ETD: 955 What works?; CAN-SPAM Act; E-Mail Marketing Best Practices
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post at gapent.com
Tue Feb 14 11:27:22 GMT 2006
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0955 February 14, 2006
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem at gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] What works?
[3] CAN-SPAM Act
[4] E-Mail Marketing Best Practices
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
I'm still having difficulties typing with one hand after the minor
surgery on my left thumb. You never know how much you need a thumb,
until you can't use it.
We also had 27" of snow in the NYC area this weekend, so you can
imagine what that has done for business. It broke a record that was
set in 1947.
Today's digest is focusing on e-mail marketing. Does it work and can
I use it?
The US introduced the CAN-SPAM Act (see 3 below) which is obviously
working. Of the 1,000 e-mails I get a day, 960 are spam. ;-) The act
is supposed to curtail SPAM, but I don't see it working. How about you.
I did find a course on e-mail marketing that may be of value. And I
found some best practices tips to use with e-mail marketing, which
also complies with the CAN-SPAM Act.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, LLC
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] What works?
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Over the years we have discussed what works best for marketing
online. Many believe e-mail is still the best and cheapest method.
The U.S. government instituted the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (see section
3 below), which places heavy restrictions on spammers. So how can we
use e-mail marketing.
I found a course offered by Microsoft which deals with "Marketing
lessons you can leverage." I have not taken the course yet, but will
do so. The blurb states:
"As you know, attracting new customers is the lifeblood of your
business. But if you don't have a full-time marketing department,
there are a number of cost-effective solutions we can share with you.
This interactive training will give you several effective ways to
market your business, complete with real-world workbook examples and
valuable insights into the entire marketing process.
We understand the time pressures you face every day, so we've
structured this training as a series of modules you can take whenever
it's convenient for you. "
The course can be found at...
http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/products/office/cost-effective-marketing-materials.mspx?xid=A0603001CK0000235668
So what do you think? Will e-mail work for you? If not, what else does?
George
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[3] CAN-SPAM Act
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What is the CAN_SPAN Act?
One thing you should NEVER do, for any reason, is to send an
unsolicited email to anyone that is promoting anything. No commercial
messages, unless the recipient has specifically requested that you
send him/her email promoting a product or service. And don't ever
buy, borrow, lease or trade email lists. If you send commercial email
at all, carefully read up on the CAN-SPAM Act.
The CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography
and Marketing) Act of 2003 took effect on January 1, 2004. It is a
new anti-spam law that sets national standards for the sending of
commercial e-mail and requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to
enforce its
provisions.
http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:6:./temp/~c108JouVih::
The bill permits e-mail marketers to send unsolicited commercial
e-mail as long as it contains:
1. An opt-out mechanism
2. A functioning return e-mail address
3. A valid subject line indicating it is an advertisement
4. The legitimate physical address of the mailer.
The bill includes many other provisions, such as the formation of a
national do-not-spam list, and the prohibition of certain email
address collection methods.
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[4] E-Mail Marketing Best Practices
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E-mail marketing has grown over time to become one of the most
cost-effective methods of marketing used today. The ability to send
large quantities of e-mail at almost no cost during the early days of
e-mail marketing led to over saturation, deceitful practices and a
bad reputation.
Because this industry is still very much in its infancy, government
and regulatory organizations struggle to develop and enforce
guidelines such as CAN-SPAM . Although these guidelines have been
designed to protect the consumer, businesses that adhere to them will
find it easier to reach their audience.
The ability to consistently deliver e-mail is one of the main issues
e-mail marketers struggle with. Those who take the time to comply
with CAN-SPAM and individual ISP guidelines find themselves alone
more and more in the inbox.
Most of these guidelines are reasonable; some are even common sense
and not included in any documentation. Others can be overly technical
and tedious. Following these guidelines allows the list owners to
deliver their messages and in turn reach their maximum ROI potential.
If you are marketing through e-mail, following are some of the best
practices to ensure maximum results:
Subject Lines - Do not use deceptive subject lines. The subject line
should pertain to the e-mail and be informative enough to encourage
the reader to open it. The subject line shouldn't be too long, in all
caps, or contain many exclamation marks or dollar signs. You should
also steer away from using words such as "free," "guaranteed" or
"approved" within your subject lines.
From Lines - From lines should clearly identify where the e-mail is
coming from. It should be your company name, your name, or the
advertiser's name. It should not be a marketing message or a sales pitch.
Creative - It is important to know what kind of e-mail message works
best for your list. Most consumers respond better to HTML e-mails.
Complicated e-mails can fail to render properly to some users, while
overused creative may be blocked by the individual's Internet service
provider. Text, although not blocked as often and completely
supported by all the users of the Internet, is just not as appealing.
Opt-Out Method - An e-mail address or another Internet-based response
mechanism, such as an opt-out link, must clearly be provided in order
to allow a recipient to request that you not send any future e-mail
messages to that address. This feature must remain active up to 30
days after the e-mail has been sent. These requests must be honored,
and you must stop sending all e-mails to any address requesting
removal within 10 business days of the request.
Sender Name and Mailing Address - The sender's name and a valid
physical mailing address must be included with any and all mailings.
Advertisements - If you are mailing any type of advertisement, it
must clearly be stated within the e-mail that it is an advertisement.
Suppression List - If any e-mail advertisement has been sent in the
past, then there must be a suppression list of recipients requesting
to never receive that advertisement again. This list must be compared
to your list of e-mails to ensure that those individuals are removed
and do not receive this advertisement again.
Sending Frequency - You should be consistent in the frequency with
which you send your e-mails. You should determine a schedule and
stick to it, whether it is once a day, once a week or once a month.
The more consistent you are in your mailings, the more familiar your
clients will become with receiving them.
Technical Compliance - There are already many technologies that exist
to separate spam from legitimate e-mail. It is important to make sure
your e-mail is being delivered with the proper configuration. This
can include proper DNS topology and up-to-date e-mail software that
implements common standards like Domain Keys.
Growing Your List - One of the most common fatal flaws in e-mail
marketing is failing to properly collect data from consumers. This
will inevitably lead to a high number of complaints that make
reaching your audience nearly impossible, regardless of technical
compliance. Effective branding and e-mail verification can ensure
your data is clean and easy to maintain.
By following these guidelines and keeping the interests of the
customers paramount, e-mail marketers can enjoy the benefits of
responsible e-mail marketing.
Details at...
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/48698.html
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