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| eMarketing Tips and Tricks - Jan 14, 2003 |  |
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Check out our eMarketing Tools:
Informative eBooks
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Today's Article: Avoiding the Spam Trap
Today's Ask Dr. Ebiz:
Affiliate Program Primer by Alexandria K. Brown Spam has not only become troublesome because we all receive too much of it, but it's now a problem for legitimate ezine publishers such as you and me. This is because the spam overload has driven many companies and individuals to use 'anti-spam' software to help screen out the junk. Unfortunately many of these programs filter out our opt-in publications as well. Let's first look at what common filtering tools are out there:
1) Volume Filters These screen you out if your sending mail server exceeds certain volume limits, which are measured in bandwidth (the amount of data sent in a given period of time), messages per second, or number of simultaneous connections from a listserver. If you're using a credible list service or software, you shouldn't have to worry about this one, because they regulate how fast the data goes out, and in what amounts.
2) Blacklists These
are lists of IP addresses that are associated with spammers.
Unfortunately the definition of 'spammer' differs by each
blacklisting organization. In one recent study by Assurance Systems
(http://www.assurancesys.com/),
100% of all permission-based email marketers surveyed were
on at least one blacklist. And on many of these lists, you are
'guilty until proven innocent.' Last
year, I discovered that someone wrongfully reported MY ezine to one
of these blacklists! (I'll tell that story in part
3) Content Filters These search your email's message header, subject line, and body for keywords and other indicators that identify the message as potential spam. These content filters are software programs developed by ISPs (Internet service providers) and other companies. One example is SpamAssassin (http://www.spamassassin.org/), which is used by many corporations whose computers run on UNIX operating systems. Then there are also individuals who set simple 'rules' in their email programs. I do this myself. For example, last month I was getting so many junk emails with mortgage offers, that I set a rule in my Outlook Express program to delete any email with 'mortgage' in the subject line. What a relief! << SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS? >> CONTENT is the one area we have the most control over, so that's what we're going to focus on today. Because my goal is to keep things SIMPLE for you, I've narrowed my research results to 10 steps that will help ensure your ezine actually reaches your readers.
1. Avoid using the word 'free' in your e-mail subject line. 2. Avoid using lots of CAPITAL LETTERS in your email subject line. 3. Avoid using exclamation points (!) in your email subject line. 4. Avoid using the phrases 'to unsubscribe' and 'to be removed' in your message body. Unfortunately, many spammers give a fake unsubscribe option in their emails, so some spam filters now flag emails that feature these phrases. To get around this, use phrases like: 'To leave our list...' 'To take yourself off this list...' 'To cancel your subscription...' 5. Avoid excessive use of 'click here.' Again, many filtering programs see this as common in spam emails. 6. Don't say 'This is not spam' in your ezine.Why? Because oddly enough, you'll find this phrase in a lot of spam. 7. Avoid excessive use of sensational language like 'order now' and 'free.' Of course once or twice won't hurt, but if you pepper your copy with these words often, you could tip the scales against you. 8. Disguise trigger-words from filters using carats (^) and other symbols. There are
some words you just can't avoid using often if you need to,
like 'free.' So you can disguise these words by substituting a
symbol for one of the letters. For example, 'fr<e, sp^m,
cl1ck.'Just be sure to add a note at the beginning of your ezine
that 9. Address each reader personally in your message header.Many spam filters screen out any email that does NOT have the user's name in the TO field. This means your list service or software needs to show the *subscriber's name* in the TO field. Unfortunately, the list service I've been using for the past three years sends out my ezine showing this in the email's TO field: 'Ezine-Queen List.' This is one reason I'll be switching to a different service by the new year. (Psst - this rule is another good reason NOT to send out your ezine yourself using your everyday email program, because your only option is to put your subscriber names in the BCC field. Bad, bad, bad!) 10. Keep your list clean! Repeatedly sending your ezine to undeliverable email addresses can also tag you as a spammer. Undeliverable email addresses are also called 'bounces' or 'bounce-backs.' Find out how your list service or software handles bounce-backs. Make sure these problematic addresses are automatically removed from your list on a regular basis. << WANT MORE INFO? >> If you're
craving more information on this hot topic, you'll love this brief
report from Assurance Systems called 'Avoid the Spam Filter Trap.' I
learned a lot from it, and it's written in non-technical language
that's easy to understand. You can download Another
great article I just came across lists all the trigger words set by
McAfee Spam Filter. When I saw all the phrases listed, including
'visit our Web site,' my stomach churned. I'm not sure of this
product's popularity, but this is simply getting ridiculous.
------------------ (c) 2001-2003 Alexandria K. Brown ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alexandria
K. Brown, 'The E-zine Queen,' is author of the award-winning manual,
'Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.' To learn more about her book
and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site.
"What exactly is an affiliate program and/or affiliate marketing? I see references to them constantly, but it seems that web experts assume all readers know what they're talking about. I'm one who admits he doesn't." -- Peter Rendall, The PR Organisation An affiliate program pays a commission to a website owner (affiliate) when a visitor from his site purchases a merchant's product or service. Affiliate programs typically work like this:
Some savvy affiliates build high-traffic microsites designed to rank high in search engines using tools such as Site Build It! (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/sitebuildit.htm), sending traffic to merchants, and earning attractive affiliate commissions each month. Most affiliates, however, earn occasional supplemental income from affiliate links placed on their main website. Affiliate programs work well for merchants who are able to attract active affiliates, since this allows merchants to control the cost of advertising and only pay when a sale is actually made. My own affiliate program (www.wilsonweb.com/affiliate) pays 20% commissions on sales of e-books and my Web Commerce Today newsletter (except on sales to affiliates themselves). We also pay you 10% on sales by new affiliates who sign up after clicking on your affiliate link (called "second tier" sales). If you're a merchant seeking to learn about setting up an affiliate program, see the free "Associate/Affiliate Program" section of our E-Commerce Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/cat/cat.cfm?subcat=em_Associate). Copyright 2002, Ralph F. Wilson . All rights reserved. Used by permission." |
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