3 Common Misconceptions Of Email Marketing
"Don't believe everything you hear." This wise old saying certainly applies
to many things, and email marketing is no exception. From spam legislation,
filters, email client rendering issues to response rates - there is frequently
a lot of confl icting and confusing information fl oating around the industry.
So in this month's article we are going to try and straighten out a couple of
common misconceptions in email marketing. Misconception: "An incorrect interpretation
or understanding." So with that definition in mind, I've whittled a number
of misconceptions down to the three I hear propagated most often.
Never Use the Word Free Don't Send Emails on Weekends Improve Results
by Growing Your ListWhile there are varying levels of truth to each
of the above statements, they are not universal truths. As some product warnings
state, "your results may differ." So let's look a little deeper at these
three commonly held email-marketing truisms.Never Use the Word "Free"
- Perhaps the most common misconception in email marketing is that you
should "never use the word free." By itself, the word free will not cause any of
the major spam or content filters to reject your email. (Though it is possible
that some corporations or user-driven spam filters might be set to delete
emails containing the word "free") So why then would you risk using free when
there is a chance, albeit small, your email might be filtered? Quite simply,
better results. In our experience across various clients, when used correctly,
the word free can provide a powerful boost to your results.Not convinced?
Ok, let's look at two popular spam content filters to see how they actually
work and treat your free-laden emails.
Spam Assassin - Spam Assassin is one
of the leading "test-based" spam filters and many of the large ISPs model their
own filters afterSpam Assassin's test algorithm. The Spam Assassin
filter
assigns points - positive and negative - to the content and coding of an email.
An email is run through the filter and is assigned positive points (in this
case positive means potential spam) and negative points (contentand coding
believed not generally used by spammers). (A legitimate email that is
filtered
as a result of these positive scores is referred toas a "false-positive.")
The score is totaled and if it exceeds a certain level it is filtered. Users
of Spam Assassin can change the test scorevalues and determine the level
at which emails are filtered. It is generally believed that most companies/ISPs
use a total score of around10, but that some may go as low as 4.
So, what does this mean when using free? Review the Spam Assassin list and you
will see that a number of phrases that use free doreceive fairly high scores
of 1 and higher. But phrases commonly used by legitimate marketers such as "free
shipping," "free e-book" and"free white paper" are not affected.
Microsoft Outlook 2000 Junk E-mail Filter - Outlook 2000 contains a default
Junk fi filter that looks for certain "junk and adult" content- that when
triggered automatically routes the email to your Outlook's Deleted Items folder.
This filter must be turned on and as a result it isunclear how many Outlook
users have activated this function. But unlike the test score-based filters,
Outlook uses a pass/fail method. This filter addresses a few uses of free,
but the most common usage that triggers the filter is the use of an exclamation
point and free in yoursubject line.
Your Take Away - Yes, you should
be careful when using free in your email communications - but when used correctly
and strategically,you will generally see greater results than by not using
this powerful word. The bottom line - test, test, test. Additionally, to help
you navigatethe complex world of spam filters, EmailLabs has added a spam
content checker in the latest version of our application. This featureenables
you to test your message for potential problems prior to distribution.
Don't Send Emails on Weekends. - In general, distributing your emails on
Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday is a good rule of thumb. Infact, in a recent
analysis of EmailLabs clients' mailings, roughly 73 percent of all emails were
distributed on those three days. Additionally,about 64 percent of all messages
were opened Tuesday to Thursday. Further, while I don't have statistics to support
this, I believe thatmost people (consumers) receive a greater volume of
spam email on weekend days than they do on weekdays.
So why would you
ever send an email on the weekend, or even Monday or Friday? Putting aside breaking
news, announcements, dailynewsletters and the like, weekends can be the
best time to motivate readers or customers to take a specific action.
Consider sports fans, music buyers, movie buffs, weekend sport warriors
and others that may be more likely to take an action on the weekend- when
they are engaged in, or actively thinking about, your product, service or content
topic. For example, a sports-related client ofEmailLabs tested sending its
emails on Sunday mornings versus weekdays. While open and click-through rates
we sometimes higher foremails sent during the week, the emails sent on Sunday
always resulted in a higher number of transactions. The conclusion with this
clientwas that their customers were in a "purchasing mood" on the weekend,
or early in the week after receiving the email and by ordering earlythey
could receive their merchandise in time to use them on the ensuing weekend.
Additionally, depending on the frequency and content of your emails, distributing
consistently on a Monday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday willgenerally lead
to strong results. If subscribers come to know and trust that your newsletter
will arrive every Monday at 5 p.m.; or Sunday at7 a.m., - your open rates
are likely to be higher than if you distribute inconsistently on Tuesday through
Thursday.
Your Take Away - In general, Tuesday through Thursday are optimal
days to send emails. However, if your company's offering is relevantto your
subscribers' or customers' weekend lives, consider testing different distribution
times on Saturday and Sunday. And try to establishconsistency so that you
readers come to expect and anticipate the arrival of your email.
Improve
Results by Growing Your List - Because of its lower distribution costs relative
to other forms of marketing, many email marketersmistakenly place too much
emphasis on growing the size of their email list. Obviously, increasing the
size of your email list is a goodthing, but a quality list of active, interested
and motivated subscribers/customers is really the end game on which you should
focus.Let's take a look at some sample math.
In the simple example
above, an online retailer selling products at an average order size of $100
could see an increase of 28 percent inrevenue by taking steps to improve
relevance and conversion. Consider taking steps to clean out the dead wood in
your list, but at minimum,reduce the energy you spend on your inactive members.
So how do you get more out of your golden subscribers/customers? Relevance!
Here are a few tips: Switch to double opt in. Never pre-check the
sign-up boxes. Deliver on whatever promises you make in the sign-up process.
Collect as much information on subscribers as you can that will enable you
to deliver segmented and personalize messages, withoutdriving too many away
from the sign-up process. Segment your subscribers into a modest number
of groups for which you are then able to deliver relevant, targeted and personalized
messages. Test, test, test. Try different offers, formats, types of subject
lines, distribution days/times and other variables. Don't stop at open
and click-through tracking; use Web-site action tracking to accurately understand
what variables are driving themost desired actions. Consider follow-up
campaigns and trigger-based emails that are sent to subscribers when they do
or do not take a specifi c actionsuch as not opening an email or clicking
on a specific link.Your Take Away: Focus as much, if not more, of your
resources and energy on getting a greater response out of your interested/motivated
list members. Do take steps to build your list, but place increased emphasis
on quality and the collection of more demographic and preferenceinformation
that will enable you to deliver more targeted and personalized emails.
Have I convinced you of these misconceptions, or are you going to stay true
to these common industry beliefs? Drop me a line and let meknow what you
think, or suggest your own email marketing misconceptions. Regardless of your
beliefs, you should continue to test theseand other variables to determine
what works best for you and your specifi c subscribers and customers.
Try Technetto's Email Marketing Solution. Free Trial If 15 Daysby: Anusha Sharma
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