Email marketing

Are You Hitting Your Target Audience?

May 19, 2022 Beth Devine

It’s that time of year again. Time to review your database. It’s common knowledge that segmenting your email marketing lists results in higher open and click rates. According to a 2017 MailChimp report, click rates are 101% higher for emails sent to a segmented list versus a non-segmented list. The report was based on data from 11,000 segmented campaigns sent to nearly 9 million recipients.

The data also showed that email unsubscribes were significantly lower for segmented lists, by more than 9%. People are quick to unsubscribe if they receive emails that are not relevant to them. Since they often find these emails annoying, this can lead to a negative impression about your company and its products.

For your sales and marketing team, an “unsubscribe” is the kiss of death. The only way to reach these customers once they’ve unsubscribed is by telephone (which nobody answers anymore), a face-to-face visit, or postal mail. Knowing this, it’s easy to see the value of using segmented lists.

Where It Begins

Segmentation of a list is best done from the beginning, however, that’s not always possible. If you already have a large list, we suggest transferring it into a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool to start. CRM software platforms like Sharpspring* contain all of your customers’ demographics, contact information, touch points, and purchase histories. They can also display how customers and prospects engage with your website, emails and other online content. For example, if you send an email telling customers about a new product, you can see who opened it, how long they viewed it, which links they clicked on within the email, etc.

Typically, a database is segmented by industry. This should be the bare minimum when building a database. However, with data from your CRM/In-bound programs, you can now segment your email lists by product interest and level of interest, among other things. For example, let’s say John Smith and Mary Jones each opened your email. You can see that John only clicked on the link for product A, but he stayed on that page for 15 minutes, indicating a high level of interest. You can also see that Mary only clicked on the link for product B, but she stayed on the page for just a few seconds before closing the email.

Armed with this information, you can segment John and Mary into different lists based on their product interest and their perceived level of interest, with John seemingly much more interested than Mary. You can then send another email with more detail on product A to John, which he will find relevant. Sending that same email to Mary, however, might cause her to unsubscribe. It would be better to put Mary on a segmented list for people interested in product B.

In a Nutshell

Segmenting your email lists is important. It ensures you’ll get a relevant message to the right audience at the proper time. Take a look at your CRM database and segmentation strategy. Is all of the customer information up to date in your CRM? Are your email lists segmented so they reach the most appropriate audience? If not, Contact Us to learn how we can assist you. Remember the most attractive and interesting marketing message is useless unless it gets to the right person.

*If you’re interested in investigating a CRM solution, contact us at 860-432-9977 for information regarding the tools we’ve reviewed and the ones we’ve chosen to use ourselves.

Does GDPR apply to you?

May 24, 2018 Beth Devine

Overview of GDPR and how it affects small business owners in the US. With specific links and resources for businesses with e-commerce websites and those running WordPress and WooCommerce.

What is GDPR?

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) definition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation

The regulation was created to protect privacy for all individuals within the European Union and European Economic Area.

The regulation requires that personally identifiable information being collected about individuals inside the EU be processed and stored to protect the data privacy.

Information must be stored using pseudonymization or anonymization.
Data is not available publicly without explicit consent.
Consent to use data can be withdrawn by the consumer at any time.
The processor of data must clearly disclose what data is being collected; how it being collected; why it is being processed; how long it is being retained and if it is being shared with third-parties.

Who does this affect?

This applies to any online business that collects and stores personally identifiable information from individuals or entities in the EU.

How this might affect Web Savvy Marketer customers:

If you have an e-commerce store and sell to customers in the EU
If you collect personal data from EU customers for any reason
You can not send unsolicited emails to anyone. You can not purchase lists, or merge lists from different companies into your list.
You can not auto email from abandoned shopping carts, unless the shopper has opted in for email.

Actions steps to take if GDPR affects you

Make sure your website has an SSL certificate installed so data collection/storage is encrypted
Review and update your website’s privacy policy
Remove all automatic opt-ins on your website, get a clear consent prior to collecting data
Set up process to delete user information upon their request
Set up process to monitor for potential data breaches and notify users if their data has been affected by a breach
Review your mailing lists for compliance

For more detailed information please review the following resources:

GDPR Overview

Get a quick overview with this Infographic: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/smedataprotect/index_en.htm

WordPress related information:

E-commerce websites

Good overall resource in clear language with specific information on what to include in privacy policies and recommendations for data collection. https://www.willows-consulting.com/gdpr-for-ecommerce/#
Woocommerce websites: https://woocommerce.com/2017/12/gdpr-compliance-woocommerce/
Additional Woocommerce resources: https://woocommerce.com/gdpr/

Is Your Email List Dirty?

January 9, 2017 Beth Devine

Email still has what it takes to reach your audience. So far, nothing has managed to fully replace it. Not social media, not SMS (Short Message Service), or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), or any form of texting.

Email began as a way to send text communications using your personal computer. For businesses, it continues to be a sound marketing strategy. Let’s face it, people will share email addresses. They’re not as willing to share phone numbers with businesses to communicate via text. At least not yet.

With all the various ways to interact with customers, email remains a steadfast option, but you’ve got to keep it clean. A clean email list is one that’s managed and built to suit your company. Keeping your email list clean helps you avoid being flagged as spam. The spam filter is worse than being dirty, so keep that in mind as you read on.

Spam ruins your deliverability rates, and ESP (Email Service Providers) don’t like spam emails. They enforce spam laws with very strict rules. The Wild West days of spammy email are long over, and email exploits that run amuck will land your emails in the slammer.

1. Do a Data Check

First things first. You have to perform a basic data check to fix any incorrect spellings or typos. As you comb through your list, look for those data entry errors that include a missing “dot” in the “dot com” and any inverted letters (i.e., alo.com instead of aol.com).

These mistakes will cause your emails to be returned as undeliverable, increasing your chances of being sent into the black void of the spam filter. As a legitimate marketer, you don’t deserve to be there, but with the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and spam filters working hard to reduce inbox clutter, that’s where you’ll end up with bad data.

2. What’s Your Bounce Rate?

Take a cue from your email open rates to determine if you need to do some cleaning. Are you sending to email addresses that are returned as undelivered? This can affect your bounce rate and hurt your ROI.

A hard bounce is when an address is simply invalid. There are several reasons for a hard bounce, or one that’s indisputable and means immediate removal from your email list. They include:

The recipient’s email address no longer exists (or never did).
The domain name doesn’t exist. Oops!
The email server of the recipient has blocked delivery.

Then there’s the soft bounce. An email returned for its first to third time are considered soft bounces because they simply may be experiencing a glitch. Some say allow up to five bounces before eliminating them.

Reasons for return could include:

Mailbox has reached its quota and is full.
The email server of the recipient is temporarily down or offline.
Message is too large and exceeds the limits of data allowed.

3. What Do ESPs Check For?

The more bounces you experience, the worse your sender reputation. So it’s good to know what things are being looked at in determining spam.

Here’s what ESPs are checking:

The Blacklist. This is the worst. Once you’re on a blacklist, you’re doomed. Of course, you only end up there if you’re super dirty.
The White List. This is like the TSA’s PreCheck. It’s a good thing because it means you’re pre-approved for automatic deliverability. No spam filter for you! You will see increased open rates as a result of this.
Watch Your Reputation. Sender reputation is actually a score that your sending IP source gets, and apparently, the algorithm used is a secret. That’s why I can’t tell you anything else. Mum’s the word out there.
You’ve Been Spammed. Having your email recipients repeatedly flag you as spam raises your chances for black listing. Familiarize yourself with your the Can Spam Act for businesses to make sure you’re in compliance. If your email is commercial, there are strict rules with tough penalties for violations.

4. Remove Bad Email Addresses

Who should you remove from your email list? Anything that’s irrelevant and potentially harmful to your reputation. The less you fraternize with legitimately flagged spam email addresses, the better. Hasn’t your mother warned you of this?

You’re above all that, the riff raff of email. I get it. But having bad email addresses in your list is no good, and the more you’re sending out, the worse it is for you. Here are email addresses you need to remove:

Duplicate and invalid email addresses.
Old contacts who are inactive. Old email contacts with high unopened rates have lost interest and haven’t bothered to unsubscribe.
Alias email addresses, such as sales@company.com. These aliases are generic email addresses that may be forwarded to a specific address, or they may not. Get rid of them.
Unsubscribes must be removed by law. (You must also provide an identifiable unsubscribe link.)
Bounced emails. See #2 for the difference between hard and soft bounces.
Email contacts who didn’t sign up willingly. Sending to anyone whose information was received through list buying is unethical and will hurt your sender reputation, your deliverability, and your open rates. Bad email practice all around.

The content you include in your email is another important factor in avoiding spam and keeping your list clean. Your subject line is especially important. Design your emails to appeal to your subscribers as well as the ESPs.

Keeping your email list dirty is a campaign health hazard. Remember, a clean email list gives you a more successful email campaign. Email campaigns should be measured by the actions your subscribers take, not how many subscribers you’re sending to.

Emojis: Coming Soon To An Inbox Near You

June 14, 2016 Beth Devine

Apple gets emojified with emoji predictions, emojification, and three times larger emojis, among other changes coming up in their text messaging app.

When it comes to emojis, it seems you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. If you’re in the hate ‘em camp, you’ll be glad to know you’re far from alone, although your ranks are shrinking.

When men aren’t afraid to use emojis, it’s time to take them — somewhat — seriously.

Emojis & Emoticons: What is the difference?

Emojis are the colorful images that present as cartoon-like pictures and are a standardised set of characters available on IOS, Android, Windows, and OS X.

While the meaning of each symbol is supposed to be the same, the artwork varies from platform to platform. So what presents as, say, the “grinning face with smiling eyes”, will look vastly different depending on which platform is being used.

Emoticons are the inspiration for emojis. They are the series of symbols typed from the keyboard that depict the same thing as an emoji. For example, a smiley face is typed out as :-).

Using Emojis in Your Email Subject Line

While it’s not a new idea to use emojis in text messages and social media posts, using them in email subject lines is a fast-growing, popular tactic due to the rise in emoji-friendly devices, particularly mobile devices. And as email inboxes become more and more crowded, emojis help you attract audience attention and increase open rates.

Used correctly, emojis are your ticket to communicating a message that is unique and fun. Get a fresh look and add some character to your subject lines with these colorful and inviting symbols.

Always Check Before Using

Because not all browsers and email providers will display emojis, it’s important to check before using. If the emoji isn’t supported, it could appear as a box, like this: ?.

Go to Can I Emoji? for a handy online tool to check how an emoji will work based on the different browsers.

Where To Find Emojis

There are 1,851 emojis characters supported by current platforms, including Unicode Version 9.0 which releases on June 21, 2016. For the list of new characters that are included, go to Emojipedia and click on each one to see how it will look on the different platforms.

Go to getemoji.com and copy and paste emojis to your heart’s content.

Don’t Make the Mistake of Overuse

Although they are understandably difficult to resist, don’t overuse them in your email marketing. Select an ideal reason for using an emoji in your subject line and use sparingly.

There is no such thing as too many emojis when you’re a social media-addicted teen, but for brands, moderation is key.

Always Ask, “Is It Relevant?”

Before using an emoji, consider the message the emoji communicates, your target market, and your brand image. Check the emoji for its rendering across platforms as well as for any communication problems.

If you find the emoji in question works well, then it’s good to go.

Get Your Emoji On

The best way to stand out from packed inboxes is with visual email subject lines, which, by the way, will be shorter thanks to emoji characters because saying it with a picture means using less words. You’ll be increasing brand awareness by showing your fun side before your email gets opened.

And even if your email isn’t opened, the subject line sends a message by communicating with an emoji. You’re still making contact and reinforcing your relationship with eye-catching visuals that say “Look at me!”

Less Is More

By taking the typical 40 to 60 character length of subject lines and inserting an emoji — typically at the beginning or end — you’re sending an invitation that communicates more with less. Visuals offer more potential for engagement when tied to complementary text.

Be careful when inserting an emoji for a word if there’s any chance of misconstruing its meaning. You don’t want your audience to have to guess what you’re trying to say, unlike the latest phenomenon of “guess this movie” using only emojis.

Test your emoji-reading skills here to see how well you do. If you think that’s a bit over-emojied, then how about Sony’s The Emoji Movie? It’s based entirely on emojis and takes place inside a smartphone.

If you’re still thinking emojis aren’t for you, that’s fine. You’re probably right. But here’s an infographic in case you need more convincing.

For a concise round-up of how to use emojis in your email marketing, look below for “The Ultimate Guide to Using Emojis in Email Marketing” from Marketing Cloud.

Get the embed code for this awesome guide to using emojis in your email marketing at Salesforce Marketing Cloud .

5 Reasons You Can’t Do Without Online Newsletters

May 19, 2015 Beth Devine

The online newsletter continues to confound and perform after decades of relentless community building and information sharing. It has been called the cockroach of the Internet, the goose that laid the golden egg, tried-and-true, a direct line of communication, old-school artifact, the workhorse of nonprofits, and, perhaps most eloquently, “hand-curated pipes for mainlining quality Internet directly into our veins.” (Thank you for that, The Kernel.)

As a vein-clogging, direct line into our email inboxes, the online newsletter is a tool that will build your business and develop your brand image. Despite the Snapchatters and Whatsappers and Instagrammers out there, there is a time and a place where emailing your online newsletter is without rival.

Here are five reasons you can’t do without an online newsletter:

1. It’s easy to personalize and customize as part of your marketing plan.

Competing with Facebook isn’t so hard with a personalized newsletter. When you customize your newsletter so it contains personalized recommendations, the reader’s name, and reader-designated content, you’re more likely to keep your audience’s attention.

Newsletters tend to come before everything else in terms of self-interest. As David Carr writes in The New York Times, “It makes sense. My personal digital hierarchy, which I assume is fairly common, goes like this: email first, because it is for and about me; social media next, because it is for and about me, my friends and professional peers; and finally, there is the anarchy of the web, which is about, well, everything.”

As an addition to Facebook and other social media, the online newsletter is a way to personally connect with your audience and be an important part of your larger marketing plan.

2. It keeps your audience informed (and entertained).

Your newsletters are designed to do more than keep your readers connected. Your audience is reading to learn more and receive something valuable. Whether it’s helpful information, up-to-date news on your brand, or a discount or reward, your newsletter is an effective way to continue the relationship with ongoing communication.

By continuing to offer your audience something useful, you’re showing them that the’re valuable and haven’t been forgotten. You already know that your readers are interested because they’ve signed up for your newsletters, so be sure to give them something useful.

3. It’s a low-cost way to reach a large number of subscribers.

Small businesses and nonprofits can’t dispute the low-cost, pennies per message advantage to online newsletters. When you have a marketing budget, newsletters are the lost-cost choice over other marketing channels like direct mail and search engine advertising.

You can easily send out a new edition of your newsletter to a target audience of thousands of people, whenever you choose and as frequently as you want.

4. It’s a simple way to be mobile-friendly.

Without having to invest in new technology, you are instantly mobile-friendly with online newsletters. Email allows you to reach your audience on all types of mobile devices in an increasingly mobile-centric society.

A Forrester Research study shows that “on average, 42% of retailers’ email opens now happen on smartphones, up from 28% in 2013, while email open rates on tablets grew from 16% to 17%.”

When seeking mobile-friendly communication, texts are the competing alternative. But email newsletters are free to your audience where texts can incur a charge, and email gives much more space for your message in comparison to texts.

5. It’s the best way to grab your audience’s attention.

So what’s worth paying attention to when there is a never-ending supply of information? Most people are lazy when it comes to searching out content that interests them. By having it show up in their inboxes, reading content that your audience selected just got a lot easier.

No need to go looking for what they might like. Newsletters make sifting through the endless stream of online information easier for your readers. When your newsletter arrives, they recognize the sender, know you as a trusted source, and are confident that this is content they’re seeking.

If you like what you read, feel to share using our social media buttons!

Why Email Marketing Is Still the Cat’s Meow

November 9, 2014 Beth Devine

old-school marketing — “Caption, anybody?” by Rob, used under CC BY and modified from original

It’s so old school, why would anyone still use it? Hasn’t social media replaced it? Won’t people think you’re just spamming them?

These are valid questions and concerns about email marketing. These objections all hold a grain of truth, but they only apply to email marketing when it’s used incorrectly.

If you want to get results from your email newsletter, then be sure you’re doing a few things right.

Don’t Pussyfoot Around With Old-School Email

The cat is out of the proverbial bag. Yes, it’s the oldest internet marketing technology. But old-school email is also the new e-newsletter that grabs your readers attention with bright colors and compelling visuals.

Today’s email newsletter doesn’t have to look like it did a decade ago. With the aid of email marketing services such as Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, AWeber, and GetResponse, you can easily whip up a visual prey of delight in your email.

So when it comes to old-school email, don’t pussyfoot around thinking it’s no longer relevant. Commit yourself to a scheduled email newsletter as part of your marketing plan.

Who Needs Email When You Have Social Media?

Social media continues to be a great way to have conversations with your followers and customers. When you want to link to others, explore joint ventures, and meet people who share your interests, social media is the cool cat’s party.

Compare social media to an event where your objective is networking. It’s an ongoing, online event where you can build your name, where you can share your latest news. It’s the ideal platform for taking the information you send to your email recipients and sharing it with a wider audience.

What social media doesn’t do is make direct contact by landing in someone’s inbox. In other words, trying to position yourself as a leader to your social media followers can be like herding cats.

It’s one thing to be an authority on something, but to be a leader, you need to show you’re serious about what you do. The best way to do this is to deliver interesting content directly to the people who need it most.

Your email subscribers are like the audience of a radio talk show. According to Ben Settle, world class email specialist who delivers content to his subscribers daily, it’s the best way to keep a casual conversation going about what you have to offer your customers.

But Email Is So Spammy

The primary purpose of your email marketing is to sell your product or service. But that doesn’t mean your emails need to be spammy.

The essence of your email newsletters is to talk about your common interest or problem. Sometimes you won’t even mention your product in the email. You might just include a link to it.

Wherever it fits in naturally, within the context of the story you are telling in the email, find the right place to add information about what you can do to solve their problem. You are the invited guest in their inbox, and as their guest you are obligated to tell them how you can benefit them.

Always include a reference to how you can meet their need. Make this a clear call to action, and tell them what to click, where to go, or what to do next.

As your readers continue to receive your emails, the bonding process also continues. When they need what you are selling, you will be the one they turn to – the one they always hear from.

Get Better Email Open Rates With Your Subject Line

August 21, 2014 Beth Devine

If you want to see improved email open rates, then spend time crafting an effective subject line. By working the subject line, you’ve overcome a third of the battle because 33% of email recipients open email based on subject line alone.

Check out these 7 easy tips for improving email open rates by writing a better subject line.

1. Don’t try for the vague approach

Most people will spend about 15 seconds reading your email. Give them what they want to know, not some vague trickery in the subject line to try to get them to open it.

Get to your point quickly and keep to one topic, and be sure to make it relevant to your email content.

2. Keep it short and sweet

Your subject line has room for only one subject and no more than 50 characters. You need to say a lot in a few words, making it descriptive and to the point.

Using fewer than 10 characters could mean an open rate of 58%, so keeping it short is a mean feat of concise success.

3. Avoid buzzwords

The last thing you want to do is trigger a spam filter in your recipient’s email system. These emails will never get read if they go straight to the trash.

Buzzwords to avoid include the word “free,” which is a big red flag, as well as the more innocuous words “help,” “percent off,” and “reminder.”

On the other hand, certain words boost open rates for B2B companies, such as “money,” “revenue,” and “profit.” (Adestra July 2012 Report)

4. The first-name basis approach

By personalizing the subject line with the recipient’s first name or something else pertinent, you’re establishing trust. It’s a reminder that they have given you a name and email as a way to communicate.

The personal approach is a way to break through the large amount of clutter your audience receives in their inbox and stand out from the crowd.

5. Give them something to act on

You can create a sense of urgency by offering an incentive for your recipient to open the email. But be careful here. Sounding too slick and salesy can backfire and turn people off. The best subject lines tell, not sell what’s inside.

It’s also not a good idea to put a date in your subject line in an attempt to build urgency. This will date your email for those who don’t check email often.

6. Add your newsletter or company name

This reminds recipients of the relationship you have, as well as making sure they are aware of the nature of the content. Sometimes on smartphones email providers only display the subject line and not the sender name, making it more important to include a company name.

7. Get the right “from” name and email

Speaking of the sender name, it’s important to get it right. Okay, so this isn’t in the subject line, but it’s located directly above it and should reflect your company name and image. Call it the subject line’s counterpart.

If possible, it should match the department that is relevant to the email, such as coming from “returns@company.name.”

The best way to know what is working is to test it! Check your open rates and compare this with your subject lines to find out how your audience and specific marketing situations respond to different attempts.

Effective email marketing uses smart click-through links

October 12, 2010 Beth Devine

No Click Here! A couple weeks ago, I wrote about designing an effective email marketing campaign on my cgwebhelp blog. One of the things I mentioned was not to use unnecessary click-throughs. I was being subjected to emails with obscure headlines, excessive images and the words “Click here”. That design strategy offers no incentive to click through to the main offer. Just the use of the words “CLICK HERE” sends me into a professional frenzy. The words, while directing the user what to do, fail to give a clue as to why they should do it. The better strategy is to choose contextual links that describe to the reader what reward awaits upon their click-through. “See our product selection”, “order now” or “view event details” are better links than “click here” as they tell readers where their click will lead them.

Smart contextual links will improve click-through rates and trackability. But today, I came across an email promotion with the opposite but equally annoying problem. It had no click-through’s at all. It was a sales promotion that was offering a deal on signs. I just happen to be in the market for some new signs, so I wandered my mouse around the page looking for the click-through to the website. After all they were offering 50% off! Not a single click-through to the website selling the signs. Obviously this is a major oversight. Without a single click-through, the reader is forced to type the web address into her browser. Not only does it make it less likely that people will actually go to the website being promoted, but the sender of the email loses all tracking capability for his email campaign.

As you probably know, if you’ve used a commercial email marketing program, links within an email marketing piece are coded so the sender can track who has clicked through on a particular link. This gives the sender useful information. First, it tells the sender what text or promo generated the most interest. But more importantly, it tells the sender who clicked through on a link, so if they’re running a smart promotion, they can follow up with the people who clicked through and perhaps close the sale, or at least continue to send the reader information that is targeted to their interests.

Make sure you use smart click-through links and good email design strategies to get the most value from your email marketing campaigns.

Best Design Practices for Effective Email Marketing

September 16, 2010 Beth Devine

When I read email, I typically have one finger on the delete key. Like most people, I get a lot of e-mail. And like most people, I don’t have time for games. So when designing an email marketing piece I’d advise you to avoid techniques that may slow down the email scanning processes of your readers.

Avoid over-reliance on images

More and more often I see email marketing in my inbox that is made up entirely of images. Since my e-mail client is set not to download images until I tell it to, I see a blank white screen with some red x’s where the images should be, until (or unless) I click the “download images” button. Unfortunately for the email marketer, I’m more likely to click the delete key than the “download images” link. And once I hit the delete key, the message is gone. All the effort that was put into choosing the right images to portray the message is lost forever.

Instead of concentrating on “wowing” the reader with the beautiful design that they’ll likely never see, think about using a clever phrase to wow them. Or just use clear, straightforward language that the reader can quickly scan and comprehend without having to click the download images link.

Avoid unnecessary click through links

If you expect me to click through to something, you had better give me a compelling reason to move my finger from the delete key to the click through link. Sending an email that is an image with a click here link isn’t very compelling.

However if you provide an interesting sentence or two, with a link to more information, you might get me to click. If you offer an enticing discount on a product I might click through. If you give me some interesting details to an event you’re promoting, I might click through.

Keep the design simple

Remember that people are using email clients to read your piece. Not only are there countless email clients that may be in use by your readers, but many people read their email on their phones. What renders well for one reader may unreadable for the next. Current techniques used to design websites or print pieces simply won’t work consistently for email. Keep it simple if you want it to get read.