Tom Tate says, “You can deliver a wealth of value to your new subscribers in your welcome email without reinventing the wheel. How? With Google Analytics! If you’re not using Google Analytics to track the traffic on your blog or website, stop reading this post now and get to trackin’. (Then come back to this post when you have some data, of course.) Google Analytics tracks so much information that will help you be more successful. I recommend reading this guide from Moz if you are just getting started. In this post, you’ll learn how to use Google Analytics to curate your best content,... [...]

Monica Montesa says, “If you’re just getting started with email marketing, you might be wondering what all the hoopla’s about when it comes to email deliverability. Whether you’re unsure how it impacts your email success, or if you’re just not convinced it’s that big of a deal, we wanted to help bring clarity to the sometimes puzzling topic. Here’s why email deliverability should definitely be on your radar: Reason #1: You want people to read your emails. I know, this one is kind of obvious. Of course you want people to read your emails! But there’s a whole lot that goes into... [...]

Kayla Cobb says, “I am a serial email subscriber. If I think there’s even a chance that a company’s subscription list will provide me with discounts, fashion tips, insightful news stories or even just a joke every now and then, I will most likely click that sign up button. This email addiction paired with my experience reporting for MarketingSherpa’s Email beat has transformed my promotional Gmail folder into a nest of virtual hoarding. But it has also given me insight into the latest trends in email marketing. One trend that seems to overwhelm my inbox is adding GIFs to emails. If... [...]

Beth Hayden says, “Autoresponders are the hardest-working, unsung heroes of content marketing. They’re a series of emails you write once and set up to send out at pre-set intervals to anyone who asks for them. They keep working day and night, continuously reaching out to your audience with valuable content and relevant offers. They work for you whether you’re writing, eating, sleeping, or playing with your pooch. They never get tired, and they never give up. That’s pretty heroic. When used correctly, autoresponders can add serious momentum to your business. But when you sit down to... [...]

Daniel Burstein says, “As we get towards the end of the year, it’s time for B2C marketers to make last-minute tweaks to drive holiday sales and B2B marketers to get those last few, really high-quality leads that will hopefully close in fiscal year 2015. But don’t overlook another important date that is coming up on the calendar as well — January 1, 2016. The day that 2016 budgets kick in for many marketers. To help you win the email marketing budget you need to be successful in 2016, here are a few key data points that you can drop into your proposal or presentation. Data Point #1:... [...]

Monica Montesa says, “hen you meet someone for the first time IRL, there are certain norms that accompany the “getting to know you” phase. While it might not be as grand as a Broadway musical number, it typically includes an introduction and a conversation where you share information about yourself. And meeting new subscribers who join your email list should be no different; sending a welcome email to those who sign up to your email list gives you a chance to introduce yourself and build trust with your subscribers. Last Friday, Olivia and I hosted a Google Hangout version of Quick... [...]

Kristen Dunleavy says, “John Corcoran knows all the right people. He has to – having friends in high places is literally his job. He uses his website, Smart Business Revolution, to teach entrepreneurs how to build solid business relationships and grow their networks. But growing an audience can be tough when you’re first starting out, even for a well-connected guy like John. “I started blogging because I wanted to write a book and every publisher will say, if you don’t have a platform, you’ve got to start a platform,” John said. “I quickly realized that it’s not as easy as... [...]

Elizabeth Victor says, “Spam is the scourge of the Internet. From phishing messages to malicious attachments and links to viruses, spam affects billions of email users each year. Although spam messages are at a 12-year low, nearly half of email sent is spam. If you’re running an email marketing campaign, and your emails are mistakenly flagged as spam, you’ll lose conversions as well as revenue. This article will outline how a small business or email marketer can avoid the spam folder by following the CAN-SPAM law, using email best-practices, and testing regularly. Follow the law The... [...]

Ryan Phelan says, “I’ve been in the email marketing industry for fifteen years, and have seen firsthandwhat works and even what doesn’t work in email testing and optimization programs. So here are some tips and tactics from my email marketing experience to help you in your testing efforts. Headlines, headlines, headlines Subject lines are always popular email items to test and for good reason – the subject line and the From field are the first two things an email recipient will see with your email send. There’s plenty of information and misinformation out there on what... [...]

Amy Gesenhues says, “Going on last year’s campaign results, Yesmail says retailers are waiting too late to send their Black Friday-themed emails and Facebook posts. According to a report from the email marketing provider, open rates for Black Friday emails were the highest on the Monday and Tuesday preceding Black Friday, but the majority of email campaigns — 33 percent — were sent on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Yesmail notes the Monday prior to Black Friday also saw the highest deletion rates: “While Monday before Black Friday saw the highest open rates for Black Friday-themed... [...]