Archive for February, 2009
That Bounce Ain't So Soft
“Most email marketers do not view soft bounces as being a major cause for concern,” says Dela Quist in the UK DMA Email Marketing Council newsletter, “so rarely, if ever, have any specific strategies been in place for dealing with them.”
According to Quist, this erroneous belief is based on outdated assumptions—namely, that soft bounces are caused by busy servers or full inboxes. The catch: Neither of these is a pressing issue in 2009. “Gmail currently offers 7GB of storage!” Quist says. “I don’t know anyone who has exceeded their Gmail—or for that matter, [their] Yahoo or Hotmail storage limit—and even if there are such people, they are hardly representative of the average consumer.”
Because of this, concludes Quist, a soft bounce is most likely caused by temporary ISP blocking, an action often triggered by:
- A lack of authentication
- A poor IP reputation
- Fluctuations in volume
- Spam complaints
Whatever the reason, it probably isn’t good, but can be addressed in coordination with your ESP.
The Po!nt: Heads up! Handle soft bounces with the same attention you give to hard ones. They might not be as harmless as you think: they can, in fact, be a sign of a far more serious situation.
Source: UK DMA. Read the full article here.
That's Too Fwd:
When he saw a reputable marketer praising the use of Fwd: in the subject line of an original email, Matt Vernhout decided to explain why he disagrees. “[E]ven selectively this is a bad idea,” he says at the Email Karma blog, noting that spammers often use this device to trick recipients into believing the message is somehow personal. “I have several very current examples of this in my spam folder right now.”
Aside from looking like spam, there’s also a possibility that labeling a non-forwarded email with Fwd: might violate CAN-SPAM’s prohibition of misleading subject lines:
“It is unlawful for any person to initiate the transmission to a protected computer of a commercial electronic mail message if such person has actual knowledge, or knowledge fairly implied on the basis of objective circumstances, that a subject heading of the message would be likely to mislead a recipient, acting reasonably under the circumstances, about a material fact regarding the contents or subject matter of the message.
Words to live by: The only time Fwd: belongs in a subject line is when you’re actually forwarding an email from your personal account.
The Po!nt: Pull back. “You should never use [Fwd:] in a commercial or bulk broadcast,” says Hill. “If it’s not a forward, don’t label it one.”
Source: Email Karma. Read the full post here.
Get Them All a-Twitter
They email, they blog, they text, they chat. And now, they twitter. Yikes. Twitter.com offers a real-time service for “friends, family, and co-workers” to communicate what they’re doing (in 140 characters or less)—”between emails and phone calls.” Great. Do you really need to add this to your day? Well, perhaps you do.
Some say there is definitely a place for Twitter in B2B marketing. According to Valeria Maltoni, “Twitter may be the most appropriate tool to get messages to those you wish to reach, fast and with economy of words.” So to help you get up and twittering, Maltoni recently offered a short guide on How to Use Twitter in B2B:
Start a Twitter profile. Visit Twitter.com and sign up. If you want to communicate with just a few clients or colleagues, keep your stream private by checking the “protect my updates” box under Settings.
Spread the word to your intended audience, with simple instructions on how to sign up for a free account and follow your stream. Now you’re rolling. It’s that easy.
Explore the universe. Share tidbits from seminars and other events. Broadcast meetings and meeting places, and open a video or audio channel for those who can’t join you. Gather feedback, check with the office on a client question and follow up on business calls.
The Po!nt: Keep your channels open, even the little ones. Services like Twitter can foster ongoing connections that build trust and value for clients and prospects.
Source: MarketingProfs. Read the article here.