For those of you interested in learning about email deliverability, check out this quick tutorial >> http://www.constantcontact.com/display_media.jsp?id=19t
A few highlights include:
Return Path Deliverability Statistics:
- Average 20% blocking rate for those not using an Email Service Provider (ESP)
- Average < 3% blocking rate for those using an ESP* (like Constant Contact, which is what I’m using now; also used Eloqua in past)
*At leading ESP’s, there is usually a team dedicated to working with major ISPs to maintain low / no blocking rates
Note: Constant Contact provides consistently a 97% deliverability
TO AVOID SPAM FILTERS
WORDS TO AVOID: Sale, Free, No Charge, Click Here, Offer, Register Today, Must be 18…
DESIGN ELEMENTS TO AVOID: All Caps, Red Text, Excessive punctuation, Excessive use of symbols, Low ratio > text to images, white versus colored backgrounds
80% email recipients hit > Report Spam button > without even opening the message
Your audience will look at the “From Name” & “Subject Line” and decide to open the email, delete or report as SPAM
Use whatever is most recognizable to your audience (company name, acronym of company, or your name etc…)
Also use a clear subject line that’s to the point for improved open rates
Visual elements within (HTML emails) appeal to readers
Make sure you stay consistent with both your logo/branding and color palette/look & feel – people respond better to what they recognize
Bare minimum > communicate with email list on a quarterly basis
Regularly remove emails with hard bounces (non-existent, undeliverable) as well as consistent soft bounces (mailbox full, vacation, auto-reply)
ISPs DO notice this activity and flag you if persistent attempts are made
Hard bounces recommendations:
1. export emails to find out why bad (i.e. typos, etc…)
2. remove if non-valid emails (will hurt your deliverability)
Stick with a consistent “from” email address – so if added to safe sender list you are a recognized sender
Hope this information provides some value. If you have other ideas, please share.



Below I’d like to share with you an interesting exchange I had with Reed Overfelt, COO of a “very cool” Online Creative Agency (MuralVentures.com). Thought it provides incredible insight…
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Benefits
specifications, and feature definition.
Below are 15 steps to creating a marketing plan around your business. These are a few basics to get you started.
1. Understand Your Readers: Newsletters are a time to build your relationshp with your customers and prospects. Be sure to discuss topics of interest and provide value for your audience. Of course, some self promotion is OK. Consider the 80/20 rule – 80% of the content should be about them and 20% of the content mentions your company (and how it relates to them of course).
Quick Overview : Webinar provided by
Blogging has become an important tool in every company’s communication arsenal. But there are new rules for this new medium. Forget about “positioning” and “one-size-fits-all” press release blasts. Think of Blogs as a way to participate in “intelligent conversations” with everyone who helps define your brand – including both a broad audience (like the media) and narrow audience (like your customers).