|
Overview
Benefits
Features Testimonials
FAQ's
Screenshots
Log in
The Secret to Email Marketing Success
Mail567 Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have custom fields like 'First name', 'Last name', 'Address' in
my subscription forms?
Yes, Mail567 has the capability of allowing you to create unlimited
custom fields, including names, addresses, dates and more. Simply select
the "Manage Custom Fields" option (In the 'Newsletter' drop down menu) to
create, edit and delete your custom fields.
Once you have created your custom fields, edit your subscription form
and select the fields you wish to include.
Once you have done that, you'll need to "Get HTML" for the form and
copy the new HTML to your website.
Can I automatically send out emails after a specific time, such as
after an hour, or a day etc?
Yes, such automated emails are referred to as Autoresponders. Mail567
allows unlimited autoresponders that can be setup to send emails after a
user signs up to the newsletter and a period of time has lapsed. For more
information, please see the documentation.
Is it possible to create personalized emails, e.g. 'Dear Mr. NAME' or
'Dear Mrs. NAME'?
Yes, such personalized emails use what we refer to as "Custom Fields".
Custom fields can be created from the Newsletter menu and users will be
able to enter in data when they subscribe. You can then add this data to
your newsletters eg, Dear Mr. Name and so forth. Please see the
documentation for further details.
Do you offer ASP, .NET, Perl or ColdFusion versions of this product?
In the past, we offered different language versions of some of our
software, but we have now discontinued our PERL, Cold Fusion, ASP and .NET
products due to low demand and high production costs ...
Can I suggest new features?
Absolutely, We love customer input, ideas, and suggestions. Please feel
free to contact us anytime with your feature suggestion, or post in our
forums.
Can I send attachments with Mail567?
Yes, you can send an unlimited amount of attachments with your
newsletters. You can manage your attachments from the "Manage attachments"
section in Mail567.
Can I import and export data between Mail567 and another application?
Yes, Mail567 allows you to import subscribers using CSV files and to
also export your subscribers also CSV format. Mail567 also allows you to
import subscribers from another MySQL database.
Which WYSIWYG HTML editor does this product use?
We use DevEdit NX, one of our own products as the core WYSIWYG HTML
editor. It's cross browser, XHTML compatible and has a whole host of great
features.
Can I send out sequential emails (Autoresponders) when a user
subscribes to my mailing list?
Of course. Mail567 supports sending of automatic sequential emails that
are triggered when a user subscribes, sent in specific time intervals, eg.
After 1 hour, or after 2 days etc.
These sequential emails are referred to as Autoresponders, and can be
accessed using the Autoresponders section in the Mail567 control panel.
Mail567 also supports custom Auto Responders that are triggered by
specific custom fields. Lets say for example, that you have a custom field
called "Sex" and an Autoresponder setup to send out a specific email to a
Male subscriber. When the subscriber fills in their details in the
subscription form, and selects Male from the "Sex" option, they will
receive this Autoresponder. You can then create different Autoresponders
for females and so forth.
Do you have more tips for using Mail567?
Yes, in Mail567 there are many tips that come up to help you make the
most out of your email campaigns. Below are 15 Email-Marketing Best
Practices.
Introduction
As you may know, most people now spend more time reading their emails than
they do surfing the web. Email is one of the most powerful mediums that
you can use to talk to visitors, customers and prospects.
In this article I will discuss 15 best practices that you can use everyday
in your email marketing activities. Used wisely and consistently, there’s
no doubt you’ll see an increased response from your subscribers -- whether
it be for more feedback, more product/seminar registrations, or even more
orders.
1. Avoiding the Spam Filters
The majority of large Internet service providers now use rigorous spam
protection mechanisms to trap unsolicited email before it gets into their
customers inboxes. Spam filters generally "rank" each email by a number of
different criteria, and, if that email rates above a certain level (such
as 10 spam points), then it is flagged as spam and deleted.
To make sure your emails don't get flagged as spam -- and deleted before
they even get to your subscribers -- avoid using words such as 'Free',
'$$$', 'Save', 'Discount', etc in both the subject line and the content of
your email.
Ask us at Pacific Websites about using a free service that will give a
"spam-rating" to the email that you want to send out. Better to check
first and fix any problems!
2. Maximizing Click-Thru Rates
Both web pages and emails can contain a lot of text and graphics, and
this sometimes makes it harder to get your subscribers to perform a
certain task, such as clicking on a link to see your special offers.
Numerous research papers tell us that the majority of Internet users
respond better to a plain, bold, blue text link -- such as this -- as
opposed to a banner or button. So, if you're going to include links in
your emails, make sure they are bold, blue and underlined. This will mean
that more subscribers click through, meaning more conversions/sales for
you.
3. The Power of Personalization
If you were standing in a crowded mall, which of these would get your
attention: "HEY, YOU!" or "HEY JOHN" (assuming your name is John). The
power of personalization can and should be used in your emails. In-fact,
by simply starting your email with "Hi [subscriber_name]" instead of the
boring "Hi there", you can increase both your reading and click-thru rates
by up to 650%. Why? Put simply, it's because your subscribers feel like
they already have a relationship with you as you've addressed them by
their first name.
4. One-Click Unsubscription
If you want to grow your mailing list, then there are 2 things that you
absolutely must have: a double opt-in process, and a quick way to
unsubscribe. In some countries, it's actually mandatory by law that every
email has an unsubscribe link in it. The unsubscribe link should take the
recipient directly to a page where they are then removed -- courteously --
from your mailing list.
5. Signup Confirmation
Don't get accused of spamming -- always, and I mean always use a double
opt-in confirmation process. Double opt-in means that after your visitor
initially enters their email address to subscribe to your list, you should
then send them a "confirmation" email. This email should contain a special
link back to your email-marketing program, which will then verify that
this visitor did indeed sign up to your mailing list.
6. Tuesday / Wednesday = Increased Response
Studies conducted by online research analysts have shown that the best
days to perform a mail-out to your list are Tuesday and Wednesday, as this
is when people are more receptive to communication. This means that they
are more likely to read your content and click on links, meaning more
sales.
On Mondays, everyone is still recovering from a hectic weekend. On
Thursday and Friday, people are already too busy looking forward to the
weekend. We've actually experimented with this, and received the best
results by sending out emails at around 2-3pm (American Pacific Time) on a
Wednesday.
7. Repeat Email Communication
An auto responder is an email that is scheduled to be sent at a certain
time interval after someone subscribes to your mailing list. Auto
responders are a great way to automatically follow up with your
subscribers or provide them with more information on your
products/services.
For example, if you provide a free newsletter, you could setup 3 auto
responders for new subscribers: the first is sent 1 hour after they
subscribe. It contains a thank you message and a link to get 10% off your
newly released eBook.
The second is sent 24 hours after they subscribe, telling them about your
community message boards, and the third is sent 72 hours after they
subscribe, in which you can offer them a special deal on becoming a paid
member of your site.
Auto responders help your subscribers build trust in both your company and
your brand, and this can help make it easier when trying to close sales in
the future.
8. Consistency is the Key
If you're running a newsletter or frequent email publication, make sure
you keep the look and feel consistent from issue to issue. By keeping the
look and feel consistent, you help to maintain and strengthen your brand
and your image to your subscribers, which again will make it easier to
close sales when you need to.
Create a template for your newsletter and whenever you need to create a
new issue, use that template as the basis for each issue.
9. On Time, Every Time
When sending a regular email to your subscribers, always make sure that
it's sent on the same day, at the same time. For example, every Wednesday
at 3pm. Your subscribers will come to "expect" your email to arrive in
their inbox on the same day at the same time every week, meaning that they
want to read your content and are generally more receptive to any special
offers or promotions you may include.
10. The Half-a-Second Subject Line
When your email arrives in your subscriber’s inbox, you generally have
about half a second to catch their attention with the subject line of your
email. After this, they will either delete your email or ignore it. In
your subject line, try and specify a benefit that the subscriber can
expect by reading your email. For example, instead of using 'OurSite
Newsletter Issue #1', use 'OurSite Newsletter: 10 Tips for Financial
Freedom'.
11. The Free Bonus Hook-In
Free is overused these days, especially on the Internet. However, if
you're looking to grow your subscriber list, then create or source a
product of value to your visitors (such as an eBook or discount coupon)
and offer it to them for free when they signup for your newsletter.
To make sure they don't simply type any email address into your
subscription form, setup an auto responder to send them the free bonus 1
hour after they subscribe to your newsletter.
12. The Preview Pane
Popular email clients such as MS Outlook show a preview of an email
when it's selected in your inbox. Always have some interesting content at
the very top of your email, as this is the part that will show in the
preview window of your subscribers email program. If it's interesting
enough, then your subscriber will open your email and continue on reading.
13. Link-Click Testing
When creating marketing emails, try using different text for both
content and links. Also try re-positioning images such as logos and
buttons. After sending about 3 different emails, compare the click-thru
stats and see which one worked best. Now, when you need to send marketing
emails in the future, you know that you will be sending the right mix of
content and images that will attract the most click-thrus, and ultimately
the most sales.
14. Email-Based Learning
Add value to your website, build trust in your visitors, establish your
credibility and collect more subscriptions to your mailing list by setting
up an email-based learning course. To do this, simply create a series of
auto responders (for example, 5) containing unique content. Then, schedule
the first one to be sent after 24 hours, the second after 48 hours, etc.
15. Always Sign on the Dotted Line
Always include a signature at the bottom of your emails, as it's one of
the easiest ways to attract more traffic to your website. This signature
should include your personal details, your company details, and an
unsubscribe link. You can use your signature to link back to your website,
and even to other products. Here's a sample signature:
Regards,
John Doe.
President - Company XYZ.
Visit our website at http://www.companyxyz.com
Unsubscribe from this newsletter at
http://www.companyxyz.com/unsubscribe...
Conclusion
By implementing the 15 best practices described in this article, you
can take your email marketing to a whole new level –- attracting more
subscribers, and building both your brand equity and credibility at the
same time.
Overview
Benefits
Features Testimonials
FAQ's
Screenshots
Log in
The Secret to Email Marketing Success
|
