Frequently Asked Questions About Email Marketing

We receive lots of questions about email marketing so we thought we'd address some of the most common in this post. Let’s get started.

Is it better to rent / buy a list or to create it myself?

It is absolutely, positively better to create the list yourself. No one ever opts in to having their email address sold over and over again. Lists that are bought or rented are typically of poor quality and dozens of other companies have probably purchased or rented that list. Plus, the owners of those email addresses did not give permission for them to be sold or transferred to any other company. Building your own list ensures that you have obtained the email addresses legitimately. It means you can confirm that opt-in procedures have been followed and that the people on your list really do want to receive marketing messages from you. In no case is buying or renting a list better than creating your own.

When is the best time to send an email newsletter?

This question is bandied about quite often and it’s difficult to settle on an answer that is accepted industry-wide. According to MailChimp’s Email Genome Project open rates peak between 3 PM and 4 PM and that mid-week mailings see the most opens. However, the better answer is: it depends on your campaign. The best way to determine the ideal time for you is to survey your subscribers and ask them what time of day they would most like to receive emails. Give them a few different time periods to choose from and use their responses to schedule future mailings.

What is considered a good open rate and a good click through rate?

The answer to this question will depend on the specifics of your campaign but there are some studies that can provide some insight. According to a 2012 report by Silverpop, the median unique open rate in the US was 14.7%. The same study reports that the average click through rate (CTR) in the US was 5.4%. These rates can vary tremendously by industry. For the travel and leisure industry, for example, the median unique open rate was 13.2% and the median CTR was only 1.8%.

What are some quick tips on how to comply with the CAN-SPAM act?

1. Don’t use misleading, deceptive or false information in any part of your email message (subject, from, etc.)
2. Include your company’s physical address in every email you send.
3. Include an easy to find unsubscribe link and honor unsubscribe requests promptly.
4. Use a reputable Email Service Provider (ESP).

When / how can I acquire my customer’s email addresses?

There are several opportunities during the sales process when you can obtain list sign-ups. The first, yet sometimes least obvious way to get an address is to ask for it during the sales process (or registration process). Be sure that you have a newsletter sign up on your website. That is often the first place people look when they want to opt-in to your marketing messages. Social media is another great way to build your email list. Give your “fans” and “followers” a way to sign up for your newsletter on Facebook and Twitter. Regardless of how you obtain the addresses, be sure to employ a confirmed opt-in procedure (sometimes referred to as “double opt-in”) so that you can ensure that each subscriber does indeed wish to be on the list.

If you would like additional information about email marketing or just about anything else digital visit our website at http://www.wddonline.com

Five Reasons Why People Unsubscribe From Your Email List

Now that you’ve built a good quality email marketing list, the last thing you want to do is cause people to unsubscribe.  You need to nurture your list and ensure that its members continue to have interest in your messages.  In previous email marketing mailings we’ve discussed things you should do to maintain your list.  Today we’ll offer a few things that you should NOT do.

1. You never stop selling.  While the main idea behind your email marketing campaign is to generate revenue, it’s important that not all of your messages go for the hard sell.  Some of your messages should be conversational.  Too many sales-focused emails have a tendency to push people off of your list.

2. You send irrelevant messages.  We’ve all seen it before.  An email promoting a discount or special event arrives with only one day left to take advantage of it – or worse yet – after the promotion/event has expired.  Or maybe you received an offer that is targeted to a group that you’re clearly not part of.  When this happens the sender loses credibility.  Make sure that the message you’re sending is relevant to the audience you’re sending it to.

3. You send boring emails.  Lack of interesting content in your messages is a sure fire way to have the recipient bail on your list completely.  If the consumer is not engaged by your message, they are going to lose attention.  If they lose attention, you lose them.  Be sure to always include interesting content in your messages.  Even if the topic is, by its nature, uninteresting, use some outside content to spice up the message.

4. You send messages that take too long to load.  Sending messages that consist of one big image or overloading your content with pictures (especially if they are large files) can be damaging in many ways.  ISPs tend to block mailings with high image content and mailings that don’t get blocked can take time to load when opened in the recipient’s mail client.  A few seconds is all it takes for the client to push the delete/SPAM/unsubscribe button – and poof, your message is gone.  Images should only make up about 30% of your content and never send a message that is only images.

5. You send too many messages.  This one is pretty straight forward.  Members of your list signed up so that they’d receive news and information from your company – not so they’d be bombarded with emails on a daily basis.  When you send too often two things happen: 1) your messages are deemed less important and 2) you annoy subscribers.  Both of these things are sure to drive people to unsubscribe.  Instead, consider asking your members how often they’d like to receive mailings and send only that frequently.

To learn more about email marketing or if you have any questions please contact wddonline, for assistance.  And remember, you can always take a look back over previous email marketing tips by visiting our website www.wddonline.com/emailtips.

social@wddonline.com
(P) 330.334.3132

Don't Be Fooled By Fake DNS Services Bills

Some of our clients have recently received what appear to be bills from purported DNS Services companies.  These bills ask that you pay for what they call Managed DNS Backup Business Services.  If you've received one of these “bills” - DON'T PAY IT.  This is a scam that's designed to dupe you out of your domain name (and a few bucks in the process).

"How did they get my information?" you might ask?  By accessing public records (WHOIS Domain Lookup, for example), these companies make it appear as if they hold proprietary information about you, your company, your domain and your DNS.  They hope that by including this information on the “bill” that you will be compelled to pay them their asking fee (usually around $65).  Do so and you’re likely to lose your domain name (and maybe even your website).

One way to prevent scammers from accessing your WHOIS information is to purchase domain privacy from your registrar (GoDaddy, Network Solutions, etc.).  With domain privacy the registrar substitutes your WHOIS information with the info of a forwarding service, thus removing your information from the visible record.  While this method is not foolproof (some forwarding services will release information with a simple phone request), it is another layer of protection in maintaining your privacy.

If you receive a “bill” for DNS services please read it over closely.  It’s likely that buried in the verbiage is a line stating that it’s a solicitation for services and not a “bill”.  If you still have questions, contact wddonline before you cut a check.  We’re looking out for you and we’ll help to determine the legitimacy of the statement.

Contact wddonline:  

(PH) 330.334.3132

(EM) social@wddonline.com