 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
| eMarketing Tips and Tricks - November 11, 2003 |  |
 |
||||||
|
Check out our eMarketing Tools
Informative eBooks
|
Today's Article: Improve Your Email Deliverablity Today's Ask Dr. Ebiz: California Anti-Spam
How to Avoid Email Filters Improve Your Email's Deliverablity By Karen Fegarty With spam accounting for more than 70% of the email that is delivered to our inboxes, many corporations and ISPs have implemented solutions to deal with this growing problem. Spam filters, IP blocking, domain blocking, and legislation are in place, but often messages that are, in fact, wanted by the recipients, are filtered and not delivered. What do legitimate marketers need to do to ensure that their clients receive their messages? We have collected a number of rules that, if you employ, can greatly increase the number of emails that are delivered and opened by your customers or prospective customers.1.
When
delivering to AOL email addresses you need to make sure your SMTP
2.
America
Online (AOL) has recently released the newest version of its
product, AOL 9.0. To protect its users from receiving spam, AOL has
put some measures in place that will affect how your message is
received by your AOL subscribers. All graphics will be blocked from
being displayed in HTML emails; as well links will be deactivated
for any new message sent to an AOL 9.0 inbox. When an email is
received in AOL 9.0, users will have to click a link at the top of
each message (Show Images & Enable Links) to view any graphics
within your email. If this action is not taken, images and links
will not be displayed or enabled. 3.
Be aware
of the current and proposed spam laws. Check out 4.
Ensure
that each message contains an unsubscribe statement that links 5.
Do not
include .exe or attachments in your message. 6.
Do not
purchase lists. 7.
Do not
rent lists that are not double-opt-in. 8.
Don't sell or rent out
your own lists. 9.
Always remove any
unsubscribes immediately 10. Always remove any
undeliverables immediately. 11. Remind
people of their relationship with you. Tell them in the 12. Communicate with your
recipients on a regular basis, but don't 13. Include
a correct reply email address and telephone contact
information 14. Avoid
sending long text articles. 15. Do not
send HTML messages without Text alternatives. 16. Avoid
sending messages with a large number of
hotlinks. 17. Do not
use BCC distribution methods with over 10 names per email. 18. If you
are sending a newsletter place the word "newsletter" and a 19. Watch
your email lists, heavy B2C distribution to @aol.com,
20. Avoid
using words or phases that trigger spam filters. For
more 21. Check
out the common tests that filters like Outlook and SpamAssassin
22. Routinely
check http://www.spamcop.net to see if you have
been 23. Use
services such as Assurance's Message
Checker to pre-check your 24. Sending
your delivery in small batches of 500 or less might
avoid 25. For
additional information and a practical guide on avoiding spam
filters check out
Karen Fegarty is
co-founder of Mailworkz.
Mailworkz is the producer of
"Dr Ebiz" "How are e-marketers going to handle the upcoming California law against spam? My newsletter has an ad for services in it. Will it come under the law? "-- William Dubay California's new anti-spam law, poised to take effect on January 1, 2003, provides for liquidated damages of up to $100 for each spam and up to $1 million per incident. But the law is written so broadly that many people feel it will be challenged in court. According to the new law, it is illegal to send an advertisement "in an unsolicited commercial e-mail advertisement to a California electronic mail address." If you have an opt-in newsletter that contains ads, this wouldn't seem to affect you, so long as the ad appears within the context of the newsletter people have subscribed to (though I'm not a lawyer and can't offer legal advice). While I agree with the sentiments of the law, I don't think state anti-spam laws are the answer, since the US Constitution prohibits state laws that interfere with interstate commerce. Instead, we need realistic and tough anti-spam regulation at the US federal and European Union level. With California's budget woes, I don't see it prosecuting mom and pop businesses for spam. They'll focus on only the most egregious offenders and then face the likelihood of having the constitutionality of the law challenged. Nevertheless, I believe now is the time for marketers to move to confirmed or double opt-in subscriptions. When you can tell a complainant that you possess confirmed opt-in proof for all new subscriptions since 2003 -- documented with IP address and dates -- he probably won't want to pursue his complaint in civil or criminal court. "Copyright 2003, Ralph F. Wilson. All rights reserved. Used by permission."
Mailworkz Home Archives Submit Articles
| |||||||
|
©
2003 Mailworkz. All Rights Reserved.
|
||||||||
