Can Spam Act v. CASL

The Can Spam Act and the Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL) are two pieces of legislation that should be known by email marketers and are important to consider throughout all email marketing endeavors.

There are similarities and differences between these two acts.  The major difference between the two would be that the Can Spam Act states that the email needs to have an opt-out option where as the CASL not only needs to have an opt-out option but users need to have opted in exclusively to these emails.  In contrast, Can Spam Act allow email marketers to send to lists that have been purchased while regulating these emails in an attempt to build reputation and stay off the blacklist. [You can check out my previous blog on How to Stay off the Blacklist to get pointers on what to include in your email. (http://kobemail.wordpress.com/2011/07/)]

The CASL does not regulate bulk mailings in fact they prohibit commercial email altogether. Users must opt in exclusively to receive emails, otherwise they can not be emailed to by any marketer at any time.  This does not just apply to emails but to text and social media outlets as well.  

As you can see, CASL in general is stricter than the Can Spam Act. If you are going to send emails outside of the United States knowing the regulations and laws is vital to abide by the proper regulations to avoid any fines.

Author: Amarilys Rivera
Editor: Caitlin Durand

Blogging + Keywords

Typically search engines, like Google, Bing, and Yahoo can be responsible for generating more traffic to your blog. These tools rate key words on popularity and relevance to filter their search results and provide users with the most relevant data. That being said, you must consider keywords when firing up your blog to get the best search engine results. A useful tool that is easily available is Google AdWords which gives you an idea on what words to use.

The way Google AdWords works is that is filters a key word or phrase you type into it and gives you the amount of users searching this term or ones similar. With these results you are able to make more informative decisions on what words you will include within your article. Be sure that the words you are using are not of double meaning. This can throw off the entire user’s search. Also, remember that if you are using images within your blog name the “Alt” with key words that you are using.

Although key words are important, don’t compromise the creativity of your blog as this is what will engage the user. Find ways insert these key words you want to use but maintain a flow of engaging content. 

Author: Adeline Zeledon
Editor: Caitlin Durand

Don't Forget About Your "On the Go" Users

The number of users viewing email on their smartphones and tablet devices is on the rise. Not only must we account for these users in regards to campaign rendering, we must also consider other content elements to determine how to increase click through rates and ultimate conversions.

According to recent statistics, conversions for tablet users tend to be much higher than on other devices. Why would this be? It seems that these users tend to have higher income (allowing them to purchase cutting edge technologies) and are therefore not as sensitive to pricing.  

Here are a few ways to better target these users:

·         Make sure emails render properly across all platforms

·         Format content so that there is a strong call to action present on the fist visible screen

·         Use small images that don’t take long to download

·         Do not use animation that may slow opening of a message or not render

·         Keep it short and sweet. Remember – a Tablet screen isn’t as large as your computer screen

·         Use contrasting colors that allow deals and important content to “pop”

·         Make redirects easy to find to help increase conversion rates.

Author: Amarilys Rivera
Editor: Caitlin Durand

A Few Things Cyber Monday Taught Us

The world of commerce is every changing – a statement made obvious by the fact that in the wake of Black Friday a new era has been dawned, and that era is: Cyber Monday. Think about it – it’s wonderful….No need to leave the house (or even get out of your pajamas),  you don’t have to rush out on your lunch break and fight over deals while work looms in the background, and best of all NO LINES!

It’s more than obvious why, with the progression of technology, customers have taken to the interwebs during the holiday season. As retailers & email marketers it’s important that we target these people the best we can to increase holiday sales. Here a few things cyber Monday, and internet retail altogether, have taught us in regards to email marketing:

1)   Announce your deals in advance – Building hype for your deals ahead of time is a great way to increase sales. It allows recipients to prepare for upcoming purchases and gets them excited for anticipatory savings.

2)   Make sure everything is working properly – I know what you’re thinking, “duh, isn’t that obvious?” and honestly, it still needs to be said. Emails made on a whim that haven’t been tested properly (esp. across mobile and tablet devices) can cause you to miss out on a ton of good business.

3)   Just because Monday is over doesn’t mean your deals have to be – Using the old “We’re extending out offer” trick can work wonders during the holiday season. Send a follow up email sometime in December announcing that the great deal can be redeemed for a limited time.

Happy Holidays from the Kobemail Team!

Author & Editor: Caitlin Durand

3 Ways to Improve the Impact of Your Emails

Hello readers! Hope everyone had a relaxing holiday weekend! I’ve got a short one for you today – the below are a few simple ways to help enhance your email campaigns. Sometimes the oldies are the goodies….

Make Sentences Brief – Recipients don’t want to sift through tons and tons of content to locate the “what’s in it for me” part of your email. Keep sentences brief and simplistic to appeal to your entire target audience. Make calls to action obvious and actionable so that the user can do the least amount of work with the best return.

Use Simple HTML Coding – to ensure that your mailings render properly across multiple ISP’s and various viewing devices use the most simplistic coding and format possible. Avoid extraneous tables, images, etc and keep it clean. Avoiding overuse of styles and keeping the formats simple is the best practice to ensure proper viewing by recipients.

Test, Test, Test – I know we say it again and again, but until you conduct intensive testing on your email marketing campaigns you’ll never know what works and what doesn’t. Try subject line testing to determine what helps you get a lift in opens, send at different times of the day and on different days of the week, and even play around with the offer within your mailings. Analysis of the data post send can bring up patterns that will help you optimize campaigns in the future.

Happy Mailing!

Author & Editor: Caitlin Durand

Outsourcing Your Email Marketing

When you make the choice to include email as part of your marketing strategy, you’ve got a big decision to make. Do you take on the responsibilities in house – or do you outsource to a reputable email marketing firm? There are pros and cons for either option but you have to figure out with best fit your needs. Below are some benefits to consider for each:

In-house

Cost – The cost of your emails can be cut since you are no longer being charge for the amount of emails that you are sending. You may also be saving if you decide to send emails yourself without the help of another employee.

Control – You are the only one managing your list, scheduling and email design.  This gives you the flexibility in making any changes you feel are need instead of submitting it for someone else to handle on their schedule.  

Security – there is no longer a fear of sharing user information that is sensitive. With a proper security system you can be protected from potential hackers.

Outsourced

Expertise – The individuals employed by a company that is in the business of sending emails with have backgrounds and expertise across multiple aspects of sending emails. They are there to assist you in deliverability, rendering, scheduling, list management, email CAN-Spam laws and even creative layout.

Time - Effective email strategies take time to plan, test and deploy. Having an outsourced team can help shorten the time it would take to send out a campaign.

Reporting – Being able to see the results and compare what tactics worked best can be the biggest assets that outsourcing can provide.  Your providers can also be helpful in providing recommendations based on what they have seen other work for other clients.

All and all choosing to send emails in house or outsource of email depends on a number of factors and is simply determined by your company’s individual needs. If you are considering using an outside source we are here to help  - visit us at www.kobemail.com

Author: Adeline Zeledon
Editor: Caitlin Durand

Videos Within Email Campaigns

Videos are can be a great way to draw users in and better communicate a service or product in a short period of time. The problem with putting videos directly into your creative’s is that HTML5 videos are not supported by all web browsers, and thus some users will either not be able to play or even worse the campaign with not render properly across different platforms.

Instead of embedding the videos directly into the email, images linked directly to webpages where the video is hosted have been proven to help to increase overall clickthrough rates by two to three times. This not only helps to increase clicks in an email but also drives more traffic to the website where users are more inclined to ultimately convert.

Author: Amarilys Rivera
Editor: Caitlin Durand