Holiday promotions have long past us, Valentine’s Day blew by, the 2010 Winter Olympics have wrapped up, and now we’re at the beginning of boring, so-sick-of-the-winter, March.  Besides the boozing that goes on for St. Patty’s Day and some March Madness fun that will begin ramping up, not too much goes on in this month, so how can you keep your subscribers interested and engaged during this lull?

Besides the obvious of constantly tapping into your left brain to strive to make the most creative, unique, and interesting email content each time you develop a campaign, here are some small, but effective, email marketing techniques that can surely help you retain and even continue to build your list:

REALLY Make Your Online Opt-in Prominent

You have an online opt-in form on your website – great.  You have this online opt-in form as an easy-to-find option on  every page on your site – fantastic.  You have your opt-in form pop up to site visitors – we might as well call you the Chuck Norris of online opt-in forms!  Of course with pop up opt-in forms you should make sure to not cross the fine line of being prominent to being annoying, but this can be an awesome technique to building your email marketing lists.

Check out how Bumble and Bumble (view full image here) has utilized this technique – it certainly worked on me! If it were me I would try to have the opt-in form still available on every page of the site, but have a pop up to opt-in after navigating through 3-ish pages of the website.  This gives the visitor a chance to become engaged and interested in your content before asking to opt-in.

Alternate Your Email Communication Types

The majority of email marketers exclusively send either promotional emails to get a sale or company/industry newsletters to nurture their subscribers.  However, I don’t believe that these two different angles are utilized together enough by companies.  Everyone goes through spending and saving phases, so it’s important to be able to reach each subscriber while they are in both of these phases.

You can also play with the length of your content between your campaign types.  Same idea – sometimes readers have time to read and click through multiple articles or multiple promotion items, and other times they may just have time for a one.  If you have both types of email communications you can cater to both types of audiences.

Check out the above examples to see how Blue Sky Factory utilizes a couple of different email campaign types.

Subscriber Preferences

If you are able to utilize the above tip of sending multiple email communication types, then kudos!  But you must ensure that you continue to allow your subscribers to decide which campaign types they wanted to be opted into.  Giving them an “update your preferences” option will most certainly decrease the amount of global opt outs you endure.  If you need help setting this up, your ESP should be able to help you out pretty easily.  An example of failure on this was when I signed up for J. Crew’s emails.  I don’t have kids, so I wouldn’t want the weekly CrewCuts email, although I’d still want emails on the Women’s line.  I got too annoyed with the CrewCuts emails constantly popping up that I opted out. With no options to customize my email communications to my preferences, they lost me all together.  Too bad…  I do love their oxford shirts…

Create A Unique Opt Out Page

Alright, so your subscriber has decided they don’t utilize your emails enough, and they’re thinking they might as well opt out so they can clean up their inbox a bit.  Give them an opt out landing page that they can’t resist and you’ll surely discourage any opt outs.  Take Groupon’s notorious opt out page for example.  Make them laugh, ensure they understand what they’ll be missing out on, give them an option to opt back in if they clicked on the opt out option by accident – there’s a lot you can do on this page to discourage an actual opt out.  But in any case, opt outs will still happen.   Make sure that you welcome feedback with opt outs so that you can continue to make your email communications better and minimize this negative metric moving forward.

So while March may be a bit bleak, use this long month to excel your email marketing practices.  Just because we’re all just waiting for this month to pass by so we can get to spring, it doesn’t mean that you’re email marketing has to just pass by this month.  What changes have you made to retain and build your lists over non-eventful months?  Did your techniques work?  Everyone’s audiences are different, but our community knowledge share can be an indispensable resource, so please do share!

Photo credit: alexbarlow / CC BY-ND 2.0

Elena Hekimian
Client Services Manager, Blue Sky Factory

__________________

Oh yeah. If you really are bored this month, why not download our new eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing? Either click on the link or the image to your left (both will go to the same place), provide us some information, and the eBook is yours…for free.

What are you waiting for?

When it comes to email marketing, you can’t be too small.

While many businesses often highlight their largest, most well-known clients, I want to take the time to introduce North Ridge Wine & Spirits.  Another one of my prized clients, North Ridge shows that businesses of all sizes can benefit from email marketing.

North Ridge is a laid back, family run establishment located in a suburb just outside of Baltimore, and they haven’t been afraid to dive head first into the world of email marketing.  It has paid off.

As a small business, I’m sure starting email marketing initiatives can be a bit intimidating.  “How do I get an email list?  Am I supposed to know HMTL code?  What is CAN-SPAM anyway?”  Nonetheless, with North Ridge’s willingness to learn, coupled with our help and expertise, these guys have been in email marketing for a year now and are reaping the benefits.  Let’s see how they started from scratch.

Step 1: Building A Proper Website

North Ridge didn’t even have a proper website, so first and foremost we worked with them on this.  Their owner and our creative director collaborated to build a fine-looking, but reasonably-priced website.  We got rid of the shopping center photo, gave the design a “richness”, and, of course, added opt-in options on every page of the site.   It didn’t need to be too flashy or complex, so we developed a simple six-page website that they would be able to update on their own.  As a result, North Ridge’s web traffic increased dramatically.

Step 2: Creating An HTML-Designed Email Template

Another creative piece we helped them develop was an email template.  First impressions are a big deal, so looking professional, sharp, and cohesive when beginning an email marketing program is very important.  Luckily, North Ridge was smart enough to understand this, and in no time, we created a top quality email template that they could easily update with their new content each time they were ready to send out an email.  It does take some initial investment, but with it comes the confidence that you have a professional and functional email that is spreading your “brand” positively with every send.

Step 3: Don’t Sleep On Your Content

The importance of including new and interesting content with every send cannot be stressed enough!  North Ridge does a fantastic job of understanding their client base and giving them fresh content that isn’t too overwhelming or overstimulating.   And that isn’t just my biased analysis – the open rates prove it.  They reach open rates above the 21% industry average with every send – every send!

Step 4: List Building

This is where I see a lot of companies looking to start email marketing just shut down.  They (and possibly you?) don’t know how to start their email list(s) so they figure, “I’ll just buy one”.  However, every ESP will turn down a potential client if they use a bought list.  This is where discouragement lies – but it didn’t for North Ridge.  They wanted to do things right, so last year they simply started getting their employees to ask for email addresses at the only touch point they currently had – at the counter.  Seriously, each employee would ask at the point of sale if they wanted to sign up for specials, announcements, etc, and they would hand write their email addresses in a notepad.  In March 2009, they sent their first email to a list size of 54.  Yeah, 54.  Last week’s send was to a list of 1,886.  All from in-store sign ups and online opt-ins – all done the right way.

Step 5: Understanding How To Measure Your Own Unique Success

Now, I’m not going to hide that they usually have a click-through rate of less than 1%.  But for them, that’s fine.  There is no big e-commerce option on the North Ridge Wine & Spirits website, and their entire stock list isn’t kept online – that would be too much for their business.  So while a high click-through rate is usually the goal for most email marketers, it isn’t for them, and they understand that.   The exponentially growing list size, the open rates of over 25% consistently with every send, and the drastically increased sales since they’ve started these online initiatives are their measurements of success.  But again, it’s different for every business, and it’s up for each marketer to decide what makes the most sense for them.

So Why Haven’t You Started Email Marketing Yet?

Are you a small business that is still apprehensive to start email marketing?  Follow in the steps of North Ridge Wines & Spirits, and you will have no problems at all.  Sure, there is some initial work to put in, but email marketing works, not to mention it has one of the top ROIs of all marketing methods.  So don’t be scared, start a conversation with us.  It would be our pleasure to watch another account grow into success.

Elena Hekimian
Client Services Manager, Blue Sky Factory

_______________________

Things are looking up!  Now is the time to be aggressive in your market, and email marketing will help.  Learn more today.

I was recently at an industry event and kept hearing the same comment when email marketing was brought up:

“But how do you break through the clutter? I get annoyed by most of the emails I receive, and sometimes I even put in fake email addresses because I feel that way. Wouldn’t the potential subscribers I’m targeting feel the same, and if so, then what’s the point of email marketing?”

Here’s where I butted into the conversation.

I totally understand this statement. Even in my different email accounts right now I have my own email opening prioritization: work inbox (1), personal inbox (11), marketing inbox (29).  Heck, I’ve added fake email addresses before, but I’ve also submitted my correct email address as well.

Herein lies the game changers – the 5 elements that separate solid email marketing campaigns against weak, unsuccessful ones.

1. Make The Sign Up Worth It

First and foremost in your email campaigns is the element enticing people to sign up.  Would I sign up for Kashi emails to find out about their newest product releases? Probably not, but free samples?  Now you’re talking!  I realize that’s a fairly easy B2C example, but this can be applied to any business. It’s important to find out what your potential audience wants.  If they really want what you’re offering, they will take the time to opt-in and read your emails.  Subscribers might even choose to read your emails over the bank statement email still in their inbox or the work email that just came in.  Not sure what type of emails would actually interest them enough to sign up (with a valid email address) and maybe even whitelist your from address? The key is to provide many options. Check out Blue Sky Factory’s Subscription Center for a good example.

2. Set Accurate Expectations

Commitment is tough – especially without really knowing what you are getting yourself into. If I’m going to a restaurant, I want to know where it’s located, the type of cuisine, pricing, variety of the menu, atmosphere, etc. I like to know what to expect.
Why would it be any different here?  If you will be sending emails once a month on company news and once a week for specials, let subscribers know.  Set expectations about frequency and content.  Check out this Social Media B2B signup form (Blue Sky Factory client).  Trust is an epic characteristic, earn it.

3. Show The Love

People love to be recognized, to be acknowledged, to be thanked. Take the time to thank your potential subscriber for their interest and enthusiasm for your brand.  When you’re spending money and or time (which to some may even be more valuable), a thank you is always ALWAYS well received.  It’s such an easy extra “umph” to get them to sign up.

4. Be Extra Awesome With Your Follow Up

I’m confident that you can get subscribers signed up through the above techniques. However, there is one other major element to continue your all-star email marketing. You must follow through. Whatever you promised them in the way beginning, be sure you give it to them, and in a timely manner.   The content, the frequency, the privacy levels, everything you stated previously – you must ACTUALLY do it.

5. Think Like Your Audience

I don’t normally write posts “selling” email marketing, after all, isn’t that DJ, Amy, and Nikki’s job?!  But this time I just couldn’t resist.  Sure, email marketing isn’t as easy as buying a list and sending whatever you could throw together, but it’s just a matter of thinking about the customer.  Put yourself in their shoes.  What do you appreciate about other companies that are trying to entice you?  Think.

I personally love the increase of competition that e-commerce and online marketing has created.  It’s forcing every business to be better.  So, marketers, how do you break through the clutter?  Be better.

Elena Hekimian
Client Services Manager, Blue Sky Factory

__________________

Think. Be better. Share with Your Network (SWYN).

Many email marketers say they’re doing everything they can to grow their lists organically, but are you really?

List building shouldn’t stop at creating an opt-in form, adding it to every page of your website, or even at creating a promotion to sign up – it must continue through the emails you send out.  So where do the list building efforts continue?  I thought you’d never ask.

Really? REALLY…..??

Take this Safeway email for example. (Click image on left to enlarge Safeway’s email) They’ve done a great job to ensure their subscribers understand what they are receiving with a brief preheader, “12 Days to Save: Day 9″.  They also do a great job to ensure that their subscribers will be able to view the email properly by adding options to view the email in their browser or a special mobile version.  However, where is the option to share this email on social sites?  Even a link to encourage subscribers to “Forward to a Friend” is absent. What about an option to subscribe to further email communications in case someone forwards it?  Don’t worry Safeway… you’re not the only major player to not walk the talk.  Target and Groupon could also step up their game here.

Getting there.

Now here are some examples of those who look like they’re getting the idea that their email creative has the potential to help grow their list.  Take this Sirius email that has a “Tell a Friend” option.  Where are the subscribe and share options?  I mean come on… that’s so 2008.  Or this Nike email that doesn’t promote forwarding.  (Click image on right to view Nike’s email) Although it does have a share option at the bottom, you just might need to break out a magnifying glass for it.  For all that Nike does to get consumers to get pumped up about their brand and products, they do a pretty mediocre job at getting their email subscribers excited to share their email’s content.

Kudos!

Urban Outfitters has done a really awesome job at including everything possible to help build their list through their emails.  (Click image on left to enlarge the email) They include a prominent “Forward to a Friend” option and sharing options across the major social sites.  Not to mention, before the unsubscribe option they allow you to change your mailing preferences, so that if maybe you’re receiving too many mailings from them or just on certain topics you don’t care about, you can edit them.  This not only helps Urban Outfitters target segmentations of their subscribers more effectively, but it also saves many potential opt-outs.  And get this – if you receive a forwarded version of the email, they give you the option to sign up for further UO emails!  So I applaud you, Urban Outfitters, not only for your endless collection of affordable skinny jeans, but your email designs are so 2010.  They surely walk the talk of email marketing best practices and effective strategy.

Get it now?

List building doesn’t stop after the opt-in form; it’s just the beginning.  So what are you waiting for?!  2010 is here – make sure your email creatives haven’t been left behind.

Elena Hekimian
Client Services Manager, Blue Sky Factory

__________________

Make it easy for subscribers to share your emails with our Share with Your Network (SWYN) feature.

For me nice guys always finish first.  But my dating life aside, believe it or not this statement also applies to the email marketing world.

In the midst of this crazy holiday season that is creating record breaking email volume from retailers and beyond, my phone line has been slammed with questions on reporting metrics.  The truth is, there is no straight black and white answer to any of these questions.  But I’ve got to tell you, those email marketers that practice best (and nice) practices are surely enjoying top results from their campaigns even in this highly competitive email environment.  Want to make my nice guy list?  Allow me to elaborate.

How To Become A Nice Guy or Gal in Email Marketing

• Build your lists completely organically. I mean fully opted-in people!  No sneaky business of using their email addresses from a sweepstakes you held back in June or snagging addresses from a “business partner” that has an ambiguous privacy policy in their opt-in.  However, if they took the time to opt-in to YOUR email communications, chances are they’ll take the time to also whitelist your address and not drag your email to the junk mail when they begin to experience inbox overload.

Extra tip: Include this whitelisting information in your welcome email to new sign-ups.  If you’re a current client using Publicaster, this can be easily added to any email creative with our new whitelisting code snippet.  Not a client?  Well, it’s time to jump on board ASAP so that you can you can utilize all of our platform’s awesome features.

• Don’t play games with initial expectations. Subscribers need to understand your email communication intentions when they opt-in.  If you told them they were signing up for offers and deals, you better send them a deal worth their while.  Or if you got them to sign up for a monthly newsletter, don’t automatically begin sending them weekly marketing campaigns.   Whatever value you promised in the beginning that encouraged them to sign up must be seen through and continue to keep their attention.  After you’ve enticed them to sign up – content really does become King.  Test your campaigns and continually strive to be better in your communications so that your subscribers keep wanting your next email to pop in their inbox without becoming annoying.

Extra tip: If you want to test a new type of communication to a current list, simply ask.  Send subscribers an email asking them to sign up for a new type of communication, and set subscriber preferences so their opt-out of one type of communication isn’t necessarily an opt-out to all emails.  Need more help setting this up?  No problem – a Blue Sky Factory client services manager is happy to help anytime!

• Tell them that you like them. Who doesn’t like to receive compliments?  In between the marketing, sales, and news heavy emails, add a friendly, for-no-particular-reason thank you/we appreciate you email.  Small engagement and relationship building efforts like this can go a looong way.  There are a couple of email lists I remain on just because I know about once a quarter they send me an awesome “insider” discount code or send out one (heck) of a holiday card that I wouldn’t want to miss.

Extra tip: Check out our Holiday 2008 email we sent to our clients.  We wanted to show them how much effort we were willing to go through to show them how much we wanted to wish them Happy Holidays and thanks for being a part of our business family.

But being bad is just easier…

Really, it’s not that difficult to be a nice guy in email marketing, and it will certainly pay off.  Sure your list may seem a bit small at first or it may take you more time to create and send a random friendly email, but these tactics will keep your subscribers reading your emails and stay engaged.  Would you really prefer a list of  500,000 with a unique click-through rate of 1% or a list of 25,000 with a unique click through of 20%?  Sure it’s the same “number” of clicks, and us ESPs will gladly allow you to pay for the higher volume, but all of those unknown user rates, complaints, etc, that comes from the other 99% in your large list is sure to affect your future deliverability.  Check out this blog post from our partner Pivotal Veracity on how the world of email deliverability is changing in the very near future.  It’s just not worth it, people.

So for me, the ISPs, your valued subscribers, the growth of your company, and the sake of your online reputation, please be nice.  You won’t regret it.

Elena Hekimian
Client Services Manager
________________

Want to be an even nicer guy? How about allowing subscribers to share YOUR emails with THEIR social networks? Learn more about the Blue Sky Factory Share With Your Network (SWYN) feature.

How can I make this email look killer, but killer in every different type of email client?

Those who have been designing and/or sending email marketing campaigns for some time may be very familiar with this situation; others may not even be aware of it. Either way, the reality is that email creatives are a touchy thing.  There are more than 50 different email clients, each with multiple ways to view emails (images on or off, preview panes, etc). Ensuring your email renders the way you’ve intended (across all clients) is nearly impossible.  I don’t have all of the answers, but below are several tips that are sure to help any email designer get close to perfection:

Overall design

1. Keep email width under 650 pixels. This is a general rule as the preview pane for many email clients doesn’t get much wider than that.
2. Design above the fold. It’s okay for an email to scroll. It’s not okay for a recipient to need to scroll. (Click image below for an example)



3. Place key elements at the top, above the fold. By top, I mean the first 300 pixels. The key aspects of the email include logo, call-to-action, navigation, primary subject matter, etc. (See Anatomy of an Email webinar for more details)
4. Keep it short. Don’t overload your email with content. Use the email as a tool to drive recipients to your website or landing page. Some people prefer to read large amounts of text in a web browser as opposed to their inbox. Give them a taste – a teaser – followed by a “Read More” type call-to-action. This is also valuable for tracking purposes as your email service provider (ESP) can display a click-through report.
5. Keep it simple. Don’t try and design a complex HTML masterpiece and expect everyone to see it the way you hope they will. The more difficult your email is to code, the more difficult it will be to see across the many email clients.

HTML Do’s and Don’ts (Mostly Don’ts)

1. Hand-coded (simple) emails are best. Many simple HTML editors often insert a ton of extra code that email clients will tend to “cough on” and cause your email to display poorly. Avoid the “Save as Webpage” feature of Microsoft Word. Dreamweaver is usually okay, but having a working knowledge of HTML allows you to check for code that shouldn’t be there.  Don’t have someone with HTML knowledge on staff? You need not worry!  Our creative department is kinda a big deal. We are here to help! (Click images below to enlarge and read detailed description)



2. Tables are your friend. In the web world, designing with tables is on its way out. In the email world, designing with tables is one of the foolproof ways to ensure your email will render correctly across all email browsers. Use tables.
3. Avoid Javascript and/or other dynamic scripts. Even if a SPAM filter happens to let your email through untouched, most email clients will not allow these scripts to function. No need to get fancy; just avoid them.
4. Flash, Quicktime, Windows Media, etc are not your friend. By default, the ability to view these rich media platforms in email is turned off in most email clients. Provide a link to view your rich media on a custom landing page. (Again, this also allows for click-through tracking measurement)
5. Avoid excessive Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Many email clients strip out CSS or over-write it.  The use of CSS is acceptable in email, but there are many strict guidelines you need to follow. Simple attributes like text style, color, and sizing are usually okay and acceptable across the majority of email clients. When you start defining spacing, margin, and other positional elements with CSS you will run into problems.  Always use inline styles. Do not attach style sheets or define all of your attributes in the <head> section on your HTML. For an in-depth look at what works and what doesn’t in regards to CSS, email, and the various browsers, visit The Email Standards Project.
6. Avoid nested tables. A lot of times they are unavoidable, but we recommend using them sparingly. Some email clients, Lotus Notes and Netscape Messenger in particular, may not render them correctly.
7. Avoid complex colspans and rowspans. Some email clients will choke on these and they can make content revisions a nightmare for the next edition. Use them sparingly.
8. No body attributes. Most applications strip out everything that’s not in between the body tags.  So if you want to make a background green, do it with a stretch table background or CSS.
9. Don’t embed images. Host images on your website or let your email service provider host them for you. Then make sure your image paths point to the full URL: (i.e. http://www.yourwebsite.com/yourimage.jpg).
10. Avoid 1×1 pixel spacers. Some spammers use them and they may get your email flagged.

Images

1. Don’t use images for important content such as headlines, links, or calls-to-action. Or if you do, make sure there is an HTML backup. Chances are images may be turned off making the key elements of your email useless.
2. Use alt text for your images. Also, don’t hesitate to use the alt text to say something compelling about the subject matter like “see this motorcycle in action.”
3. Use image widths & heights. Defining these attributes help to maintain the basic structure of your email when images are turned off.
4. Optimize image sizes. Make sure your image file sizes are as small as you can get them without losing their visual integrity. Large images should be cut up into smaller, more downloadable sizes. This helps to reduce download times.
5. Avoid background images. This one is pretty simple. Many email clients will not render background images at all. (Click image below to enlarge)

Text Content

1. Include an even balance of images and text. The email campaign that is sent as one image tends to end up in a Junk or SPAM file.
2. Avoid gimmicky words. Phrases like “Act Now” or “Special Clearance” or even “Click here” sometimes trigger spam filters. If you need to use them, try putting them in a graphic.
3. Avoid invisible text. This is another trick spammers use and is often a red flag for spam filters.
4. Make it compelling. A no-brainer, but often overlooked. The more compelling your text is, the more your recipient will ignore possible design problems, be less likely to hit the delete button, and more likely to click your call-to-action.

Overwhelmed?

Sorry! I didn’t mean to. However, it’s important to point out that there is a ton to consider as you design email creatives.  Like I said before, if it all seems a bit too much for you or your team, the Blue Sky Factory creative team is here to help.  If you are already a beloved BSF client, your account manager would be happy to help set this up.  Not a BSF client yet?  What are you waiting for?!  Well maybe you’re just waiting for the right moment to join the rock star Blue Sky Factory family, but you can still use our creative services through our lovely Sales Team.

Happy HTML designing!

Elena Hekimian
Account Manager, Blue Sky Factory

Want to know how to effectively use email marketing to nurture prospects?

You’re in luck!  My client, Cloud 9 Living, uses auto response campaigns for this reason, and they’ve got it down pat!  It’s easy to do.  Check out what it takes to make this happen.

The Scoop

As soon as a visitor on Cloud 9 Living’s website takes the time to submit their name and email address to sign up for the Cloud 9 Living email communications, they become a “prospect”.  This is where the nurturing begins.  Cloud 9 Living has 11 different email creatives that automatically get sent to their prospects.  The creative that is sent is dependent on when the prospect was submitted to the database.

How They Got It Going

In summary, these are the steps they took to set this up:

Step 1: Created an opt-in form on their website.

Step 2: Linked the opt-in forms to their email account with an API, so that new opt-ins update automatically and in real-time in their email database (prospect list).

Step 3: Set up segmentations that all stream from the “prospect list” with their desired touch point intervals.  The intervals that they chose for contacting prospects after they’ve opted-in are: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 16, 21, 23, 30, and 35 days after completing their opt-in forms.

Step 4: Set up all of the different email creatives for each send – in their case, 11 different email creatives.

Step 5: Set and activated all 11 of the auto response campaigns in their email service provider’s (ESP) platform.  Of course, as a client of mine, this was through a super simple one-page campaign scheduler in Publicaster.

Step 6: Do absolutely nothing! No further work is required once this is all set up.  Merely monitor the reporting as desired and watch more prospects convert to clients!

So the smarties at Cloud 9 Living did this process all on their own, because they’re that on top of things… But if this program seems like something you would be interested in setting up, and you’re still a little confused, your account manager would welcome your questions with open arms!

Why It Works

There are a lot of reasons – beside the basic set up they have in place – that make Cloud 9 Living’s email nurturing program so successful.

1. Their opt-in form is compliant.  That sounds silly, but there isn’t a large percentage of compliant opt-in forms out there.  Check out this recent blog post on opt-in forms to find out what makes one compliant.
2. The content in their email creatives rocks!  It starts with a simple welcome and thanks the subscriber for signing up, progresses to introducing their social site pages, and with each communication, progresses further into awesome company capabilities.  Also, their creatives all have clear, visible, hard-to-miss calls-to-action coupled with personalization in the salutation and in the signature.
3. Their timing intervals aren’t overkill.  They heavy-load in the beginning to make sure all of their lines of communication are available to the prospect, but then they simply touch back with them twice every two weeks for a few months.

There’s Always Room For Improvement

How awesome would it be if they also had other auto responders set up for prospects who actually clicked through these nurturing emails?  The follow ups could include personalized content as well, which would really help them narrow in on those prospects that are super close to converting.

Your Turn

Now that you have just read this whole breakdown, hopefully you’re thinking, “Okay, this Elena chick has a great point, I need to get on this ASAP.”  (I hope I’m not hearing crickets out there…)  Well if you’re already a Blue Sky Factory client, then go get started!  If you need any help along the way, your dedicated account manager will help you out without a doubt.  Not on the BSF client list yet?  Well what are you waiting for?!  You can set up one of these in a jiff through our Publicaster platform.  Never even heard of Publicaster?  It’s okay, it happens.  Just drop us a line, and one of our stellar sales associates would be happy to give you a demo.

Until next time!

Elena Hekimian
Account Manager, Blue Sky Factory

Many people consider an opt-in form a simple form that allows people to submit their contact information.  Sure that’s the basic concept, but there’s much more to it when you are looking to create a legit and successful list for your email marketing campaigns.

Opt-in forms not only need to gather the person’s contact information, but they should also make the subscriber show affirmative consent to opt-in for future email communication, inform them of the type of email communications this entails, disclose how their email address will be used (generally a Privacy Policy or Terms & Conditions) and preferably give different options to what communications they can opt-in to receive.  Still a little confused?  No worries – check out these examples below:

Opt-in Option is Absent

If this hotel (click image on right to enlarge) plans on sending emails to these sign-ups in the future, this would by no means be a valid opt-in.  It completely lacks an additional opt-in option for them to sign up for additional marketing communications.  This omission occurs on a number of company opt-in forms I see for both contests and purchases made on online.  Remember, if you’re going to send further communications that aren’t specifically transactional, you’ve got to disclose this when people  submit their information and make sure they have the option to not sign up for this.   Not only will this create a non-engaged list that may not even be interested in your emails, but it leaves you wide open for spam complaints and possible domain blacklisting.  It doesn’t get much worse than that…

Passive Opt-in

Now here is another unfortunate fail when opting in current clients/customers (click image on left to enlarge).  It’s great that they give the option to “Send me email updates on new products and promotions” through a check box, but unfortunately, they have this box prechecked.  They have at least some disclosure by stating that they would like to send the customer further information via email, so chances are they won’t get too many complaints if they do end up sending consistent and relevant emails.   This passive opt-in, however, does not qualify as affirmative consent, and subjects any emails that result from this approach to the requirements imposed on unsolicited commercial emails, including requiring ADV in the subject line.  In other words – if you use this method, this is not considered an affirmative opt-in and cannot be defended if there are spam complaints.  In fact, this form of a passive opt-in is actually outlawed in Florida and Texas.  It’s a small change, but it really safeguards everyone to have this box unchecked by default.

Positive (and the best!) Opt-in

Now here is our winner for best opt-in form possible!  Mars M&Ms is offering to send free chocolate to those who fill out the form.  The real aspects that set this form apart from others are the 3 unselected options given at the end:

1. Affirmative consent is necessary to sign up
2. There is disclosure
3. There are options for which communications to receive

There is no doubt that potential subscribers can truly understand what they are getting into when choosing to opt-in.   Also, allowing the participant to opt-in to 2 different types of future email communications really personalizes what they are interested in.

Also note that there are many casual address gathering techniques that many people utilize and wouldn’t necessarily count as opt-ins.  Meeting someone at a conference, having a business cards drop contest, list appends, product/services purchases, and event attendees all do not count as automatic subscribers unless they were given the option to opt-in when they dropped their email address.  That being said – these are still great resources to utilize.  Simply send them an engagement email that asks them to sign up, and you’re solid!

Does this help clarify the differences between positive, negative, and even absent opt-in forms?  If you’re still a little confused, definitely contact your account manager and they would be happy to take a look at your form and make sure you’re implementing the correct techniques.  Not a client yet?  What are you thinking?!  No, I kid, but really, us Blue Sky Factory account managers love to take account advising to the next level.  If you need any guidance with your email marketing initiatives we will gladly become your rock star counsel.

Elena Hekimian
Account Manager, Blue Sky Factory

___________

P.S. This article is brought to you straight from the October issue of Factory Direct. If you don’t currently receive our email newsletter, sign up now to have next month’s edition delivered directly to your inbox.

Where there are fails with email marketing practices, Elena Hekimian is here to help!

Guiding email marketers to creative effective, efficient, and lawful email marketing initiatives is my job and I am ALWAYS happy to help.  But day after day, I still get pretty shocked at some of the basic email marketing best practices that are misconstrued or completely unknown.

I want to share with you the most common fails that I have been hearing over the past couple of months.  So here it goes, my very blunt countdown of The Top 5 Most Common FAILS of Email Marketing.

5) “Oh our email is just images.”

I know images can make your email creative look pretty wicked, but you should really have at least a 50/50 text to image ratio to avoid being flagged as possible spam.   150KB seems to be the upper limit for the total size of all of the images in an email before getting caught by spam filters, and we recommend you keep individual images to a 40KB size.  Not to mention making sure your email content (text) makes it above the fold line (the visual cutoff when recipients open up the email in their email client) and that all images have appropriate alt tags.  Otherwise, if their images are off (which is the default view for most email clients), it may just look like a blank email to them.

4) “What is authentication?”

It is oh-so-important to make sure you have set up proper authentication records to maximize your deliverability!   “What’s that” you say?  Well, ISPs decided that they wanted to help those of us trying to send legitimate email messages to fully opted-in lists and help separate us from all the spammers.   So, they created SPF, Sender ID, and Domain Keys that can easily be set up in your DNS (domain name server, the server that actually owns the “from address” you are using when sending email), which assures email clients or filters, “Hey don’t worry!  I gave Publicaster permission to send this email on my behalf”.  Definitely check out this previous blog from my IT director for more information, or contact your rockstar ESP account manager (cough, cough) to help you with this specific to your account.

3) “But I sent to this list last year”

Congratulations on sending to this list before, but if it’s been an extended period of time (I’d say anything over 4 months), or sporadic, you can expect a whole lot of bounces and spam complaints now that you’ve decided to send again.  Now there’s no need to think your hard built email list has now gone down the tubes!   Simply send them a re-engagement email reminding them of how you got their email addresses originally, what’s to come in future emails, and allow them to opt back in.  Then… begin mailing them consistently – and with relevant information!

2) “The opt-in form?  Let me see if I can find it on my website for you… Bear with me for a moment.”

I’m so happy to hear when a company has an online opt-in form that asks for explicit proof of opt-in, but let’s face it… we are all incredibly lazy individuals – so don’t bury it deep within your website! That sucker, or at least a link to it, should be in a header or side bar on every single page of your website.  People generally don’t like to sign up for further information/contact right off the bat.  They like to navigate around and see if they’re picking up what you’re putting down.  It’s key to give them this option on every page, so as soon as they’re ready to pick you up, the option is right there for them.

1) “Opt-in source?  Oh I’m not sure, another department handles that.”

Last, but most certainly not least… if you are sending any, and I mean ANY email marketing or bulk emails, you must know your opt-in sources for your list.  And when I mean “know” I really mean, “KNOW”!  The mode (online, written, etc), privacy policy given at point of opt-in, the action that subscribers take to show explicit opt-in, and ability to show proof of these opt-ins is not only crucial to building an engaged, powerful list – but a legal one as well!  Any legit ESP will require proof of all of these pieces of opt-in information, and if not… well, welcome to the land of blacklisted domains and the end of your email marketing future.

Time to make some changes

I don’t mean to be coarse, but these FAILS happen all the time.  After all, the environment for email marketing is changing at an insanely rapid rate, but these have got to end here!   Stay on the front edge of the changes in email marketing by signing up for our 52 Email Marketing Tips, newsletter, and of course, check our whooping blog as much as possible!

Now, I know some of you have come across these issues before and sat red-faced at your desk while you realized you have some huge changes to make to your email marketing plan and strategy.  How did you turn it around?  It wasn’t the end of the world now was it?

Elena Hekimian
Account Manager, Blue Sky Factory

p.s.  Thanks to Blast Magazine for use of the image.

Everyone wants to feel loved – I know I do. Whether it’s from my mom, beloved pit bull Eva, or the company I bought bed sheets from last week, I appreciate all the love I can get.

Email is a great tool to show all of your customers or clients the love and how much you appreciate them.

One of my clients, eduWeb Conference, has done a great job utilizing this technique with an impressive “thank you” email to all of this year’s eduWeb Conference attendees. Here are a couple of tips to take away from eduWeb Conference for when you want to show your clients the love:

How To Show The Love

1. Timely
This thank you/appreciation email was sent out within a reasonable timeframe from the action they are thanking the recipients for. The conference was July 20-22nd, and they sent their email on the 24th. The conference organizers don’t suffocate the attendees immediately afterwards, but they also don’t wait too long before it becomes a distant memory. Balancing the timing of these love emails can be critical for the manner in which they are received.

2. Ask for the client’s opinion
Not only does this help your business plan INCREDIBLY, but it shows subscribers that you care and truly want to serve them the best you can. So go ahead and survey your client’s experience with your company/organization/product, or even simply ask for honest feedback.

3. Link to further resources
You have this person as a current client/customer – don’t lose them! It’s hard to get them in the first place, so be sure you give them the ability to look into all of the other aspects of your business that you can offer them. Provide some calls to action to keep hooking them in.

4. Don’t forget your standard email marketing best practices
Lastly, eduWeb Conference rocks this email by using many standard best practices. They used a winning HTML template (that the incredible Keith Nickoles of Blue Sky Factory created) that looks great when rendered with images on and off and includes Blue Sky Factory’s SWYN (Share With Your Network) feature and Follow/Friend Us options for all of their social sites.

Just one point of constructive criticism for my lovely client: Their from address/friendly from name should be corporate and general rather than a personal address. This is critical as two of the major factors in the open/no open (delete, mark as spam) option are recognition of the from name and interest in the subject line.

eduWEB Takeaways

Our Blue Sky Factory team really did have a blast at the eduWeb Conference last week in Chicago! The networking, fun, and industry knowledge that was shared was undeniable. So here’s a video dedicated to you, eduWeb; we want to give you some love back with some attendee/vendor interviews on why they made it out and what great stuff they were able to takeaway from this awesome event.

We can’t wait for next year!  Who else attended the eduWeb Conference?  What brought you there, and what takeaways did you have?

Elena Hekimian
Account Coordinator, Blue Sky Factory