The Whitelist

What’s That Subscriber Really Worth? Crunch the Numbers Now

This is very nice! A straightforward formula for determining the value of your email subscribers from Forrester Research, illustrated at MarketingProfs.com.

The formula considers the time and the cost of generating revenue from a subscriber, and helps you determine what that revenue might be, to make sure both your time and your money are well spent.

Granted you’ll still need some hard facts and figures at your finger tips to run the numbers, but doing so should help you make dollars—and sense—of your email marketing program and email marketing ROI.

And if it’s not what it should be? Time to look at some email marketing best practices, and maybe a call to your email marketing agency: ClickMail.

Compute your email marketing subscriber value here.

12 reasons to use a welcome email for higher email marketing ROI

Are you still waffling on welcoming? Welcome emails, that is.

If so, you might click through to our CEO’s latest posting on the Email Critic blog, where he gives 12 reasons to use a welcome email for higher email marketing ROI.

A welcome email has so many reasons for being—in addition to offering boost to your email marketing ROI—that not using one is like saying you don’t want your email marketing program to make money.

One simple welcome email can get your relationship off to a great start, increase your credibility, and even give you a chance to start selling. What’s not to like about all that?

And if you’re thinking setting up a welcome email program just means more work, note that reason number 4 is “You don’t have to do a thing…”

…especially if you call on an email marketing agency like ClickMail for help.

February’s Newsletter Is All About Subscriber Love!

You’ve made it through Valentine’s Day, but the month of love is still upon us…especially for this email marketing agency!

Between hanging in Vegas at MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit 2012 earlier this month, plus blogging on subscriber love and engaging emails last week, we seem to have some warm fuzzies and lovin’ feelings going on And we’re not done yet!

February’s email marketing newsletter is all about loving too. Check out the newest issue of The ClickMail Marketer for tips on getting your subscribers to love you right back. We’ll show you how to earn their affection when you:

• Welcome Them Right Away
• Be Targeted
• Give Them Some Control
• Be Thoughtful By Design
• Remind Them You Think They’re Special
• Be Responsive
• Let Them Go

Yes, like in any relationship, sometimes you have to let go. But following all the other advice means they’ll be less likely to say goodbye!

Show some subscriber love. Read our February email marketing newsletter.

The Age of Engagement

What’s your focus as an email marketer? If you’re paying attention, you know we’ve moved past the rule of relevance into the age of engagement.

We know the reasons for engaging subscribers: improve email delivery, increase sales, encourage social sharing. But what does it really mean to engage?

Let’s think about what it means to engage. Below is the word as defined by FreeDictionary.com:

1. To obtain or contract for the services of; employ: engage a carpenter.

2. To arrange for the use of; reserve: engage a room.

3. To pledge or promise, especially to marry.

4. To attract and hold the attention of; engross: a hobby that engaged her for hours at a time.

5. To win over or attract: His smile engages everyone he meets.

6. To draw into; involve: engage a shy person in conversation.

7. To require the use of; occupy: Studying engages most of my time.

8. To enter or bring into conflict with: We have engaged the enemy.

9. To interlock or cause to interlock; mesh: engage the automobile’s clutch.

10. To give or take as security.

What do all of these definitions have in common? One party engages another. One makes the first move, if you will, sets the stage, makes the move, initiates the invitation.

That is what we as an email marketing agency and you as an email marketer must have at the forefront of your thinking when ensuring your email marketing program is focused on engagement.

To engage is not to be passive, waiting for someone else to make a move. Nope. Engaging our prospects, subscribers and/or customers means we make the first move, in a way these prospects, subscribers and/or customers will react to.

Is your email marketing program engaging? Does it actively seek an interaction with the recipients? Is it designed to be a two-way communication, one mindful of the recipient’s time and interest?

If so, you’re engaging! If you think you could do a little better, call on ClickMail to help. We’re your engaging email marketing agency. And we’ll help you engage too!

(Heart) Your Subscribers…Today and Every Day

Today is Valentine’s Day, a day about love: love of spouse, love of family…and—for email marketers—love of subscribers.

Yep, February 14 is a great day to remember how much you appreciate these people who willingly get your marketing messages. In fact, every day is a great day to show some subscriber love! With email marketing, showing appreciation and consideration for your subscribers is so easy, there’s no reason not to do it.

With this blog, we’re at a disadvantage. You’re likely reading this because you came across it during a Google or Bing search for an email marketing agency or some tips for email your in-house email list. You didn’t sign up for it, and it’s not something you regularly expect to see in your inbox. As a blog, this marketing medium can’t very well show you any lovin’ beyond being useful and full of email marketing best practices.

Your email marketing program, on the other hand, can easily show some much-needed care and concern. After all, your subscribers signed up to hear from you. They expect to see your email messages in their inboxes and on their smartphones. Reciprocate with consideration. Offer them a preference center so they can tell you when and how they want to hear from you. Be mindful in your messaging, really and truly thinking through what the subscriber wants to hear vs. what you want to say. Segment your lists and thoughtfully message different segments in different ways. Study your web analytics for opportunities to market based on specific buying behaviors.

And above all, be engaging. There’s a reason an “engagement” is the stage before a marriage. For you, the engagement is the stage before the sale. Be thoughtful and loving of your subscribers, considerate of their needs, wants and desires, and you might find that lovin’ headed right back to you as increased ROI.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you, your family and your email subscribers from ClickMail, the email marketing agency with a heart.

Five Signs It’s Time for a New ESP

Business relationships differ from personal ones in a very big way: Sometimes it’s just time to move on.

Case in point: Your marriage might be for life and your kids are around for good, but your ESP could be a temporary relationship. As much as you might like your ESP, as long as you’ve been doing business with them, there still might come a time when staying with the ESP you know so well could mean a lower email marketing ROI.

If you’ve been with the same email service provider for more than a year, consider these five signs that it’s time for a new ESP:

1. Your in-house email list has grown.

With over 100 ESPs to choose from, you’re going to find that capabilities differ among them. This includes scaling to meet your needs as your volume of email grows.

2. Your email deliverability has shrunk.

As strange as it sounds, the email deliverability rate you’ll get with one ESP is not the same as you’ll get with another. As an email marketing agency, we test different ESPs with the same list and we get markedly varied results. When even half a percentage point in improvement means more email ROI, having the highest possible email delivery rate is imperative. It could be your ESP isn’t keeping up with your needs, and that’s affecting your bottom line.

3. You’re ready to automate.

Triggered, event-based email marketing is the way to achieve the most targeted, relevant messages possible. If you’re ready to go that route and your ESP isn’t, it’s time to move on…not get left behind.

4. You’re ready to integrate.

Web analytics, CRM systems, social media, SMS…there are so many sources of customer insight and possible contact points that all need to be working in tandem for maximum results. Email marketing best practices alone will only get you so far. Integrating with other marketing channels is imperative. If your ESP is limited in integration capabilities, it might be time to shop for a new one.

5. You need some strategy.

In today’s economy especially, marketing budgets can be tight and staffs small. If you’re resources are enough to get the job done but not enough to add a strategic element to your email marketing program, you might need an ESP with consulting services available.

If you’re thinking maybe it’s time to move on to a new ESP, here are three ways to jumpstart your search:

• Plug your requirements into the online ESP selection tool, the ESPinator
• Download the 2011 guide to choosing a new ESP
• Head to booth #39 at MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit in Las Vegas this week to visit with email marketing agency ClickMail

Whether you do one, two or all three, you’ll be well on the way to moving on to the right ESP for your newly evolved needs.

What Happens in Vegas…Will Stick With You in a Very Good Way!

This is one time when what happens in Vegas need not stay in Vegas: MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit 2012. This time, we hope what happens in Vegas sticks with you in a very good way.

Taking place February 7^th through 10^th, the summit promises to be overflowing with email marketing expertise, experience and education…all designed to head back to your office with you, to be implemented in the coming months as you improve your email marketing program…and your email marketing ROI.

And if MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit 2012 doesn’t already promise enough new knowledge to tempt you, consider these three reasons, from ClickMail, your email marketing agency:

1. Get One-on-One Coaching!

Three of the email marketing industry’s best and brightest—ClickMail’s own Cameron Kane, Michael Kelly and Grant Johnson—will be on hand offering coaching and one-on-one consultation. That’s right. During this Las Vegas event, the real show stoppers will be the 12 different topics you can choose from when you want an expert’s undivided attention and advice. (Get the details and sign up for your private session.)

2. Get a Discount!

Register with our special email marketing agency promotion code, and you’ll save $700! To get your discount, enter priority code 185-ST-1003 at check out when you register for the Email Summit.

3. Get Connected!

Most important of all during this email event is meeting up with the folks from our email marketing agency. Be sure to stop by booth #39 during the Email Summit. While at the booth, plug your email marketing needs into our ESPinator to see which ESP gets recommended for you…and to be entered to win free prizes.

What’s not to love about three days in Vegas, especially when it all goes home with you?

Email: The Foundation of all Online Marketing

Although we’re an email marketing agency, we’ll be glad to see this month—and all of the 2012 predictions that came with it—come to an end. We must stay on top of the changes in the email marketing industry and the predictions help us to do so, but we are ready to get down to the business of email marketing ROI once again.

Why? Because one constant remains throughout all those predictions: Email is the foundation upon which your online marketing program is built, no matter if you’re switching from an ESP to marketing automation provider or putting extra resources into your social media campaigns. Email is the enabler to it all.

And that’s something we can all bank on by keeping our focus where our focus should be: constantly optimizing our email marketing best practices and programs, and further integrating our email with our web analytics and social media marketing.

Email is the starting point, the foundation, the enabler and even the glue. It’s also the preferred medium of your customers. According to ExactTarget, “56% of US Internet users interact with brands only via marketing emails, compared to 1.3% who interact only via Twitter and 0.7% by Facebook.” [ExactTarget, "Subscribers, Fans, and Followers: The Social Profile" (2010), emphasis added]

Emails not going away, and it needs your attention to make sure it’s doing all it can for you. The other stuff might be shiny and new but without the solidity of a well-functioning, optimized email marketing program, your other online and social media marketing efforts will fall short.

You’re already taking action to keep your email optimized: You’re reading this blog! For other resources that will educate you and strengthen your email marketing foundation, subscribe to our email marketing newsletter and definitely be sure to visit our booth at MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit 2012 next week.

Or just reach out to this friendly email marketing agency for some one-on-one email marketing consultation. We’ll help you lay that foundation brick by brick.

The Power of an Apology: Four Tips for Making Things Right Again

Driving through town the other day, I saw the following on the sign outside a church:

“If you have to have the last word, make it ‘sorry’.”

That simple word little five-letter word might seem overly humble at times and might even be hard to say when you’re feeling you’re right, but that same simple word packs a lot of punch. It smoothes over hard feelings, heals hurts and makes things okay again.

It’s a word you want to use with your spouse, your family, your boss…and even your email marketing customers. Because chances are you’ve made some mistakes in all those areas. After all, you’re human!

We won’t dish out marital advice here, or ways to navigate the interpersonal relationships of the workplace. But we can as an email marketing agency that has seen a lot of email in our 10 plus years advise you on one of the most important emails you might ever send during your career: the apology email.

Mistakes will happen. Apologies will have to be made. Be ready to eat crow and please people when you follow this four tips:

1) Be real. Send your apology email from a real person. Depending on the severity of the mistake, choose appropriately. A huge mistake warrants an apology from the tog dog. Someone lower down the totem pole could send the “I’m sorry” for a lesser error.

2) Make things right. Maybe you can’t sell that product for the super low price you accidentally offered. But can you offer a partial discount? Or some other special? Think of the husband that shows up with flowers as he makes up with his wife. What can you show up with?

3) Manage the other communication channels too. It could your email made the mistake, but the repercussions show up on your Facebook page or all over Twitter. Keep the lines of communication open every way you can. Respond to email replies to your apology, be an active participant in the social media dialog.

4) Do not blame. Just admit to the mistake regardless of how it happened or who—or what—messed up. Your customers don’t care how the mistake happened. They only care that you’re making things right.

We’d like to tell you the apology email could be avoided altogether, but all we can promise is you can minimize the chance of errors through email best practices. So be prepared for the inevitable mistake and the necessary “I’m sorry” to make things right again as fast as you can.

Three Easy Ways to Prevent Being Flagged as Spam

Consumers are in a hurry and think nothing of flagging your legitimate email as spam, hurting your sending reputation despite your adherence to email marketing best practices. What’s an email marketer to do?

Everything in your power to minimize the use of that Spam button, that’s what!

The latest ClickMail Marketer has three easy tips for making spam reports fewer in number and keeping your email delivery rate high as can be:

1) Manage expectations from the start

2) Get through the first three hurdles

3) Make the Unsubscribe easy to find and do

Learn more about each, how it protects you, and how to implement it by giving the newsletter a quick read.

As an email marketing agency, we predict the Spam button will remain a threat to legitimate email marketers, and maybe even become more of a threat as inboxes get ever more cluttered. Follow these three tips, and protect yourself and your sending reputation by diminishing the use of the Spam button.

Read our latest email marketing newsletter here.