)
  
  
• 
  
  My Best Practices: Coding
  
  
  Here are some coding tips for html emails. Enjoy!
  
  
  (tags: coding html)
  
  
• 
  
  Marketing Spend For Email and Social Media Top Plans for 2010
  
  
  According to the November "2010 Marketing Trends Survey" of business leaders by StrongMail, 89% of respondents plan to increase or maintain marketing spend in email marketing and social media budgets in the New Year.
  
  
  (tags: study)
  
  

links for 2009-12-06

• Are You Leveraging Your Metrics For Maximum Benefit?
  Loren McDonald explains how to use email metrics to find out how your emails are performing.
  (tags: analysis metrics)
• Our Emails Are So Pretty, Our Messaging So Consistent … I Wonder Why Everybody Ignores Them?
  Many associations spend a lot of money and time developing what they call “consistent branding.” They have a look, they choose a stylebook, and everything they send out — print, email, online — follows the guidelines to a tee.

  Unfortunately, it’s completely irrelevant. It may sound good in a meeting, it may make a nice checkbox in a strategic plan, but it doesn’t mean a damn thing. The point of sending something out is not to make you look good — the point is to get someone else to do something.

  
  
  (tags: design)
  
  

links for 2009-12-05

• ExactTarget Raises $75 Million More, Up To $145 Million In Venture Capital
  Wow. Marketing email software provider ExactTargethas secured another $70 million in funding, according to an SEC filing, bringing the startup’s total funding this year alone to $145 million. The company raised $70 million earlier this year from Battery Ventures, Scale Venture Partners and Montagu Newhall. Not too shabby considering the state of the economy.
  (tags: industry esp)

links for 2009-12-04

• What email users say: Part 1 (attitudes to commercial email)
  Mark Brownlow spent a few hours with numerous surveys and pulled out some key stats and lessons for you.
  (tags: study consumers)
• For The Email Designers: Fixed vs. Fluid and Another Option
  In the email marketing/design world, fixed layouts have a higher preference because they are designed to be viewed in a subscribers preview pane as that’s usually where the subscriber will see it first. But what if you need to send a campaign containing tabular data that has many and/or wide columns?
  (tags: design coding html)
• E-mail Deliverability Suffered on Cyber Monday
  Almost one-quarter of e-mail messages sent on Cyber Monday didn't reach the inbox, according to new data from deliverability services firm Pivotal Veracity. The waves of messages being sent out on one of the busiest e-commerce days of the year resulted in only 76.2 percent of campaigns being successfully delivered.
  (tags: study deliverability)
• 10 Tips for HTML Email Programming Success
  HTML coding for emails is tricky; inboxes are crowded, and attention spans are short. So, it’s important to get your email–and email coding–just right.
  (tags: coding html)

links for 2009-12-02

• When is transactional mail not transactional anymore?
  “In the case of a membership association, does the nature of a membership renewal message transform from transactional to commercial solely on the basis whether the membership is current?"
  (tags: transactional_emails canspam legislation)
• Black Friday Data Shows Increased Marketing Activity, Careful Consumer Spending
  The trend of emailing more leading up to Black Friday continued in 2009 just as it had in 2008. However, the volume totals for several of these days — the Sunday, Monday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, along with Thanksgiving Day — were much higher in 2009 than last year.
  (tags: study holidays retail)
• The Myths (And Truth) About Domain Reputation
  George Bilbrey says "Domain reputation is a very good thing - but it's not going to cure all your deliverability ills.". In this article he examines some of the myths about domain reputation:
  (tags: deliverability reputation)
• Black Friday and Cyber Monday Set Retail Email Volume Records
  On Black Friday, 69% of major online retailers sent at least one promotional email, up from 59% in 2008, as tracked by the Retail Email Blog. On Cyber Monday, 71% sent at least one promotional email, making it both the most popular retail email day of this year and also the most popular of all-time. Last year, 70% of retailers sent email on Cyber Monday. And on Cyber Sunday, 45% of retailers sent at least one promotional email, up from 36% last year. That made Nov. 29 the biggest Sunday ever for retail email marketing.
  (tags: study retail holidays)
• New Chart: Opt-In Email Lists Still Growing, Slowly but Surely
  This past year was particularly challenging for email marketers attempting to grow their lists. Yet, the trend indicates that marketers tasked with this difficult situation have achieved surprisingly positive results.
  (tags: study list_growth)

links for 2009-12-01

• Use Twitter to tell you when to send your Email Newsletter « Toddle Stuff – Beautifully Simple Email Marketing
  interesting way to use Twitter search :)
  (tags: twitter)
• Half of Opt-Outs Are For Irrelevant Material
  According to a new poll from the Chief Marketing Officer Council, 64% of consumers say promotional offers dominate both the email and traditional mail they receive, and only 41% view these as must-read communications. Of the 91% of consumers who opt out or unsubscribe to emails, 46% are driven to brand defection because the messages are simply not relevant. -- read the full article for more interesting stats
  (tags: study unsubscribe relevancy)
• Gmail Creator Thinks Email Will Last Forever.
  “Email is not going to disappear. Possibly ever. Until the robots kill us all.” - Interesting point of view
  (tags: future_of_email)
• Is Dead really Dead?
  When the lead goes cold, what to do with inactive e-mail segments? -- Excellent article by Simone Barratt
  (tags: reactivation segmentation)
• The Final Word on DKIM and Deliverability
  DKIM isn't some wacky new anti-spam method intended to reduce your ability to get mail delivered (that's what that made-up word "deliverability" means, after all.) It's authentication, designed to make it easier to identify the good senders. This article is what I consider to be the ultimate guide to DKIM :-)
  (tags: dkim deliverability domainkeys)

links for 2009-11-29

• Getting the right email address
  how might you persuade would-be subscribers to give you the address they pay most attention to?
  (tags: list_growth)
• AOL EWL: low complaints no longer enough – Word to the Wise
  The AOL Enhanced Whitelist is for those senders that have very good practices. Senders on the EWL not only get their mail delivered to the inbox, but also have links and images enabled by default. Placement on the EWL is done solely on the basis of mail performance and only the best senders get on the list.
  (tags: aol deliverability whitelisting)
• Spam is a Perception- Mine
  Chris Brogan says: "If you push unwanted messages into my face over and over again, you’re the enemy. And I don’t mean ME specifically, I mean people. I’m showing you the receiving end of what some of us call marketing."
  (tags: spam permission)

links for 2009-11-23

• Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement: Executive Summary
  this guide examines the ways that email marketing has been used to support other channels by the top online retailers. It highlights tactics and standout examples of retailers using email to promote social media, mobile, stores, direct mail, online, and TV and online video.
  (tags: study)
• AOL's Nightmare Before Christmas guest post - Anna Laments
  fun poem about holiday email overload :)
  (tags: fun)

links for 2009-11-21

• Key Trends in B2B: Webinar Recap
  This post is the Coles-notes version of Brian Walker of Forrester Research’s presentation "Key Trends in B2B eCommerce: From Fulfilling Demand To Creating Demand"
  (tags: b2b)
• Which Type of Landing Experience is Right for You?
  The type of landing experience that’s best for you depends on the situation. Check out these guidelines to make sense out of the options
  (tags: landing_pages)
• Coupons Boost E-Mail Open Rate
  There is a pronounced difference between open rates for e-mails that include a coupon offer and those that do not. Open rates of around 24% to 25% for coupon e-mails dropped to just 16% to 18% for noncoupon campaigns, according to Experian.
  (tags: study)
• Matures Are Prolific E-Mailers
  seniors aged 65 and older ("Matures") have made the Internet an integral part of their everyday lives. In a recent study, 77% report that they shop online. Matures lead all other generational groups when it comes to online activity, 94% regularly using email, 71% go to the Internet to look up health and medical information, 70% read news, and 59% manage their finances and banking. In addition, 47% of online Matures regularly play free online games.
  (tags: study)

links for 2009-11-19

• Managing Your Email Subscribers' Expectations During The Holidays | Email Responsibly
  Zappos.com does a great job at managing their email subscribers' expectations – they notified their email subscribers about what they can expect to see in their inbox from Zappos.com this holiday season.
  (tags: cases frequency tactics)
• Eight Tips for Effective E-mail Preheaders
  When you use the preheader to expand on the subject line, add a secondary offer, or emphasize a deadline, you help the reader decide quickly what to do with the message. The easier you make your e-mail to open, read, and interact with, the more valuable it becomes to your subscribers.
  (tags: tactics preheader snippet)
• Design Tip of the Week: Email Rendering in Yahoo!
  Exact Target provides some great tips to consider when building your email campaign in order to create the best experience possible for Yahoo! subscribers.


  (tags: design yahoo)
• Email deliverability resources, sites, services, tools etc.
  Mark Brownlow compiled a list of 192 deliverability resources
  (tags: deliverability)
• Tips for crafting emails that subscribers love to open
  Email forces you to be concise, but "concise" does not exclude "elegant". Inject some life into your messages so that they read like a note from a friend. Always give readers something else to do if they don't want to act on your offer
  (tags: tactics)
• Where does your email really go?
  When you send an email out, though, it may be going to a Yahoo! domain address, then forwarded on to a Gmail domain address and finally rendered in Outlook 2007. What can you do to ensure that your mail has the highest rate of making it to its final destination regardless of the cyber hops in the middle?
  (tags: tactics deliverability list_management)

links for 2009-11-18

• More Evidence E-mail’s Not Dead
  Someone forgot to tell small-business owners e-mail is dead. According to a just-released survey done by Hurwitz & Associates on behalf of e-mail service provider Campaigner, 46% of businesses with 20 employees or fewer use e-mail marketing today and of those who don’t, 36% plan to begin doing so in the coming year.
  (tags: study)

links for 2009-11-16

• Writing effective email copy - Blog - Campaign Monitor
  In this post Campaign Monitor's Ros Hodgekiss highlights some considerations when writing effective email copy, including tone, personality, keeping it concise, offering value to the reader and testing.
  (tags: copywriting)

links for 2009-11-15

• Digital Marketing Mixer Lessons
  33 top digital marketing tips & best quotes of the event
  (tags: events)
• Future of deliverability: 5. Sender reputation and B2B email marketing
  It is true to say that reputation-based filtering plays a smaller role in B2B than it does in B2C. But that doesn't mean reputation is irrelevant in B2B. The idea that B2B deliverability is only about content filtering is a myth. Here are three reasons why B2B marketers also need to worry about their sender reputation.
  (tags: deliverability b2b)
• Cisco Launches WebEx Mail
  What? Another one?
• Email's Antisocial Sin
  Some have referred to what we are observing in social media as a revolution. For marketers, the revolution lies not in the tools, not in the speed, not even in the ability of consumers to communicate with each other. For marketers, the revolution is that the focus of marketing is changing from selling to serving. Good marketing is increasingly less about creating compelling messages and more about providing excellent customer service.
  (tags: strategy)
• Lead-Gen Revamp with Automation and Scoring: 7 Steps to 190% Increase in Sales Conversions
  See how a software company combined segmentation, lead scoring, automated nurturing campaigns and more to develop robust prospect profiles, segment their database and deliver the most relevant information to prospects. Through better lead qualification, they’ve seen their sales conversion rates jump 190%.
  (tags: lead_nurturing segmentation lead_scoring cases)
• Ways To Increase Conversions From Seniors
  how can you help turn seniors' purchase intent into dollars for your business? Some modifications of your emails and online shopping experience can take you a long way towards this goal.
  (tags: seniors design)
• Using Product Reviews to Boost Subscriber Engagement & Conversions
  Bronto's Julie Waite looks at some creative ways you can tie product reviews into your email marketing campaigns, along with some examples…
  (tags: product_reviews engagement)
• MarketingSherpa: New Chart: Email Spending Sped Up as the Economy Slowed
  Email has not only been spared the ax that fell heavily on most marketing budget line items, it seems to have actually benefited from the down economy.
  (tags: study)
• Removing 'Unengaged' Is Key to Deliverability, Too
  If you do nothing to control or re-engage your inactive subscribers, this segment can grow large enough to trigger ISP filtering or blocking. Even your most engaged subscribers wouldn't receive your messages if that happens, because your sender reputation is so poor, your messages won't reach their inboxes. So, your reputation, your deliverability, and ultimately the health of your e-mail program are in jeopardy.
  (tags: deliverability engagement)
• Design Tip of the Week: Email Rendering in Gmail
  Andrea Smith provides some great tips to consider when building your email campaign in order to create the best experience possible for Gmail subscribers.


  (tags: design gmail)

links for 2009-11-05

• Email software popularity: 5 lessons for your list
  Mark Brownlow explains why there is value to knowing exactly where your emails are viewed
  (tags: analysis metrics design email_clients)