The Advanced
eMail Marketing Course is the result of over two years of research and collaboration
between educators and professional marketers. We have produced a course that will
cover this arena in significant detail.
Research
has shown that you can learn as much from an online course as one in a classroom
setting. But, you have to work at it. Like any other educational endeavor, learning
is up to you. We will provide lessons, feedback, a student bulletin board, tests
and resources. It is your job to participate in the course, read the materials
and complete the tests.
You
are at the forefront of a revolution in marketing. You are the marketer that will
help lay the foundation for our profession in the 21st century. The fact that
you have enrolled in this course is a good indication of your commitment to professional
development and your initiative in self-improvement. The eMA commends you for
your dedication to quality in marketing and your commitment to continuous learning.
Whatever
your educational or professional background is, we have entered a phase where
your experience or diploma comes with an expiration date, a shelf life.
Continuous
lifetime learning is the only way, in today's changing economy for you to keep
up with the supersonic pace of 21st century marketing techniques and processes.
There
are five lessons included in this course. We will cover all the material in about
3 1/2 weeks. Each lesson along with the exercises and test will take about 2 to
4 hours to complete. Since we cannot possibly know your background or current
knowledge, some of the material may be familiar, concentrate on the material where
your knowledge and/or experience is lacking.
Here
is a description of the lessons in the course.
Step
One: Opportunities and Challenges
email
is different
Spam
& privacy
permission
based email
legislation
& legal issues
summary
sources
test
Step Two:
How to Implement eMail
infrastructure
analysis
methods
of broadcast
personalization
software
solutions
ASP
solutions
summary
sources
test
Step Three:
Design and Copy
copy
basics
email
copy
basic
design principals
email
design
formats
software
summary
sources
test
Step Four:
eMail Lists
on-site
aquisition
offline
customer databases
eMail
list vendors
list
broker research
harvesting
newsletters
and ezines
summary
sources
test
Step Five: Strategy
eMail offline
strategic
planning
metrics
and program measurements
summary
sources
test
eMail
is Different
Maybe
you are relatively new to marketing or maybe you have 30 years worth of experience.
Whatever the case, you can forget about relying solely on your past knowledge
if you are going to do e-mail marketing. Apply old methods to this new media at
your own peril.
Over
the past few years marketers have used e-mail with varying degrees of success
and failure. Many of the failures can be attributed to using antique, "tried
and true" conventional marketing practices. And most of the damage to e mail
marketing has been done by using these practices.
Take
for example the most common comparison between direct mail and e-mail. It is used
all the time. "e-mail is just like direct mail", we have heard that
from more than a few marketers.
The
fact is the e-mail is about as similar to direct mail as a car is to an aircraft,
both have wheels and an engine, but their mode of operation is considerably different.
They both take you somewhere but in entirely different manners and speed.
Conventional
direct mailers purchase or rent lists, for the purposes of sending brochures or
flyers or catalogs. Some are fairly indiscriminate. If you live within a 10 mile
radius of a Walgreens, then you get the flyer. Lists are generally purchased by
occupant or by demographic characteristic. While basic business fundamentals are
timeless i.e. keeping the customer happy; the techniques of conventional marketing
just don't all carry over to e-mail marketing.
Just
try that on the Internet with e-mail and you will be labeled a Spammer. Use those
conventional tactics of just getting a list and sending your e-mail message out
and you will infuriate some people.
Why.
We
can handle a torrent of junk circulars, and catalogs in our mailboxes, but most
of us resent a barrage of unsolicited commercial e-mail, or faxes or telemarketing.
Since we pay for our phones, faxes and computers, we don't like to have commercials
attached. We want control over what we pay for. Sending out unsolicited e-mail
can seriously damage your business. Sending out unsolicited direct mail will probably
help your business.
Make
no mistake about it, e-mail out pulls even the best direct mail. In fact, the
best e-mail programs can pull up to a 30% response while direct snail mail rarely
sees more than 2 to 3%. E-mail costs a fraction of direct mail and is instant.
But you have to know how to use it, correctly, that is the purpose of this course.
eMail
is one of the most effective and powerful marketing tools that has ever existed.
It won't be long till just about everyone on the planet has an e-mail address.
So when it comes to Internet marketing, the question is not whether to use e-mail
but how to use it and use it properly and effective.
There
are considerable differences to online and offline marketing. Prospects using
the Internet want and expect a more personal experience. The environment in which
they view your company and message is different. A prospect may look at a newspaper
once a day, listen to the radio in his/her car, watch television in the evening,
but many are on their computers at multiple times and even places throughout the
day.
They
will have a personal e-mail address and a business one. Many will check their
e-mail several times a day.
Their
e-mail is important. They receive messages from their customers, family, friends
and employers using e-mail. They may also receive messages, newsletters, and advertisements
from companies that they have an "opt-in" relationship. These are e-mails
that the customer has given his/her "permission" to send, we will cover
this in more detail a little later in the lesson.
Spam
and Privacy
Which
bothers you more:
1.
Direct mail pieces flooding your postal mailbox, with the result of billions of
tons of waste and the environmental consequences that go with that.
2.
Telemarketers that call you at dinnertime, interrupting what you are doing to
sell you products you don't want or need.
3.
eMail messages in your electronic in-box that take a few minutes a day to delete.
The
uproar about Spam is probably inconsistent with the reality of the mass of unsolicited
advertisements we receive everyday. In fact, if we created legislation against
all forms of unsolicited marketing our economy would fall apart very quickly.
Nevertheless, the reality is that this perception of privacy and permission is
widespread, and as marketers we need to work with it not against it.
Spam
is somewhat subjective.
Some
people feel that any commercial message sent via email is Spam. Others agree that
if someone requests a newsletter or commercial email that it is not Spam.
What
is Spam?
The
definition of Spam is purposely vague because everybody has his or her own definition.
As it currently stands, Spam is in the eye of the beholder.
The
general term 'Spam' can apply to messages over many outlets. Some common targets
include email inboxes, search engines and discussion groups.
Unfortunately,
most communication outlets are likely to be spammed to some degree. The more valuable
the communication medium, the more likely it will attract spammers. Ironically,
spammers threaten the very mediums they profit from.
Spam
is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to
force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Most
Spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get rich-quick schemes,
or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send -- most of
the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender.
Email
Spam lists are often created by using harvester programs , stealing Internet mailing
lists, or searching the Web for addresses. Email spams typically cost users
money out-of-pocket to receive. Many people - anyone with measured phone service
- read or receive their mail while the meter is running, so to speak. Spam costs
them additional money. On top of that, it costs money for ISPs and online services
to transmit Spam, and these costs are transmitted directly to subscribers.
One
particularly nasty variant of email Spam is sending Spam to mailing lists (public
or private email discussion forums.) Because many mailing lists limit activity
to their subscribers, spammers will use automated tools to subscribe to as many
mailing lists as possible, so that they can grab the lists of addresses, or use
the mailing list as a direct target for their attacks.
Spam, or junk e-mail, is also defined as unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE) or
other unsolicited bulk e-mail (UBE), including advertising, chain letters, virus
warnings, etc. It usually contains forged return addresses, and often your own
address will not appear in the headers.
There
are also other types of Spam besides e-mail, such as newsgroup cross-posts and
instant messages. The term was originally defined as any annoying "noise"
which drowns out all other communication, so named for an old Monty Python skit.
Spam wastes bandwidth on the Internet, causing it to actually slow down, and takes
up an enormous amount of hard drive space and CPU cycles. Not only is Spam annoying,
but in the state of California it is illegal, although difficult to prosecute,
and prohibited by most Internet service providers, including NetWizards. ISP's
which permit their users to send Spam are subject to retaliation by others, by
having all their email blocked, by having their bandwidth flooded, etc. Thus,
legitimate ISP's cannot afford to permit Spam to originate from their networks.
MAIL
ABUSE PREVENTION SYSTEM Definition of "Spam"
STANDARD:
An
electronic message is "Spam" IF: (1) the recipient's personal identity
and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other
potential recipients; AND (2) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate,
explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent; AND (3) the transmission
and reception of the message appears to the recipient to give a disproportionate
benefit to the sender.
Unfortunately,
there are no hard and fast guidelines on what is and is not Spam.
The
eMarketing Association recommends the following minimum guidelines:
1.
Don't let the fear of Spamming, inhibit your legitimate opt-in email programs
2. Always use opt-in lists 3. Always include your company name and URL in
your email 4. Always provide a way for recipients to opt-out of your email
list 5. Promptly remove any opt-outs from your lists 6. Adhere to your
privacy policy 7. Never send more than one commercial email a day
Privacy:
The
following is a good example of a privacy policy statement for e-mail:
Email
Privacy Policy We have created this email privacy policy to demonstrate
our firm commitment to your privacy and the protection of your information.
Why
did you receive an email from us?
If
you received a mailing from us, (a) your email address is either listed with us
as someone who has expressly shared this address for the purpose of receiving
information in the future ("opt-in"), or (b) you have registered or
purchased or otherwise have an existing relationship with us. We respect your
time and attention by controlling the frequency of our mailings.
How
we protect your privacy
We
use security measures to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of data
used by our system.
Sharing
and Usage
We
will never share, sell, or rent individual personal information with anyone without
your advance permission or unless ordered by a court of law. Information submitted
to us is only available to employees managing this information for purposes of
contacting you or sending you emails based on your request for information and
to contracted service providers for purposes of providing services relating to
our communications with you.
How
can you stop receiving email from us?
Each
email sent contains an easy, automated way for you to cease receiving email from
us, or to change your expressed interests. If you wish to do this, simply follow
the instructions at the end of any email.
If
you have received unwanted, unsolicited email sent via this system or purporting
to be sent via this system, please forward a copy of that email with your comments
to your company.com for review.
Permission
Based eMail
Defining
Opt-In - Opt-Out and Double Opt-In
1.
Opt-in means that a person must take an explicit action to receive your email,
perhaps by responding to a statement on a web sign up page or during a "check
out" such as: "to receive periodic email with special offers and information,
please check this box." Unless people deliberately check the box they are
not signed up and will not receive any email.
Please
note: having the box checked for them is not an Opt-In.
2.
Double opt-in is as the name implies a stronger version of opt-in. People
who check the box receive an email follow-up asking them to confirm. They must
then either respond to the email or click through to a web page and restate their
participation by clicking an "I accept" button on the site. Many privacy
organizations are advocating double opt-in as the recommend way to assure that
people are fully aware that they have just signed up for email. Another method
is to combine opt-in with a welcome email that clearly states what the recipient
has signed up for and make it simple to unsubscribe in case there is an error
or change of heart.
3.
Opt-Out is the opposite of opt-in. The box on the web page would already be
checked and the statement might read: "We occasionally send email with special
offers and information. Please uncheck this box if you do not wish to receive
these emails." The obvious disadvantage of opt-out is that the customer must
actively disengage, They might easily overlook the opt-out check box and end up
participating in a program and receiving emails that they have no interest in.
Opt-In
Opt-in,
opt-out, double opt-in = permission based marketing. These are all brand new terms
in the marketing profession. You can't opt-in to a billboard or magazine advertisement.
You cant opt-out of a television commercial, or radio ad. You don't give permission
to direct mailers to send you flyers.
But
in e-mail marketing, permission is essential. Unusual for most marketers who are
used to sending or broadcasting their messages to the maximum number of prospects.
Imagine, now we are asking our prospects for "permission" to sell them
our product or service. And most of them will expect something in return for that
"permission".
An
e-mail marketing program should have a benefit to the recipient. It should contain
information of interest to those who receive it. In fact, if you want to harness
the real potential of e-mail marketing you will take it way beyond the simple
promoting of your products. You will offer your customers and prospects information,
tips, and special discounts they can use.
E-mail
gives you the opportunity to reach prospects on an entirely personal level. It
can help you not only convert prospects to customers, but keep the customers you
have. When you use e-mail just to sell things, you are missing the point entirely.
Birthday
cards, special reminders, breaking industry news, articles of interest, surveys,
newsletters, eZines are just some of the things you can send your customers and
prospective customers.
But
again be careful, sending e-mail with provocative subject lines like "gee
I haven't heard from you for a while", is annoying when it is not from a
person we know. Direct mailers use this technique all the time with handwritten
envelopes ad nauseaum, but it does not convert well to e-mail.
Later
in the course we will cover methods of acquiring opt-in lists, and creating methods
for website visitors to leave you with their e-mail addresses and permission.
For now, it is important that we understand the radical difference in "permission
based marketing", over other methods.
Legal
Issues
The
CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 - Overview:
The
legislation provides criminal penalties for violations. The Act requires unsolicited
commercial email to be labeled, and include opt out instructions and the senders
actual street address. The law prohibits the use of deceptive subject lines and
the use of false headers in messages. The FTC is allowed to establish a "do-not-email
registry similar to the "do-not-call" registry. The FTC is not required
by the bill to set up such a system, but it is given authority to do so.
All
state laws on Spam are pre-empted, although provisions that address falsity and
deception would remain.
The
CAN-SPAM Act was approved by the Senate in late November 2003, and by the House
on December 8th. It's been signed by President Bush and went into effect January
1, 2004.
SPAM
SOLUTIONS
Spam
Defined:
Spam has three features:
1. It is unsolicited 2. It
is commercial 3. It is email
Otherwise, it is not spam.
Commercial
eMail types:
1. Solicited commercial email that we do want 2. Solicited
commercial email that we don't want 3. Unsolicited commercial email (spam)
We think that we have to specifically and directly ask for commercial email
to be sent to us for it to be legally considered "solicited" and that
everything else is spam. Half the states in the Union have no restrictions on
unsolicited commercial email and those that do, have established that email is
"solicited" if there is a preexisting business or personal relationship
between the initiator of the commercial email and the recipient.
Reclassifying
what is currently "solicited" or "opt in" or "preexisting
business relationship" as "spam" however, will not solve our problem.
It might make us feel better but it won't fix anything. A certain amount of what
we often regard as "spam" might be unwanted, but it's not spam. Unwanted
commercial email is a problem, but it's not the same problem that spam is.
Roughly 50 percent
of all e-mail traffic in the United States is spam, up from 8 percent in late
2001 and nearly doubling in the past six months, according to Brightmail Inc.,
a major vendor of anti-spam software.
About 40 percent of U.S. Postal Service mail is business marketing.
This
onslaught of spam-trash, can, and is affecting response rates for legitimate marketers.
Nevertheless, there are ways you can counter this problem:
1.
Don't purchase anything from spammers (the
fact that they have to send out millions of email is an indication of how desperate
they are for sales), it is possible you won't get what you order from them anyway,
or have other problems.
2.
Use one of the solutions we recommend below.
However if you are using a content based filter, be sure to remain conservative
in your approach to banned words. Many legitimate emails are erroneously blocked
when over aggressive content filters are used. You don't want to throw out the
baby with the bathwater.
3.
Follow these basic rules for
handling email:
a.
don't respond to emails asking for any of the following:
Your
password and email address combination
Credit
Card Numbers
Bank
account numbers
Social
security numbers
First
and Last Names
Address
Mother's
maiden name etc.
Entering
this information on encrypted and secure server (look for the little locked padlock
in the lower right hand of your screen to determine if it is secure) is reasonably
safe.
b.
Never open attachment unless you are very sure of the sender (and even in those
cases the sender may be forwarding a virus unwittingly). Attachments should be
handled with extreme caution. Most computer virus are spread via email attachments
or live links.
4.
Relax. It's
only email. Don't respond to spammers with your opinion. Don't validate your email
by opting out. Just use one of the solutions below, or if your spam problem is
a minor one, just use your delete key. You will just waste your time by trying
to get off of all lists.
5.
If you are an eMarketer don't ever buy a list that is delivered to you.
It will be a spam list regardless of what the list owner represents. Legitimate
email list brokers always send your email for you and control the email addresses
on their lists. They never transfer them to buyer. Once they did that the buyer
could resell the list to anyone.
6.
If you are an eMarketer don't send out unsolicited email. Don't
use harvesters or other spamming software to acquire names. Put a newsletter or
mailing list sign up on your site and get your recipients permission to send email
to them. Sending spam makes you and your company look desperate, and irresponsible.
That is not an image that you want for you or your company.
7.
As a marketer don't underestimate the problem.
Ok, so you can handle 50 or 100 or even 200 spam emails a day. But what would
happen if you were receiving 1000 or 10,000 or a million a day? It would effectively
shut down the channel. That is why the eMarketing Association is working with
anti-spam solution developers to improve and refine the technological methods
of dealing with spam. We believe that what technology has created it can also
control. By using one of the solutions below you are taking an important step
in maintaining the integrity of your email.
FTC
Chairman Calls Spam "One of the Most Daunting Consumer Protection Problems
FTC Has Ever Faced"
Addressing
business executives and government officials at the Aspen Summit in Aspen, Colorado,
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Timothy J. Muris today explained how competition,
consumer protection, and the FTC fit into the American economy. Specifically,
Muris focused on the challenges posed by spam and the roles of the government,
marketers, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in combating this "daunting"
consumer protection problem.
Muris
stressed that, like competition policy, consumer protection policy plays a vital
role in supporting markets. According to Muris, the Commission's consumer protection
program has had numerous successes, yet currently faces its most significant test
in addressing spam. Muris explained that legislation alone would do little or
nothing to halt the growing flood of spam. Because the Internet allows spammers
anonymity, and because spammers can send thousands of e-mails per day at essentially
no cost, he stated that few would have the incentive to stop sending unsolicited
e-mails in spite of new laws.
"No
one should expect any new law to make a substantial difference by itself,"
Muris said. He outlined three important elements that he believes must be incorporated
in order to create effective legislation. First, the legislation must address
how to locate and prosecute spammers. "Our experience, and that of the few
states that have tried to punish spammers, is that it can take months of investigation,
and sometimes a dozen or more subpoenas, simply to locate a spammer," Muris
said, indicating that technology could most effectively address this issue.
Second,
Muris stated that legislation must adequately address spammers' punishments. Muris
explained that, as with any consumer protection action, the FTC can freeze spammers'
assets and seek consumer redress. In most cases, however, spammers have limited
assets. "Our authority thus already entitles us to more money than many of
the spammers have," Muris said. "Authority to get civil penalties will
not make a dramatic difference." He also noted that when defendants have
no assets, or when civil penalties do not provide enough incentive to stop spammers
from violating the law, consumers will be protected only if criminal action is
taken. Muris stressed that criminal authority must be clarified.
According
to Muris, some proposed legislation could actually make it more difficult to prosecute
problematic spam. He cited one bill that would make suing a spammer more complicated
than the current process under the FTC Act, and other proposed bills that would
require federal prosecutors to prove that a spammer falsified his identity in
10,000 different e-mails to bring a felony charge. "As the Department of
Justice has noted in testimony, such proof simply will often be impracticable,"
Muris said.
Muris
addressed the idea of creating a "Do Not Spam" registry modeled after
the FTC's recently launched National Do Not Call Registry. If such a list were
established, Muris said, "My advice to consumers would be: don't waste the
time and effort to sign up." He explained that "we are sure the National
Do Not Call Registry will reduce calls significantly." By contrast, a "Do
Not Spam" registry would be ineffective because spammers can constantly create
new e-mail addresses and identities, and because it costs virtually nothing for
a spammer to clog consumers' inboxes. "Instead, recipients and Internet Service
Providers bear most of the costs." Muris said.
Muris
said that "eventually, the spam problem will be reduced, if at all, through
technological innovations," including improved ISP spam filters and the integration
of anti-spam technology into the e-mail services ISPs provide for consumers. Until
these capabilities become available, Muris said, "the ISPs need to empower
consumers by providing the means to deal with spam more easily." On the whole,
Muris concluded that "legislation cannot do much to solve the spam problem,
because it can only make a limited contribution to the crucial problems of anonymity
and cost shifting."
Muris
stressed that the FTC would continue to investigate and prosecute deceptive spam,
as well as the deceptive and unfair use of e-mail technology. The FTC's work to
combat spam includes cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement
agencies in the Spam Task Force, consumer and business education and outreach,
and continued collaboration with government, ISPs, marketers, and technologists,
following the widely-attended FTC Spam Forum.
Muris
called the e-commerce initiative "an example of the Commission using its
institutional strengths to support competitive markets and the common law as they
adapt to technological change." He explained that while the Internet has
increased the availability of goods and services to consumers, some state laws
inhibit competition by requiring online vendors to maintain a physical office
in their state or by prohibiting completely online sales or shipments of certain
products, including wine, contact lenses, and caskets. Muris stressed that the
FTC is working vigilantly to keep costs low and prevent any suppression of Internet
commerce.
The
eMarketing Association has tested and recommends the following solutions for
the rising onslaught of unwanted email:
QURB
Qurb
integrates directly with Microsoft Outlook to protect your Inbox from unwanted
junk mail, unwanted offers, and offensive content. There is no easier way to ensure
that only mail from Approved Senders reaches your Inbox. Free trial download available.
SpamKiller
is THE Leading Anti-Spam Product for Consumers and Small Businesses.
Get
the email you want and nothing else. McAfee SpamKiller quickly and easily helps
you stop spam from polluting your inbox with advanced rule-based and list based
filtering. Now works with MSN/Hotmail.
1.
Pure-garbage spam (illegal schemes, invalid senders) 2. Chain letters, and
hoaxes 3. Honest people trying to make a living ("junk mail")
4. Occupational spam from colleagues
Most
Spam solutions will deal somewhat effectively with all four types. Here are the
methods that most Spam solutions use:
1.
content-based filters - This is the most common method of dealing with Spam.
A software program uses an algorithm to determine if incoming mail is spam. The
formula for making that determination varies by product but all of them use keywords
in the analysis. email that contains words such as Viagra, sale, winner etc.,
may be blocked or quarantined.
2.
White List - These programs work on the approved address method. They scan
your sent items folders, and your address book to determine who you have sent
mail to and assume that those addressee are approved or "white", then
they check incoming mail against that list.
3.
Challenge response - This is a variation on the white list method. email from
senders not on approved list receive a "challenge email" this ensures
that automated email does not get through, nor does any email from senders not
on your white list.
Defining actions A good spam-control product
should define actions to be taken, depending on which rules were tripped, such
as:
1. Nonaccept 2. Return to sender 3. Forward a copy to the sender and ask
for verification 4. Quarantine 5. Report egregious messages to a central
reporting point
1.
eMail is considered a personal communication channel. If your email communication
is perceived as exploiting the privileged business to customer relationship, you
can expect a hostile reaction from your customer.
2.
If you send emails to your customers without their permission you do so at your
own peril. Spam (unsolicited commercial email) should never be a part of your
customer communications.
3.
You must develop a concise and unequivocal privacy and/or permission statement
that outlines exactly how you will treat your customers' personal information.
4.
A good privacy policy should state:
a)
What information is gathered or tracked
b)
What the company does with the information that is gathered or tracked
c)
With whom the company shares information
d) The opt-out policy
e) The policy on correcting and updating personally identifiable information
f)
How the recipient can delete or deactivate his or her name from the company's
database.
5.
Its a good idea to link to your privacy policy on every email you send out
6.
Although there is a lot of legislation and other issues associated with email,
that should not deter you from fully utilizing this important channel.
7.
Expect some negative reaction no matter how careful you are with your opt-in policy.
