Common Questions: New Email Service Provider (ESP Provider)
If you’re in the process of choosing an email service provider (ESP), you may be experiencing some confusion. That’s because Email Service Provider isn’t a straightforward term, and some companies that provide email services aren’t even aware that they are Email Service Providers. So, before you choose an email service provider, ask yourself these questions: What do I need from my email service provider? Is Gmail / Outlook / Apple / Yahoo an ESP? What is an example of an Email ESP? What are the various email service providers? What is an ESP? An ESP (email service provider) is a company that allows marketers to send email campaigns to their email contact lists. ESPs are technology [...]
7 Hidden Costs of Switching Email Service Providers (ESP)
If you’re switching email service providers, one of the questions that’s likely top of mind is, what will it cost to move from one ESP to another? Although there are steps you can take to make the ESP migration easier, you still might not understand the real costs. Based on anecdotal evidence from watching—and helping—clients switch email service providers, both before and during their engagements with iPost, I’ve pulled together some hidden costs to consider to help you understand those real costs associated with switching ESPs. Please note: This is not a breakdown of the costs of switching email service providers, nor a guide to figuring out if the cost is worth it. It is, however, [...]
iPost Joins International Franchise Association (IFA)
SAN MATEO, CALIF., March 02, 2021 iPost email marketing platform for franchises joins International Franchise Association (IFA). iPost, an enterprise email marketing and automation provider, has joined the International Franchise Association (IFA), the world's largest membership organization for franchisors, franchisees and franchise suppliers. The decision to join the IFA is tied directly to the capabilities of the iPost email platform. “We joined the IFA not because we plan to franchise, but because our platform works so exceedingly well for franchise businesses,” says Cameron Kane, iPost CEO. “Being part of a vibrant organization like the IFA helps us connect to those franchises that can benefit greatly from the iPost email marketing platform.” It is a competitive marketing environment, with consumers [...]
Avoid These 5 Bad Email Habits in 2023
It's fair to say that none of us in email marketing are in it to annoy our subscribers with our email newsletters. We have all read articles about why subscribers leave your email program. This article about five bad email practices to avoid in 2023 is no exception. In addition to frequency and lack of personalization in emails, some things just flat-out drive people nuts. They may be things that you don't intentionally do, but they are things nonetheless. I hope you will take inventory of your program and see if these five things impact your engagement in any way. #1 POOR SIGN-UP EXPERIENCE Imagine you have been invited to a fabulous party where tons of [...]
Doing an ESP Migration? Avoid These 7 Pitfalls
For Basic ESP Q & A, refer to this previous post for What is an ESP?. You thought going through the ESP selection process was hard? It might look like a walk in the park compared to the actual ESP migration. Moving from one ESP to another involves many different people and parts, and how well you do the migration affects how quickly you’ll be up and running with your new ESP. It’s worth doing it well! Yet it’s also fraught with potential pitfalls. At iPost, we see the after effects of ESP migration pitfalls when organizations come to us with issues such poor deliverability, inefficient processes, or lack of insight into how to take advantage [...]
5 reasons email copywriting is different
Email marketers & business owners usually assume email copywriting is easy. Or they assume it’s like writing any other kind of marketing copy. But they’re wrong. If you want to succeed with email marketing in 2022 and beyond, it’s time to start learning how to write killer emails. To really learn email copywriting, it takes a lot of experience, testing, trial, and error, etc. You might be wondering what makes email copywriting different? Here are five reasons email copywriting is different, and also learn how to write like an expert copywriter. Reason 1: Your email copywriting is showing up in someone’s email inbox. Showing up in your email subscribers' inbox or on their phone is much [...]
Are Long Emails Bad? How Long Should an Email Be?
Are Long Emails Bad? You Have Been Mislead. In recent years people in the email industry have led you to believe that you should stop writing long emails because email subscribers don't read long emails anymore. Email marketing strategists and thought leaders have subsequently encouraged you to write shorter emails (50 to 125 words - 200 words) or image-heavy with little copy and bullet points because subscribers "scan." The industry has said that no one likes to scroll on emails unless you have valuable content, and only then should you have your most valuable content at the top to grab their attention. Captain Obvious called on the former and asked that I tell you "HOGWASH" on [...]
Silent Marketing Solution: Use Email Analytics to Best Engage Silent Subscribers
What are the best email analytics to help determine which subscribers are bringing you down? As digital consumers, we’ve all been through this scenario of disillusionment: You land at a website and you like what you see. You subscribe to the brand’s emails because you’re thinking this is the start of something. Then the emails start coming. They fail to offer what you’d anticipated. And they keep coming. And you wish they’d just stop. Next thing you know, you’ve gone from warm fuzzies about a brand to being a disillusioned silent subscriber who never opens another email. We know that’s a tiresome and oft-repeated scenario as consumers. But we need to address this common occurrence from [...]
Gmail Inbox Deliverability – Prevent Gmail Spam
GMAIL IS EMAIL KING. Gmail is a big deal for B2C email marketers. Gmail email addresses can make up 40-80% of your list and cause headaches for marketers who need to have high inbox placement to be successful. Gmail has over 1.5 billion users, a vast email client market share, and is always innovating around the email experience while continuously improving its algorithms to determine inbox placement and delivery of your messages. They are demanding that marketers become better at email marketing, and we at iPost agree. We understand your goal is to prevent mail to Gmail users from being blocked or sent to spam. GMAIL ALGORITHM HACKS Let's be clear; there are no hacks or [...]
Marketing Cloud Alternatives: When You Want Features, Not Headaches
For all those marketers searching for marketing cloud alternatives, it’s a bit confusing, right? I mean, we’re talking about huge Fortune 100 companies that have been around for years and are so well-known that people make memes about using them. Yet marketers have experienced so many headaches that they are actively seeking out marketing cloud alternatives instead. I suspect it’s because marketers want to be able to do what the big marketing clouds promise without having to work so hard and pay so much to do so. They want the features, but they do not want the headaches that come with implementing or using those features. And they’re at the point when they realize they need [...]
Email Trends: 13 Email Marketing Trends Predictions for 2021
2020 SUCKED (1 Star ⭐) 2020 was a year of consolidation and regurgitation in the email industry. Companies merged, were bought, and even changed names, while the industry managed to talk about the same stuff that we were talking about 10-15 years ago. The operative words in the industry were personalization, automation, and the "New Normal." While 2020 did suck, it quickly reminded us that pivoting our strategies was not a bad thing, and those that were quick and agile faired far better than those that just followed. Email Marketing Trends Predictions In 2021, more of the same will happen across the industry. Companies will consolidate, and "personalization" will be a hot topic of many posts [...]
Restaurant Email Marketing Tasty Results with Images
Even with the best restaurant email marketing platform in the world, you’ll fail to deliver optimal email marketing results if you’re not using the right images. And by “right,” I mean the images your audience is drawn to and compelled by. You already know images are compelling because you’re human. If I were to publish this post without the picture of the busy restaurant to get your attention, you’d be less interested in reading it. The image gets your attention. In fact, the image starts telling you what this post is about before you start reading the words. And you know the old adage about a picture is worth a thousand words. So even if you’re [...]
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