Email is the #1 method used by associations to introduce, remind and beat prospective attendees over the head with the fact that your event is going to happen and they need to register! Pushing the “send” button on an email that’s going to announce the opening of your event registration is at the same stress level as bungee jumping and sky diving. The stress of email marketing for event promotion is only topped by the seething frustration that you feel when you don’t see the open rates you expect and you don’t see the click throughs that convert to registration. The heart races, the hands clench and you want to scream “I HATE TECHNOLOGY!!!” Watch this entire webinar and others by Highroad U on our YouTube channel: http://shout.lt/rMNF
2. Your Presenter:
www.highroadsolution.com
Jenny Lassi has been affiliated with
HighRoad Solution for 7 years first as a
client and then as an employee. With
experience handling deployments and
deliverability for a wide range of clients
with optimized recipient engagement
top-of-mind, Jenny routinely trouble
shoots deliverability issues from ISP
level filtering to email client level
filtering (email Forensics as she refers
to them). She also consults with clients
on authentication, content, content
strategy, email preference center
management & other deliverability
optimization tactics.
3. Today’s Content
www.highroadsolution.com
• Why is monitoring your deliverability beneficial to your
organization?
• What contributes to email deliverability?
• The 5 C’s
• What are the different reasons your organization’s emails
could be filtered or blocked from reaching recipient
inboxes?
• How can you overcome deliverability obstacles to optimize
your email programs?
• Best practices
• Resources takeaways
4. Why is continually monitoring
deliverability important for
your organization?
www.highroadsolution.com
6. Do you know if your
eMails are reaching an
inbox?
www.highroadsolution.com
7. Do you know if your
eMails are reaching an
inbox?
www.highroadsolution.com
When a SureSend
Domain Delivery
Report is enabled
when sending a
Live message, you
will see the Domain
Delivery tab on the
email stats
13. The 5 C’s of Email
Marketing Strategy
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•Configuration
•Content
•Create
•Criticize
•Continue
14. The 5 C’s: Configuration
• Firewall Settings
• IP Address (Dedicated
or Shared)
• DKIM (Domain Keys)
• Sender ID (SPF Record)
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15. The 5 C’s: Content
• Content recipients find value in
• Content recipients asked for
• Content recipients expect
• Clear call-to-action
• Content delivered when recipients
want it
• Content that renders correctly
on whichever desktop or device
recipients are using
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16. The 5 C’s: Create
• Clean html email template
• Clean layout using “Read More” links to
keep most exciting content above the
fold
• Newsletters should have a table of
contents (TOC)
• Template that renders correctly on
whichever desktop or device
recipients are using.
• Create automated recurring message
type emails to free up resources who
can put more energy into strategy &
analysis
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17. The 5 C’s: Criticize
• Analyze delivery metrics (bounces, opens &
clicks)
• Use bounce logs to address deliverability issues
24-48 hours post deployment (not a month later)
• Isolate subscribers who are not engaged with
your emails (no opens/click throughs)
• Create a Win-Back campaign for non-engaged
subscribers with an incentive to respond
• Suppress non-engaged subscribers until they
respond to your Win-Back campaign
• Analyze how many subscribers opt-down or
unsubscribe from particular messages (maybe the
perceived value of content is low)
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18. The 5 C’s: Continue
Use what you have
learned and apply it to
future deployments
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19. What are the different
reasons your
organization’s eMails
could be filtered or
blocked from reaching
recipient inboxes?
www.highroadsolution.com
21. Trouble Shoot Filtering
Issues
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Firewall Issues:
Your organization’s firewall needs to be configured to allow in email traffic originating
from outside of your firewall if you are using any email system hosted outside of your
organization.
Configuration Issues:
Email authentication like DKIM (Domain Keys) and Sender ID (SPF Record)
Blacklisting Issues:
RBL listing resulting from SPAM traps or recipient complaints
Engagement Issues:
Web-based ESPs (Example: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo!) are looking at metrics
like messages deleted without being read, percentage of email opens
from any one specific sender to only inbox “wanted” mail and the
rest are routed to spam folders.
22. Trouble Shoot Filtering
Issues
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Email Server Filtering Software Issues:
Email server filtering software (Example: Postini, Message Labs) use a complex mixture
of engagement, keywords, IP blocks, and DNSBL/RBL (Real-time Blackhole Lists) that
may route your email to SPAM or Junk folders
Email Client Issues:
Email clients like Outlook, MAC mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, etc. all have junk
folders that the Email recipient needs to “train” over time to inbox what is
considered a “wanted” email.
24. Jumping Through
Hoops
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Firewall Hoops:
Have your IT department whitelist the IP block or IP address your email account is sending mail
from. Not every email service handles IP addresses the same way so speak to your provider on
best next steps.
Configuration Hoops:
Ask your provider for instructions on how to implement DKIM (Domain Keys) and Sender ID
(SPF Record) for your organization’s domain DNS. Usually this is only possible if your email
service has a dedicated IP address for your organization.
If you have a dedicated IP and implement DKIM and Sender ID, always warm the IP address
first by sending small and consistent bursts of email traffic daily.
Blacklist Hoops:
Look up your organization’s domain or IP address with an RBL tool (Example:
http://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx, http://whatismyipaddress.com/blacklist-check)
to see if you are on any blacklists. If so, follow instructions on how to be removed
as each RBL will have it’s own way of being removed.
25. Jumping Through
Hoops
www.highroadsolution.com
Engagement Hoops:
Web-based ESPs (Example: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo!) are looking heavily at engagement metrics. Try
A/B testing to know what content, email type or call-to-action is getting the best lift in engagement
and response.
Email Server Filtering Software Hoops:
Reach out to postmaster@ or abuse@ at the domain using the email filtering software (Example:
Postini, Message Labs). Ask them to whitelist the IP address or IP block associated with your email
service.
Email Client Filtering Hoops:
Ask your email recipients to add you to their safelist or as a trusted sender in the preheader
of your email. Engagement hoops also play into this so try A/B testing to know what type of
content resonates with your audience and will elicit the best open/click through rates.
26. Jumping Through
Hoops
www.highroadsolution.com
High Level View: DKIM/Sender ID (it’s not a scary term or complicated at all… I promise)
• You tell us what domain(s) you send from
• We supply you with 4 snippets of text that you add to your domain’s DNS and instructions
• You add the txt records to your DNS and tell us when you’re done
• We test/validate the keys and enable on your account
30. Best Practices
Takeaways
www.highroadsolution.com
• Be more strategic with your email sends with a 5-C strategy.
• Only send to good email addresses.
• If you don’t know if an email address is good, run a test using
an email validation service. A good service is
http://www.briteverify.com/
• Only send to recipients who asked for it. If they didn’t and you
want to send to them, ask for permission in a permission
pass email first.
• Never purchase an email list. If you do a reverse append
process to get an email address of a record you already
“own”, don’t assume it’s ok to send to it. Do a permission
pass email first.
31. Permission Pass
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• Briefly explain the reason for
asking permission
• Have clear Yes or No call-to-
action buttons
• You can have minimal
marketing messaging, but the
main point to the email is
asking them Yes or No you
can email them.
• This can be used when
reaching out to prospects or
for asking existing members
if you can send a new type of
email message to them.
33. Next Up at TheU:
www.highroadsolution.com
Post-Event Depression: Keeping Your Attendees Happy
When: Friday, September 27th
Time: 11 am EDT
Content Leader: Suzanne Carawan, Chief Marketing Officer, HighRoad
Solution
CAE Credit Hour: Earn 0.5 hour by attending the live webinar
Register: https://www.eventsforce.net/hrs/7/home