Thank you Apple, we L.O.V.E. MPP!
Apple delivered the email marketing community a gift at the WWDC this past week, and we at iPost cannot be more excited. In case you haven’t heard, Apple will be releasing “Mail Privacy Protection” MPP later this year with iOS15, iPadOS15, watchOS8, and macOS Monterey. Here is what we know so far about Mail Privacy Protection (MPP): IP addresses will be blocked. The opening times of emails will now no longer be accurate at all Email opens will be completely inaccurate - All emails will be marked as open whether a person reads them or not. Tracking Pixels (or “spy pixels”) will be opened by default All remote images will be preloaded before hitting the users [...]
Email delivery vs Email deliverability
In email marketing, email delivery and email deliverability are two entirely different things when it comes to running an email program. Unfortunately, they are often used interchangeably, and it causes some confusion amongst non-email people around your organization. So how do you distinguish email delivery and deliverability? Email Delivery Delivery simply means that the email you just sent was accepted by your recipient’s server and did not bounce. It doesn’t mean that the email was delivered to the inbox or a folder; it simply means that it wasn’t rejected. Email delivery rate is NOT a metric you want to use to gauge the success of your campaign or your program. Therefore, the email delivery rate is [...]
Amazing Email Subject Lines May 2021
It's fair to say that email subject lines are one of the most important components of an email. What do email subscribers see first in their email inbox? The email subject line! If your email subject line is not amazing, then your digital marketing efforts could be falling short. In this post, we reveal amazing subject line examples. We love amazing email subject lines at iPost. We love writing email subject lines. We love testing them. We love to be surprised when what we think will work doesn’t. We also love when an email we didn't expect to take off gets incredible email open rates. Amazing subject lines can enhance the email’s subscriber engagement While there [...]
Chapter 2: Don’t treat members the same way as non members in email.
Welcome to Chapter 2 of the new series at iPost called "Don't do this, do that," where some of the best minds in email marketing will use dozens of years of both client, agency, and ESP experience to guide you the email marketer with pragmatic advice. This chapter is strictly for Associations where members and non-members are your audiences. MEMBERSHIP MEANS SOMETHING, ESPECIALLY IN EMAIL It is no secret that associations thrive on member growth, engagement, and involvement. Consequently, the decision to become a member is often a strong belief that the Association will provide professional and personal development that aligns with their values. However, membership is a two-way street and requires work from both sides. [...]
Emails From The Client Side – Levels of Engagement
As we continue to grow, we are constantly fielding questions around our solution and its ability to perform strategically no matter what vertical they are in. One common theme from our clients is "levels of engagement." A recent email from the client-side asked us this: My engagement levels have peaked in many of my programs, and I'm trying to determine if it would be a better use of time to build on these or if I should focus on creating new campaigns where I can start with a lower engagement rate but perhaps achieve a higher conversion rate as a result. What do you think? How do your subscribers compare across the various programs you manage? [...]
Conversions are Key: Great Sales Emails Use Alt Text
Email is one of the most powerful tools in any marketer's toolbox. It can be used to augment anything from email newsletters, social media promotions and announcements, and even your website. When you send an email that includes a call-to-action (CTA) button or an image, it's important to include alt text so email recipients know what they will find when they click on that link. Great Sales Emails use Alt Text - Period! The issue is alt text and I’m taking a stand. Lack of alt text is a wasted opportunity and I simply do not understand why it happens. Do you see a problem with this email screenshot? This email is missing alt text. [...]
Purging Your Subscribers: How to Determine Who Needs To Be Purged
Check your marketing ego at the door, people, because at some point in your email career, you will be faced with the decision to purge subscribers from your email program. Purging your subscribers is a great way to maintain the legitimacy of your database. What does purging mean? Purging means that you take a pre-defined segment of subscribers and remove them from your sendable database. Here, the operative term is "pre-defined," which means that you need to agree on what parameters make up the need to kick the subscribers to the curb. There are almost always spam accounts lingering on your subscribers' list. DEFINING THE PURGING SEGMENT Let's be clear; there is no definitive definition or [...]
Take Your Transactional Emails from Dull to Dynamic
If you're sending transactional email, you already know transactional emails get a much higher open rate than other ESP marketing emails—from 40% to 85% higher depending on the source you turn to. You probably also know that’s rarely because they’re compelling and interesting. Nope, they’re usually boring. They are literally a transactional message. Yet people open them. Why? The high open rate happens because these emails are expected. I order something, and then I get an email confirming I ordered it. Then another when it ships. As a typical consumer, I look for these emails so I can track my purchases and know when they’ll arrive. As an email copywriter, I dread these emails from my [...]
DMARC: what it is and why you need it now.
With the rise in email scams, it is more important than ever to be sure that your business's emails are authentic. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance) is an email validation system designed to protect your organization's email domain from spoofing and phishing scams. It uses your existing email authentication protocols such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) to determine your email message's authenticity. It adds an essential piece of functionality of reports back to the domain owner, who can then decide who is sending email on their behalf. DMARC: what is it? The DMARC tool adds a level of certainty on whether an email is legit. In a nutshell, [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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