 |
 |
 |
homepage | about the site | terms of use | privacy policy | contact us |
|
 |
Tips to Bounce-Proof Your Email List
Keeping your email lists fresh is critical to the success of your online marketing and e-commerce efforts. In the early days of the Internet, the novelty of web sites and free e-newsletters made acquiring customers online all too easy. With customers signing up in droves to hear your latest offers, there was no need to worry about email address attrition rates or errors during registration. Unfortunately, those days are over! Due to error-ridden databases, privacy concerns, excess spam, and the high turnover of email addresses, many companies are now finding they are losing email addresses faster than they can gain them. Customer retention has reemerged as the key to profits. Here is what you can do to bounce-proof your email lists and increase your customer retention rate:
DON'T LET ERRORS GET INTO YOUR LIST Utilize a double-entry system during registration This will reduce typos and help your customers recognize how important an accurate email address is to you. Validate email addresses at the point of registration Examine your current methods for validating email addresses at the point of registration. Consider upgrading your software or using a real time validation service so you can catch your prospects when they want you most. Confirm your registrations Present all new registrants with a confirmation page, which lets them review what they have typed and correct any mistakes made. Implement a double opt-in process Require visitors to check their email and click through on a custom link to confirm that your email was successfully delivered to them. Note: you may realize a significant drop off in your registrations and annoy some prospects, but it will ensure that only valid email addresses are introduced into your list. Decide if this trade-off makes sense for you. Review the other ways that email addresses get into your database. Provide your data entry staff with a list of common top-level domains (.com, .net, etc.), domains (hotmail, yahoo, etc.) and standard email address formatting rules. If you do any significant off-line data entry, investigate implementing aggressive validation on these addresses at the time of entry.
IF ERRORS SNEAK IN, CATCH THEM ASAP Send a confirmation message Immediately email a welcome message to each newly registered email address. If there is a bounce, quickly implement an email address recovery attempt. The longer you wait, the greater the chance your customers will forget why they gave you their email addresses in the first place. Utilize a list hygiene and correction service on a regular basis List hygiene services can identify and correct a majority of the invalid email addresses that result from domain errors, formatting problems, misspellings, and typos. Again, the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to reconnect with your customers and engage their interest.
EVEN GOOD ADDRESSES GO BAD - PLAN FOR CUSTOMER RECOVERY Face the facts People change their email addresses daily. 30% or more of your email addresses are going to need updating each year. Determine how much a working email address is worth to you Properly analyze the results of all of your online efforts. Be sure to separately analyze the value of a new customer versus a recovered customer. Loyal, repeat customers are the stable of every successful company. Don't focus your efforts solely on new customer acquisition. Put someone in charge of customer recovery Many companies lose sight of the basics. Customer retention may be less sexy, but it will likely yield you a higher ROI. Make sure you have identified the resources, budget, and priority for your customer retention efforts. Plan your email address acquisition methods to assist with later recovery Consider collecting a name, an alternate email address, a postal address, or a phone number.
UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS LISTS Provide email address update links on your site Make it easy for your customers to update their email addresses for you whenever they are interacting with your website. Put email address update links in your email communications Enable your customers to update their email addresses with a simple click-through. Many companies require their readers to unsubscribe and then re-subscribe. This is too cumbersome for the visitor and often results in the loss of valuable historical data. Utilize an ECOA (email change of address) service ECOA companies provide you with current email addresses for your old or "dead" addresses. Moreover, they will update your list with your customers' preferred email addresses, solving the problem of infrequently checked email accounts. Utilize an email appending service If you have names and postal addresses in your files, an email append service can help you find 25% or more of the associated email addresses. Develop a customer recovery plan and follow it Determine how much time you can let pass before your customers or prospects will forget why they came to you in the first place? How frequently are you planning to do your database updating? What is the most cost-effective process for recovering a customer? Review the costs and benefits of your options and decide what is best for you.
IT'S ALL ABOUT ROI! The payoffs for bounce-proofing your email list are substantial: lower customer acquisition costs, increased response rates and sales, reduced messaging and support costs, and the decreased likelihood of winding up on some system administrator's blacklist due to high bounce-back rates. Follow the basic suggestions above and you will maximize the return on your marketing investments. Isn't today a good time to start? Bill Kaplan FreshAddress, Inc., The Email Address ExpertsTM, provides a comprehensive suite of industry leading database and email deliverability services to help companies increase their e-commerce revenues. For more information on how we can help "Build and Update" your email list, visit http://freshaddress.com/biz or email biz@freshaddress.com.
Bill Kaplan is the Chief Executive Officier of FreshAddress, Inc. FreshAddress, Inc. is a privately held company, founded in 1999, helping business and individuals stay connected when email addresses change.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Realtors - Is Your Newsletter Increasing Sales? If you are a REALTOR focused on residential sales who distributes a monthly email newsletter, ask yourself: "Is my distribution list growing?" And more importantly, "Is my newsletter accomplishing what I wish it to?"You already recognize that an email newsletter is an effective marketing tool to help to increase sales. Regular communication with clients and prospects is essential to increase your revenues over time. Email: When You Dont Get a Response The lack of an email response is an issue I have grappled with many times especially since I rely on email as a primary means of communication rather than the phone because of my hearing loss.You email a client, follow up, and whatnot. 4 Effective Ways To Use Autoresponders To Increase Your Sales An autoresponder is a very powerful tool for any online business. Basically, an autoresponder is used to ease your tasks. Lesson #5: Four Easy Ways to Kill Your Business Using Your Autoresponder... And How to Avoid Them The importance of building an opt-in list over spamming (a.k. Email Aesthetics- APPEARANCE is Everything! Email AestheticsIt`s an old, old saying, but it`s true: you only have one chance to make a good first impression. And in email, the first impression is always visual -- a consumer LOOKS/SEES before he/she READS. Run Profitable Contests Using Autoresponders Running a contest for your e-zine subscribers or web site visitors is one way you can generate interest and give more exposure for products or services you want to promote.A contest could be as simple as spotting a word or a set of words within an e-zine's issue or searching for a graphic on a site. Free Email Accounts - Pros and Cons Free email accounts are great if you want to hide your identity. They are great to sign up for free stuff. 7 Great Email Habits for the Beginning Internet Entrepreneur If you are just starting out as an Internet entrepreneur then you have a lot to learn about doing business online. One such thing you need to concentrate on is your e-mailing habits. People Accusing You of Sending sp*am? Five Email Marketer Must Know Tips People tend to forget their subscriptions. Sometimes they don't even know why they subscribed to your newsletter. Automatic Responder - The Secret of Super Affiliates Success Congratulations, you just made a sale!Congratulations, you just made a sale!Congratulations, you just made a sale!Wondering how those Super Affiliates make so many sales overnight selling someone else's products?Well, you shouldn't be anymore, because here's how they actually do it.. Analysing Autoresponders An autoresponder is an automatic or software-mailing program. Why would you want that? Because whoever you are, you don't have enough time, and an autoresponder will maximise your time potential. Say More Than Thank You Most Websites are gathering e-mail addresses. When you submit your e-mail address, you will be redirected to a thank you page. Email Deliverability Tips Ensuring requested opt-in email is delivered to subscriber inboxes is an increasingly difficult battle in the age of spam filtering. Open and click thru response rates can be dramatically affected by as much as 20-30% due to incorrect spam filter classification. 4 Steps To 1,000.. 2,000..3,000 Subscribers In Days! Everyone who has been marketing online for sometime already know the value of an email list. An email list, filled with targeted subscribers who opt in, is the most valuable asset for anyone with an online business. Viral Marketing with Your Signature File Computer viruses are usually a bad thing. They can compromise your security, delete necessary files, and give your PC trouble. Email Advertising - How Ad Tracking Helped Create a Killer Ad I recently undertook an email advertising promotion, using a number of advertising media. The exercise involved a program of mine called the Magical Marketing system. The Power Of Email Marketing Have You Considered The Power Of Email MarketingOld vs. NewIf we consider that not so many years ago when we were selling products or services it was usual to make the phone call, engage the prospect in conversation then send a brochure. Email Marketing 2005?Do's & Don'ts Email Marketing 2005?Do's & Don'ts1. Make sure all your email recipients are opt in or double opt in. Are Autoresponders An Important Asset To Your Business? Autoresponders are an important asset to an Internet Marketer. When I heard that statement, I said, "Okay - great! What is it!" For all those new to the Internet arena, I'll try to explain what autoresponders are, how they can be used, and how it can benefit your online business. Why Use Permission-Based Email Marketing? The goal of all marketing is to attract interest in, build desire for, and generate sales of your products or services. Email marketing is a perfect medium to pick up where other marketing leaves off.
|
|
All rights reserved '
KnowledgeStorage.net
|