Here is a quick quiz to evaluate you as an email marketer and see how much you know about email marketing.
Q1 What is permission?
A: Permission is when a subscriber asks to be added to an email list. Such permission can be withdrawn directly (unsubscribe, spam report) or indirectly (ignoring all messages) at any time, so senders need to continue delivering value to ensure this permission remains current.
B: A red-orange fruit that looks a little like a tomato.
C: I prefer to ask for forgiveness.
Q2 What role does copywriting play in email?
A: Copywriting is an undervalued skill in email marketing that is important for getting people to see, read and act on emails.
B: You cannot use copywrited images or text in your messages.
C: It’s critical.
Q3 What is cross-channel integration?
A: Coordinating and combining the channels you use so as to optimize the desired results across the organization.
B: A website available in both English and French.
C: When you spam Twitter, too.
Q4 What is the Can-Spam Act?
A: It provides a legal framework for sending commercial email in the USA, but the requirements fall well short of what are considered industry best practices.
B: A Indian directive covering hygiene regulations for processed meat.
C: US legislation that makes it OK to send unsolicited commercial email.
Q5 What role do tables play in email design?
A: A lack of standards in how email clients and webmail systems handle CSS means most emails are structured using tables.
B: They allow us to place our laptops at a comfortable height for using Photoshop.
C: We don’t worry about design: every minute spent on it is one less minute spent harvesting email addresses.
Q6 What is CPA?
A: Cost per action. A list owner may, for example, accept a third-party ad in their newsletter on a CPA basis. Payment might be a fixed fee for a lead generated, a white paper download or a sale, or a percentage of the revenue generated through the ad for the advertiser.
B: A certified public accountant.
C: The main payment method for the 100 million double opt-in email addresses I rent out to offshore pharmacies.
Q7 How do you get more email delivered?
A: Ensure you maintain a good sender reputation, primarily by keeping your lists free of dead addresses and sending the kind of email that does not generate spam complaints.
B: Send it Express.
C: You should send as much email as you can to as many people as you can as often as you can. That
way you maximize your chances of getting some delivered.
Q8 What is the best frequency to send email?
A: The optimal frequency depends on your email program and your audience. It’s possible to send both too little and too much email, and the “best” frequency varies between individuals and segments.
B: Didn’t realize you could transmit emails via radio: this is all about mobile email, right?
C: Again, you should send as much email as you can to as many people as you can as often as you can.
Q9 Does an unopened email have value?
A: Yes, it impacts on awareness and can trigger response in other channels (search, offline etc.)
B: Does a tree falling in the wood make any sound, if nobody is there to hear it?
C: No.
RESULTS
So how did you do?
If you answered mainly A:
Well done! You know your email marketing.
If you answered mainly B:
You have a poor understanding of the issues and a tenuous grip on reality.
If you answered mainly C:
Are you by any chance the wife of the late Nigerian Minister of Finance who needs help to transfer some funds out of the country?
May 30, 2011
May 28, 2011
Why Low Open Rate For Your Email Newsletter?
It is imperative that list quality plays a major role in email marketing output. No doubt about it.
Reason# 1: Your newsletter isn’t helpful
As an email marketer you should know that your content has to be useful or it won’t get read. Write something useful, helpful, but avoid being self-promotional in every newsletter.
Reason #2: Your message isn’t particularly compelling
Your message doesn’t show up in your writing, and that means your writing doesn’t really convey how you feel.
Reason # 3: You’re not telling stories
Your newsletter need not to be perfectly organized and structured articles. Stories are a great way to create newsletter. Start with stories about your clients. Write about what you’ve experienced in your industry and your thoughts about it. When you’re trying to elicit response, nothing gets your readers
engaged like the color and drama of a good story.
Reason # 4: You have a half-hearted call to action
You have to be pretty clear what you want your recipients to do. Do not hope your customers will act on their own. And customers mostly don’t — You need to tell them. Do you want them to click on a link? Tell them to click here (and also tell them why). Do you want them to buy? Tell them. Of course, it won't work if you’re a complete stranger.
Reason # 5: Your don’t send newsletter consistently
If you’re going to write a newsletter, then you’ve got to have a publishing schedule. You have to promise your readers that your newsletter will go out once a month, or twice a month or three times a week — whatever it may be. One of the big reasons for the lack of response is that your newsletter is a stranger to your readers. You can’t send them a newsletter whenever you feel like it and hope they’ll respond. Response is directly related to frequency.
Summary
Reason# 1: Your newsletter isn’t helpful
As an email marketer you should know that your content has to be useful or it won’t get read. Write something useful, helpful, but avoid being self-promotional in every newsletter.
Reason #2: Your message isn’t particularly compelling
Your message doesn’t show up in your writing, and that means your writing doesn’t really convey how you feel.
Reason # 3: You’re not telling stories
Your newsletter need not to be perfectly organized and structured articles. Stories are a great way to create newsletter. Start with stories about your clients. Write about what you’ve experienced in your industry and your thoughts about it. When you’re trying to elicit response, nothing gets your readers
engaged like the color and drama of a good story.
Reason # 4: You have a half-hearted call to action
You have to be pretty clear what you want your recipients to do. Do not hope your customers will act on their own. And customers mostly don’t — You need to tell them. Do you want them to click on a link? Tell them to click here (and also tell them why). Do you want them to buy? Tell them. Of course, it won't work if you’re a complete stranger.
Reason # 5: Your don’t send newsletter consistently
If you’re going to write a newsletter, then you’ve got to have a publishing schedule. You have to promise your readers that your newsletter will go out once a month, or twice a month or three times a week — whatever it may be. One of the big reasons for the lack of response is that your newsletter is a stranger to your readers. You can’t send them a newsletter whenever you feel like it and hope they’ll respond. Response is directly related to frequency.
Summary
- Pure self-promotion won’t work — make it useful.
- Your tone of writing is critical.
- If you can’t get your head around structure, use customer stories.
- Don’t be half-hearted about promotion — give a strong call to action.
- Without consistent frequency, your customers will forget who you are even if you do everything else right.
May 26, 2011
How to Lower Unsubscribes From Your Email Marketing?
The most important part of email marketing is not just email delivery rates or open rates or even clicks. It’s your relationship with your client.
Do they value your business relationship? Do you? Are you sending them relevant and valuable content?. Do you know what your client wants or needs from this business relationship?
Business relationships are like personal ones. We all have expectations, wants and needs that we expect the other party to provide in the relationship. When it comes to your business and email marketing relationship, you must deliver value. Value will keep your subscribers engaged and reading. Value is not always a discount on services or goods. Value can be knowledge, education and or solutions to a problem.
Content should be targeted to the needs of the client, as this is a one-to-one medium. Segment your lists and customize your content to better address the message you want the client to receive. Make the call to action something that entices each group for their specific needs. Dynamic Content is a great way to create one email but have the content change based on the subscribers profile and preferences.
New clients need different content than existing clients as do potential clients, make sure you give them what they need. Review the content you’re delivering and your subscriber’s preferences and work towards delivering the content they want and you’ll have happier subscribers and less unsubscribes.
Do they value your business relationship? Do you? Are you sending them relevant and valuable content?. Do you know what your client wants or needs from this business relationship?
Business relationships are like personal ones. We all have expectations, wants and needs that we expect the other party to provide in the relationship. When it comes to your business and email marketing relationship, you must deliver value. Value will keep your subscribers engaged and reading. Value is not always a discount on services or goods. Value can be knowledge, education and or solutions to a problem.
Content should be targeted to the needs of the client, as this is a one-to-one medium. Segment your lists and customize your content to better address the message you want the client to receive. Make the call to action something that entices each group for their specific needs. Dynamic Content is a great way to create one email but have the content change based on the subscribers profile and preferences.
New clients need different content than existing clients as do potential clients, make sure you give them what they need. Review the content you’re delivering and your subscriber’s preferences and work towards delivering the content they want and you’ll have happier subscribers and less unsubscribes.
May 24, 2011
Need higher email marketing response? Do this
In our efforts to help you leverage the power of email marketing to work for your business we have listed some of the best practices that you MUST follow to achieve higher response from your email marketing campaigns
1.Use your corporate/business email address for FROM address.
- Avoid using ISPs suchas Yahoo,Gmail.
- Consistently use your domain name to build reputation overtime.
- With Mail Marketer you can use your own business email address for FROM and REPLY
2.Use Good Contact List- Send emails to those who want it.
- Avoid purchased leads/ list from online. Build your ownlist.
- Clean your list of bounces regularly.
- Do not resend to bounced email address
- Give minimum 3 days gap of every successive campaign sent to the same contact list.
3.Give Unsubscribe Option- Include the unsubscribe link both at top and bottom ofemails.
- Don't give your recipient a chance to click 'Report Spam'.
- Mail Marketer’s one-click unsubscribe feature does wonder, no further emails are sent to
unsubscribed contacts.
4. Create Good Email Content- Make sure your emails don't get flagged as spam. Write your suject line more attractive.
- Avoid using words suchas 'Free', 'Save', ‘Discount’ in both the subject line and content.
- Personalize emails with the recipients name. Use Custom Fields in Mail Marketer.
- Mail Marketers advanced Spam-Filter Check tool, helps you find and remove spam words from
your content.
5.Signature- Always include a signature at the bottom of youre mails.
- Include your personal, company and contact details
1.Use your corporate/business email address for FROM address.
- Avoid using ISPs suchas Yahoo,Gmail.
- Consistently use your domain name to build reputation overtime.
- With Mail Marketer you can use your own business email address for FROM and REPLY
2.Use Good Contact List- Send emails to those who want it.
- Avoid purchased leads/ list from online. Build your ownlist.
- Clean your list of bounces regularly.
- Do not resend to bounced email address
- Give minimum 3 days gap of every successive campaign sent to the same contact list.
3.Give Unsubscribe Option- Include the unsubscribe link both at top and bottom ofemails.
- Don't give your recipient a chance to click 'Report Spam'.
- Mail Marketer’s one-click unsubscribe feature does wonder, no further emails are sent to
unsubscribed contacts.
4. Create Good Email Content- Make sure your emails don't get flagged as spam. Write your suject line more attractive.
- Avoid using words suchas 'Free', 'Save', ‘Discount’ in both the subject line and content.
- Personalize emails with the recipients name. Use Custom Fields in Mail Marketer.
- Mail Marketers advanced Spam-Filter Check tool, helps you find and remove spam words from
your content.
5.Signature- Always include a signature at the bottom of youre mails.
- Include your personal, company and contact details
May 20, 2011
Why Email Marketing Matters to Businesses
Email marketing is about creating email, newsletter, invitation or online survey and sending to your audience at regular interval, which enables you to build strong relationship with them and make it possible to accomplish business growth.
According to a study by the Winterberry Group, email marketing fetches RS.15.50 per Rupee spent. Email marketing is more effective than direct-mail campaigns and telemarketing campaigns in terms of presentation, time, money, energy and result.
The points that needs to be kept in our mind when we think about sending email is
1. The purpose for which you are sending an email
whether to convert the existing customers into a loyal customers or to find and convert the prospects or to create brand awareness.
2. How frequently you should send.
The purpose determines the content of the email, newsletter, invitation or online survey. Point to be remembered is that content is short, high informative and as per the interest and requirement of the audience. The type of business, product or services, market trend, competition, audience interest and requirement together determines how frequently emails are required to be send to customers. It should be send at consistent basis on regular interval.
If you stick with sending relevant, high quality content-rich emails on a consistent basis to persons who have requested to receive your emails, you will increase your prospect to customer conversion rates and customer lifetime value at a fraction of the of the cost of traditional methods.
According to a study by the Winterberry Group, email marketing fetches RS.15.50 per Rupee spent. Email marketing is more effective than direct-mail campaigns and telemarketing campaigns in terms of presentation, time, money, energy and result.
The points that needs to be kept in our mind when we think about sending email is
1. The purpose for which you are sending an email
whether to convert the existing customers into a loyal customers or to find and convert the prospects or to create brand awareness.
2. How frequently you should send.
The purpose determines the content of the email, newsletter, invitation or online survey. Point to be remembered is that content is short, high informative and as per the interest and requirement of the audience. The type of business, product or services, market trend, competition, audience interest and requirement together determines how frequently emails are required to be send to customers. It should be send at consistent basis on regular interval.
If you stick with sending relevant, high quality content-rich emails on a consistent basis to persons who have requested to receive your emails, you will increase your prospect to customer conversion rates and customer lifetime value at a fraction of the of the cost of traditional methods.
May 18, 2011
Email Marketing Primer
1. Permission based contact list
Making uses of permission based contact list i.e. opt in or double opt in contact list enable you to achieve high deliverability and avoid the spam report by the recipients. Revive the contact list regularly to keep it clean and valid.
2. Use of unsubscribe link
Don’t forget to provide for an unsubscribe link in your email. The access to unsubscribe link should be made it easy and simple so that your email recipients can use it to unsubscribe instead of reporting for spam. Make it sure that you have removed unsubscribed contact list from your contact list next time when you send emails.
3. Planning the subject line
The subject line should be short, compelling and interesting .The open rate is relatively high for the email which contain short, compelling and interesting subject line. It helps the reader to decide whether to open and read the email or not. If your email ends up with unopened then all your efforts’ and opportunities to reach out your recipient get vanished. Hence give due consideration on planning the subject line.
4. Creating an email
When creating an email keeps in mind how much time your recipients can afford to spend for reading your email. In this computer savvy world, people have to gather information within a quick time frame.ie to say everyone is information hungry but always in a hurry. Keep the email short and content rich with informative. Provide headline for each topic. This helps the reader to scan the topics and read the one which they feel interesting and useful.
5. Professionally formatted email
Your email should look like professional email. Format the email properly and if you use HTML format make sure the colours and formatting do not spoil or abstract the importance of the content. It should be pleasing and professional. If you use text format make sure your size is neither too small nor too big and properly aligned.
6. Senders details
Provide full details of the sender’s, name, designation, company name, address, phone no, email Id etc. This helps you to create good image in the mind of the reader that email is not from spammer and you have send it for professional purpose and trust the email content are not void.
In short, a compelling and interesting subject line with short, properly formatted, quality and informative content email send to permission based contact list helps your email get read by the recipient and achieve high deliverability.
Making uses of permission based contact list i.e. opt in or double opt in contact list enable you to achieve high deliverability and avoid the spam report by the recipients. Revive the contact list regularly to keep it clean and valid.
2. Use of unsubscribe link
Don’t forget to provide for an unsubscribe link in your email. The access to unsubscribe link should be made it easy and simple so that your email recipients can use it to unsubscribe instead of reporting for spam. Make it sure that you have removed unsubscribed contact list from your contact list next time when you send emails.
3. Planning the subject line
The subject line should be short, compelling and interesting .The open rate is relatively high for the email which contain short, compelling and interesting subject line. It helps the reader to decide whether to open and read the email or not. If your email ends up with unopened then all your efforts’ and opportunities to reach out your recipient get vanished. Hence give due consideration on planning the subject line.
4. Creating an email
When creating an email keeps in mind how much time your recipients can afford to spend for reading your email. In this computer savvy world, people have to gather information within a quick time frame.ie to say everyone is information hungry but always in a hurry. Keep the email short and content rich with informative. Provide headline for each topic. This helps the reader to scan the topics and read the one which they feel interesting and useful.
5. Professionally formatted email
Your email should look like professional email. Format the email properly and if you use HTML format make sure the colours and formatting do not spoil or abstract the importance of the content. It should be pleasing and professional. If you use text format make sure your size is neither too small nor too big and properly aligned.
6. Senders details
Provide full details of the sender’s, name, designation, company name, address, phone no, email Id etc. This helps you to create good image in the mind of the reader that email is not from spammer and you have send it for professional purpose and trust the email content are not void.
In short, a compelling and interesting subject line with short, properly formatted, quality and informative content email send to permission based contact list helps your email get read by the recipient and achieve high deliverability.
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