January 9 2003

January 9, 2003

Dear Reader,

Happy New Year! When I decided not to publish Christmas week, little did I realize all that would be going on around the New Year. As a result, this issue is about twice as long as usual.

Read on for primers and reminders on metrics, e-mail acquisition, marketing with e-mail newsletters and not being an 'accidental spammer.' I've also included a link to new IAB guidelines on renting third-party lists. And finally, Email Marketing's Evil Twin has been in the news a lot lately, so see the special section below with some articles about that which shall remain nameless...

Table of Contents
1. Publisher's Note: It's Just Email... Jeanne S. Jennings
2. Featured Resource: Best Practices in Marketing with Email Newsletters Marketing Sherpa
3. Making Email Acquisition Succeed DM News
4. Email Metrics for Marketers 101 Email Sherpa
5. Stat Heaven: Holidays online -- 2002: Email Grows as a Seasonal Fixture and E-shopping Advances Pew Internet & American Life
6. Guidelines for Obtaining and Using Email Lists Interactive Advertising Bureau

Special Section: Email's Evil Twin
7. Don't Be An Accidental Spammer Opt-in News
8. Indiana Lawmaker Targets Spam DM News
9. Spam Spike During Holidays Brightmail
10. Congress to Take on Spam, Copyright CNET News.com

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Content
1. Publisher's Note: It's Just Email... Jeanne S. Jennings

Starting an e-mail newsletter? Here are 8 things you'll want to put into a plan before you start. Can you just throw together an e-mail newsletter like you would an e-mail to your friend? Sure. But if you want it to be effective...

2. Featured Resource: Best Practices in Marketing with Email Newsletters Marketing Sherpa ($)

I usually focus on free sources of information for e-mail marketers, but there are also some really good reports that you have to pay for. I've started this new 'Featured Resource' section as a way to cover some of those for you. I'll tell you what I like about the report and what I found most valuable. And then you can make your own judgement on whether or not to purchase it. I'll be featuring reports from many different sources, and all the reports I review (along with some others) will be posted on the JenningsReport.com website for future reference. I hope you find this new feature helpful.

Anyone who is marketing with e-mail newsletters is constantly looking for new ways to make their efforts more effective. Since e-mail is so new, things evolve quickly and you need to keep up with what others are doing to avoid their mistakes and mimic their successes.

Which is where this Marketing Sherpa guide comes in.

It's an original report (not old articles cobbled together) about what's working and what's not in e-mail marketing. They include 309 samples and screenshots to help you visualize what they're saying. There are also numerous checklists (for budgeting, strategy, content, etc.) for you to use.

Whether you're looking to grow your list, increase your opens or improve your conversion rate, it's all here. Click on the link to see first-hand some of the advice from the guide, including a number of passive and active opt-in tactics which you can start using today.

As always, Marketing Sherpa offers a 100% money-back guarantee. And you can access it right away online, or order a hardcopy version which they'll ship to you within 24 hours. Take a look and see if this isn't just the guide you've been looking for to help you improve the results you're getting from your e-mail newsletter.

3. Making Email Acquisition Succeed John Hammersley, DM News, January 8 2003

This article is well-written and outlines the basics of a successful e-mail acquisition campaign. It's a lot like direct mail -- test, have a control package -- but also different (I like the way John talks about choosing lists to rent). The link placement and landing pages notes at the end could and should be expanded to a full article. A great primer or refresher if you're looking to build your list (and who isn't, these days?).

4. Email Metrics for Marketers 101 Anne Holland, Email Sherpa, January 8 2003

It happens with my clients all the time. They tell me their click-through rate is X% and I ask unique or total? And can you give me the breakdown by link? And they have to check. Metrics are too important not to understand, and Anne's article gives a great review of the questions to ask and the things to focus on (hint: it's not open rate) when you're evaluating your e-mail marketing initiatives.

5. Stat Heaven: Holidays online -- 2002: Email Grows as a Seasonal Fixture and E-shopping Advances Pew Internet & American Life, January 2003

My husband and I used Evite to invite people to our holiday open house -- how about you? Seems we're not alone. Pew reports that 78% of Internet users did some form of holiday activity online. While much of this report talks about online usage (rather than just e-mail), it's still full of statistics that B2C marketers will find useful. This is just the most recent in a long series of good reports by Pew; check out their other reports if you visit the site.

6. Guidelines for Obtaining and Using Email Lists Interactive Advertising Bureau, December 17 2002

Do you rent e-mail lists? If so, you'll want to print or download a copy of this document. The IAB's policy consists of six bullet points which state the assurances list providers should give to their advertisers. It's simple, easy to understand, and very reasonable. And it's good protection for your organization if you're using rented lists.

Special Section: Email's Evil Twin

7. Don't Be An Accidental Spammer Lynda Partner, Opt-in News, January 6 2003

A great article on avoiding some of the pitfalls even legitimate e-mail marketers have been know to fall into. Lynda covers the obvious -- don't buy a million e-mail addresses on a CD for $99 -- and the not-so- obvious -- like making sure the technical side is configured to get your e-mail through spam filters. Must reading if you're sending e-mail.

8. Indiana Lawmaker Targets Spam Ken Magill, DM News, January 8 2003

Why care that Indiana is the latest state to propose e-mail legislation? Because (a) they are one of the most active states on enforcing telemarketing do-no-call legislation, (b) they are modeling their law after Washington State's law which has been used successfully in court to win settlements and (c) the fine is $500 for each unsolicited e-mail received. If you send e-mail to Indiana State residents (or think you might), I hope it's opt-in.

9. Spam Spike During Holidays Brightmail, December 23 2002

Looking for statistics? Here's the press release BrightMail issued, noting that roughly 40% (16 billion) of the messages they scanned during the holidays was unsolicited bulk e-mail. That's a 21% increase over levels pre-Thanksgiving.

10. Congress to Take on Spam, Copyright Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com January 8 2003

Could this be the year? Now that the DMAW has dropped their broad opposition to any legislation on e-mail we may actually get a federal law regarding unsolicited bulk e-mail. Check out this story to get the details of what type of legislation the DMA is supporting -- and how it would meld with existing state laws.

Closing
We'll be back in your inbox on Thursday, January 23. Until then, stay warm!

Take care,
Jeanne
publisher@jenningsreport.com