E-mail marketers continued to see open and click-through rates hold steady in the second quarter, according to figures compiled by DoubleClick.

The advertising technology company's second-quarter e-mail trends report found that open rates averaged 38.8 percent, a 3.2 percent increase from a year earlier and virtually unchanged from the first quarter. Click-through rates were 8.3 percent, a 10.7 percent increase from the year-ago period and 7 percent lower than in the first quarter. Delivery rates remained mostly unchanged at 88.5 percent with bounce rates declining for the third straight quarter.

"I think we can glean that much like last quarter there continues to be a lot of stability" in e-mail marketing, said Eric Kirby, vice president of strategic services at DoubleClick. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:34 PM  |  Permalink

Consumers aren't so exhausted by spam that they don't want to hear from - and respond to - emails from legitimate marketers.

That's the message behind a DoubleClick study that tracks trends in permission-based email marketing among the company's 300 or so clients. The study, released Monday, finds a better climate in several industry metrics in the second quarter compared to the same period a year ago.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:33 PM  |  Permalink

EarthLink on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the "Alabama Spammers," an unidentified group it alleges used its access service to send massive amounts of junk e-mail.

The Atlanta-based Internet service provider is seeking an injunction and damages against defendants who "engaged in a massive scheme of theft, spamming and spoofing," with the use of stolen credit cards and unauthorized use of Net access accounts, according to the complaint. It was filed in the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:13 PM  |  Permalink

Amazon.com said Tuesday that it filed 11 lawsuits against marketers that allegedly used its name when sending bogus e-mail, charges that echo a widening problem for companies operating online.

The Web retailer filed federal lawsuits in the United States and Canada aiming to bar 11 Internet marketers from sending e-mail forgeries with Amazon's name. It is seeking millions of dollars in punitive damages. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 10:26 AM  |  Permalink

For CPG companies looking for extended contact with consumers, e-mail offers a prime channel.

However, because of the flood of all e-mail -- including spam -- people are more reluctant both to sign-up for commercial e-mails and even to open the ones they receive.

Warning -- even 57.7% of US Internet users delete wanted e-mails such as newsletters, while 62.8% delete marketing or promotional messages, according to research from RoperASW for Bigfoot Interactive.
Posted by: DTB at 9:30 AM  |  Permalink

Email Marketers report little change in email marketing campaigns in the face of this latest worm, but do report a 1-2% change in open rates during the recent week.
Sobig No Big Deal for E-mail Marketers
Posted by: DTB at 12:46 PM  |  Permalink

The best practice of email is in danger of becoming a fatal paradox. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as it is one of the most important and versatile practices of all digital marketing. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 3:39 PM  |  Permalink

Although the advice in this article is meant for marketers writing email newsletters, we think anyone who has to write a press release should print it out and tape it to their wall. So please forward this to your PR dept when you're done with it: [Open access until 8/30]

The absolute hardest part of writing for your company email newsletter (or press releases) is doing the intro.

That's because most of us were taught in school to start with a broad generalization ("Business is picking up for everyone") and then to narrow it down over a paragraph or two until you get to your point ("hiring will increase 12% this quarter.)
Posted by: DTB at 4:28 PM  |  Permalink

Virus-Attack Advisory for Major Emailers: Four-Step Checklist
In the meantime, welcome to the worst email virus week apparently in history. How will it affect marketers? I popped out a special Four-Point Alert to our EmailSherpa newsletter readers yesterday. It's very quick, and I hope fairly helpful: Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:24 PM  |  Permalink

The founder and president of Arial Software, an email marketing software developer since 1993, said in a company statement that the concept of a national do-not-email list is unneeded and unnecessary. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:19 PM  |  Permalink

Clearswift publishes findings of its July Spam Index

London, UK – August 13th 2003: Clearswift, the world leader in managing and securing electronic communications, today announces the findings of its second ‘Spam Index’, designed to give a snapshot picture on the nature of spam emails on a monthly basis. The findings illustrate a significant reduction in the proportion of pornographic or profane spam, while the incidence of healthcare and gambling related spam has risen significantly. Read Article >>

Posted by: DTB at 4:13 PM  |  Permalink

Clearswift have released findings of its second Spam Index, designed
to give a snapshot picture on the nature of spam emails on a monthly
basis. The findings illustrate a significant reduction in the
proportion of pornographic or profane spam, while the incidence of
healthcare and gambling related spam has risen significantly. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:13 PM  |  Permalink

Internet Is Best Way To Drive Donors To Give Online

A recent poll shows that 62 percent of non-profits deem the Internet as the best medium for driving donations. Only 31 percent tapped direct mail, and the others were mere blips.
Posted by: DTB at 11:35 AM  |  Permalink

Bystanders caught in spam cross fire

In a drastic anti-spam maneuver, AOL's Road Runner cable Internet service started blocking mail that originates from private email servers running on top of major Internet services, whether it is legitimate mail or not. Following the increasingly popular trend that the AOL online service instituted earlier this year (creating much gnashing of teeth among legitimate small businesses running their own domains), Road Runner hopes to block out much of the spam that often contains contradictory domain name routing information.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 11:14 AM  |  Permalink

Marketers Say They Intend to Join Effort to Fight Spam

DMA's H. Robert WientzenThe New York Times reports that the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is attempting to involve the FBI in an industry effort to fight spam. While aware of the potential irony of having direct marketing foxes guard the spam hen house, the Times reporters seem to have been unaware of the recent developments where a subcommittee of the Association for Interactive Marketing (AIM) had its anti-spam proposals squelched by the DMA. While saying that they think it can be productive to involve the private sector in investigations, the FBI has not committed to joining the proposed effort.

The DMA broke with its AIM subsidiary in its very definition of spam. DMA leader H. Robert Wientzen has defined spam as email containing fraudulent matter - direct marketing efforts that are already illegal under current law. He balked at defining spam as email sent without permission. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 11:13 AM  |  Permalink

Recently NewScientist.com published an article regarding an email study by Duncan Watts and colleagues at Columbia University in New York. The study conducted email experiment to test the theory of "six degrees of separation", i.e. that everyone in the world can be linked through just six social ties. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 11:11 AM  |  Permalink

Readers often ask, "Should I use short or long copy in my e-mail messages?"

My response: In general, try to keep copy short. But copy should be as long as it needs to be to get your message across. Not a word less. Not a word more. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 11:08 AM  |  Permalink

If this column were your only source of e-mail marketing news, you might think all campaigns are executed flawlessly and everyone has results she wants to brag about. But we all know it isn't that easy. Glitches are a part of daily life.

This week's case study is about a company that incorporated a major disruption -- last week's power failure that affected a large area along the East Coast -- into its e-mail marketing plans, only to see its own power failure affect the campaign. How that campaign will ultimately turn out is yet to be seen. We at ClickZ have the rare opportunity to watch it progress. Today, I'll share with you the genesis and initial implementation of the campaign and hopefully get you thinking about some solutions. The next column will share what next steps the company took and the results.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 5:38 PM  |  Permalink

My goal for this column has been to pass along strategic marketing information on how the core e-newsletter capabilities of content, list, performance logistics, and distribution help make e-newsletter programs a high-value tool for companies that want to better manage their communications and relationships with customers and prospects.

Starting today, I'm taking this one step further by showing these strategies in action. I'll discuss real newsletters and point out how the marketers used their newsletters to further their companies' strategic marketing goals.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 5:38 PM  |  Permalink

Howard Dean's presidential campaign got a lot of mileage out of its savvy use of the Internet for messaging and fundraising, but it seems to have over-reached with its latest effort. The campaign is following up on spam complaints. The message, intended to go to opt-in people interested in Dean materials, appears to have spread to many completely unrelated non-opt-in lists.
As with all good campaign gaffes, some Dean people are already suggesting that perhaps it was all an opposition conspiracy. After all, to think otherwise would be to imply that the email marketing industry was rife with scam artists.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 5:36 PM  |  Permalink

Howard Dean's presidential campaign acknowledged on Monday that it had spammed an undisclosed number of people with unsolicited political advertisements. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 12:09 PM  |  Permalink

Posted by: DTB at 11:59 AM  |  Permalink

Yesterday at the eTail 2003 conference in Boston, Mass., Mobular Technologies, Inc. announced the immediate availability of its mobileCatalog, a solution that enables companies to deliver interactive product eCatalogs that run directly within an e-mail message and enables the sender to deliver a dynamic eCatalog in a very small e-mail typically, under 20 kilobytes in size. [Full Story] Posted by: DTB at 9:21 AM  |  Permalink

Seventeen percent of permission-based e-mail messages get incorrectly
blocked or filtered by the top 12 Internet Service Providers,
according to a study released Return Path. This represents a 2 percent
drop in delivery rates as compared to fourth quarter 2002, and a 5
percent drop as compared to third quarter 2002.
[Full Story] Posted by: DTB at 8:41 AM  |  Permalink

Well not really visited, but he happen to be speaking upstairs at a lunchtime meeting in our building and I caught him on his way out.

Introduced our company and brought him up to speed on our conversations with his staff on email marketing, platform and services. He brought me up to speed on the Legislation, which doesn't seem to be going anywhere for now. The major ISPs are putting up a little resistance as they realized that they they make some money off the serious email marketers and the way that the legislation was written would not harm more of the white hats as the spammers would always find a way to do what they do.

So there is my daily 5 minutes of fame.

He is the Senator's site >> Posted by: DTB at 4:57 PM  |  Permalink

No too much content for being the FTC, but you should read.
Visit the FTC Spam Site >> Posted by: DTB at 8:32 PM  |  Permalink

Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:31 PM  |  Permalink

National Do Not Email List Posted by: DTB at 8:31 PM  |  Permalink

I have yet to see someone on the email marketing side explain why the do-not-email list would fail, at least not without using flawed arguments. Michael Mayor's recent iMedia piece proves no exception.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 12:50 PM  |  Permalink

Research by Return Path has found that one in six permission-based emails is filtered or blocked. The study was based on the top 12 ISPs, and was conducted in the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2003. These findings represent a two percent fall in delivers from the 4th quarter of 2002.

A good Reason to use the emialROI Platform as it is part of the Bonded Sender program that is whitelisted by ISPs to facilitate delivery.
Read Article >>

Learn about the Bonded Sender program. Posted by: DTB at 12:49 PM  |  Permalink

Major ISPs Microsoft and AOL have aligned with the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) against the prospect of a do-not-spam list. The wildly popular do-not-call list sponsored by the FTC has caused a groundswell of support for an email equivalent list. The large tech companies fear they will be responsible for costs associated with the list, as well as potential liabilities for having unwitting involvement in violations of any do-not-spam law requirements. They say that only the law-abiding marketers will obey the terms - not the spammers - and that having such a large email list may cause privacy and security concerns.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 12:44 PM  |  Permalink

.:>>Go to Bogus 'Anti-Spam' Charity>>:.

Attorney General Mike Cox today issued a Notice of Intended Action to Remove.org of Washington, D.C., warning the company that it faces a potential lawsuit under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act for deceptively marketing its supposed "anti-spam" service to consumers.

"This organization's website is decorated with the American flag and the Statue of Liberty, yet there are few more un-American practices than lying to the public about being a charity recognized by the IRS," Attorney General Cox said. "Remove.org's blatant deception is a slap in the face of the many legitimate charities that take pains to comply with state and federal charity laws. Posted by: Anonymous at 2:08 PM  |  Permalink

I get a lot of spam, the vast majority unimaginative stuff that sees the trash as fast as I can tap "delete." Yet occasionally something unsolicited, unwanted, perhaps even unlawful will get my attention. Over the past several months, a few e-mail messages landed in my inbox that I would like to nominate to the fraudulent e-mail hall of fame. Those behind the messages were quite smart and creative. In fact, if fraud had been my calling, they might have given me ideas about how to fool many an unsuspecting soul.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 10:26 AM  |  Permalink

If you're like me, every morning you arrive at work and find yourself wading through dozens, even hundreds, of e-mail messages. You must determine which to read and which to delete. Until someone invents software that does this automatically, I have an inbox routine. Going through it the other day got me thinking about e-mail arrival time and its impact on how recipients responds to e-mail marketing
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 10:22 AM  |  Permalink

.:>>:.Go to New York Times Article.:>>:.

This spring, a consensus on spam seemed to be emerging among House and Senate leaders, Internet service providers and the direct marketing industry.

Then a monkey wrench landed in this otherwise smooth legislative process.

Suddenly, public support for a do-not-spam list began to build.

"The legitimate guys would follow a do-not-spam list, but that is less than one-third of the e-mail people are getting," said Jerry Cerasale, the Direct Marketing Association's senior vice president for government affairs. The worst spammers show no evidence they want to follow existing laws, he said, so there is no reason to think they would comply with the proposed registry. Posted by: Anonymous at 8:07 AM  |  Permalink

.:>>:.Go to CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 .:>>:.

The Act is a great read on what legislation is being considered and how Congress views spam, including the following observations:

Unsolicited commercial electronic mail may impose significant monetary costs on providers of Internet access services, businesses, and educational and nonprofit institutions that carry and receive such mail, as there is a finite volume of mail that such providers, businesses, and institutions can handle without further investment in infrastructure.

In legislating against certain abuses on the Internet, Congress should be very careful to avoid infringing in any way upon constitutionally protected rights, including the rights of assembly, free speech, and privacy.

The Congress determines that:
(1) there is a substantial government interest in regulation of unsolicited commercial electronic mail;
(2) senders of unsolicited commercial electronic mail should not mislead recipients as to the source or content of such mail; and
(3) recipients of unsolicited commercial electronic mail have a right to decline to receive additional unsolicited commercial electronic mail from the same source. Posted by: Anonymous at 7:58 AM  |  Permalink

Go to MSNBC.com - Spam Wars >> Posted by: DTB at 8:58 PM  |  Permalink

Many companies with names you know are benefiting

There wouldn’t be spam if there wasn’t money in spam. So to understand what primes the spam economy, MSNBC.com answered a single unsolicited commercial e-mail. Following this one spam trail led us from Alabama to Argentina, from a tiny Birmingham-based firm and someone named “Erp” past a notorious spammer named Super-Zonda — and right through big-name companies like Ameriquest, Quicken, and LoanWeb. And that’s just the beginning. The truth about spam is this: While the dirty work is done by secretive, faceless computer jockeys who are constantly evading authorities, lots of companies with names you know profit, at least tangentially, from their efforts.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:55 PM  |  Permalink

Torture a Spammer... a frustration relief game
Beat the Spammer and choose the method of torture.
Play the Game Posted by: DTB at 4:06 PM  |  Permalink

BusinessWeek: Making the Most of E-Mail Marketing

BusinessWeek's Digital Manager column collects some best practices advice on putting out a business e-newsletter. It covers the types of content and tone that work, useful vendors and tracking advice.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 3:25 PM  |  Permalink

McDonald's Corp. has revived a direct marketing initiative called McMoms with a new Web site and e-mail newsletter.

The one-page online newsletter to 10,000 mothers in six states is a regional pilot. Research by McDonald's agency DDB Chicago shows that 75 percent of mothers with children younger than 9 use the Internet as their main source of information.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 3:20 PM  |  Permalink

WordBiz Report: PDF NEWSLETTERS: retro or a smart move?

With newsletter formatting debates largely relegated to HTML versus text, WordBiz Report Publisher Debbie Weil thoroughly examines the pros and cons of using Adobe's PDF format. Publishers like the control and quality the format provides, but some worry it is not the easiest way for audiences to access information.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 3:18 PM  |  Permalink

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire -- A security flaw at a website operated by the purveyors of penis-enlargement pills has provided the world with a depressing answer to the question: Who in their right mind would buy something from a spammer?
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 10:05 PM  |  Permalink

Network Associates released a list of best practices for businesses who want to distinguish themselves as legitimate commercial email senders and help curtail the spam problem. These suggested guidelines compiled and developed by the McAfee Security consumer division aim to help businesses become responsible email marketers.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 10:01 PM  |  Permalink

Email Delivery Best Practices for Marketers and List Owners
View the PDF Posted by: DTB at 9:49 PM  |  Permalink

The DMA is committed to upholding the principles outlined in this working document in its continuing efforts to combat spam while protecting legitimate e-mail marketing as an emerging and promising marketing channel.

Read Document >> Posted by: DTB at 9:45 PM  |  Permalink

Permission is a hot topic in email marketing. Take a quick look at what it is, what it isn't, and how to go about getting it.

Permission...

Permission must be granted.
Permission cannot be assumed. This general rule is probably the best measure of permission. Truthfully ask yourself if the names on your list have actually granted you permission to email them, or if you assuming they want to receive messages from you.

WIIFM (what's in it for me?)
Recipients need to understand "what's in it for me?" You'll have a much more effective and content audience if you consider their needs in your permission process and your email campaign.

Permission can be revoked.
Recipients need the ability and have every right to be removed from your list. The easier and clearer you make this process, the more loyal your list will be.

Permission cannot be transferred.
Just because you have permission from someone to send them an email, that does not give you the right to provide their name to any other entity. This includes your distributors, parent organizations, associations, etc.

Permission is NOT Granted...

If I throw a card in a fishbowl at a trade event. Just because you have people throw their cards in, that does not mean they have given you permission? Unless you clearly state that by doing so, they give you permission to email them specific information.

If you ask me for my email address as part of the data gathered in the sales process? Unless, again, you clearly state that by doing so, they give you permission to send them specific information. ("May I add you to our mailing list to receive periodic?")

If I fill out a request for information on your Web site? Unless (you guessed it) you clearly have them opt in and give you permission to send them specific information or a specific newsletter

Ways to Gain Permission...

ASK!
The golden rule: just clearly ask for permission. You'll be amazed at how people will positively respond if they understand the situation, and what they'll receive as a result. Again think of the WIIFM rule!

Opt-in:
(i.e. Click here if you would like to receive our email newsletter.) This is the standard, and most common, method of permission.

Double opt-in:
(i.e. Click here if you would like to receive our email newsletter, then receive a verification email that you must respond to in order to double opt-in.) Although this method is lengthy, and your list size grows at a slower rate, the people who double opt-in are giving you a very strong permission to email to them.

Opt-out:
(i.e. Click here if you do NOT want to receive our email newsletter.) This method is frowned upon, and is somewhat deceiving to the recipient. Opt-out methods are quickly becoming associated with SPAM techniques.

We hope that this gives you a clear understanding of how to build trusting relationships and grow existing relationships with your subscriber base.




Posted by: DTB at 8:56 AM  |  Permalink

People buying tickets online through Ticketmaster may be surprised to find themselves receiving spam as an encore.
The ticket service, which holds a lock on advance ticket sales for most major entertainment events, is taking heat from consumers for a privacy policy that does not let online ticket buyers opt out of receiving e-mail pitches from an event's producers and other businesses associated with it.

Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:04 PM  |  Permalink

Read Weblog Posted by: DTB at 11:47 AM  |  Permalink

Very Informative for everything Google Posted by: DTB at 10:31 AM  |  Permalink

The proliferation of abusive email marketing has dramatically changed the landscape for anyone with an email address. Legitimate marketers now not only have to work harder to obtain a positive response for a campaign, but they also have to avoid a negative response. And all this while trying to avoid getting filtered right out of the in box before recipients even see your message! This article asks you seven questions you need to answer in order to get your message across in this new era of email marketing....
Read Article>> Posted by: DTB at 10:18 AM  |  Permalink

My company is revamping its newsletter strategy. I'll have lots to share as we go through this process. The first topic is the art of discipline. As my staff and I discuss this undertaking, we're realizing the role discipline plays in the success of a newsletter program. Not only self-discipline, but also a kind of military precision you, the publisher, must inflict on others. Some insights on how to make discipline work for you:
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 9:51 AM  |  Permalink

Andy Sernovitz has the bluster of a guy who knows he is right -- and the slightly desperate air that comes when not everyone agrees. He is a New Yorker, a smart and funny and profane guy who absolutely cannot resist a spotlight. He is not afraid to share his opinions, or to act on them. He is bursting with anger -- and with hope.
Read Article> Posted by: DTB at 10:48 AM  |  Permalink

Network Associates Provides Best Email Marketing Practices for Businesses
Tuesday August 5, 8:31 am ET
Suggested Guidelines for Businesses to Help Distinguish Themselves As 'Legitimate' Commercial Email Senders
Best Practices are Endorsed by Leading Privacy Organization, TRUSTe, And Email Spam Watchdog Group, The SpamCon Foundation
Read Article>: Posted by: DTB at 10:32 AM  |  Permalink

So now there are more email spam management programs on the market than there are flavors of icecream at Baskin and Robbins or coffee drinks at your corner Starbucks.

This new program touts it accuracy to be over 99% as compared to the other ones that one block between 30-40% of unsolicited emails. Quite a claim to block 99% of anything. But if you look at the example below you will see that everything they are filtering is really cliche SPAM.

View SpamWasher Screen shot Posted by: DTB at 10:18 AM  |  Permalink

Media magazine published a lengthy survey of the issues plaguing email marketing today. Plunging response rates and ROI averages on standalone opt-in email campaigns may be related to some of the other problems, such as over-zealous spam filtering.

Posted by: DTB at 9:17 AM  |  Permalink

Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your email campaigns by keeping your audiences subscribed and interested. The areas covered include:

Increasing subscriber relevance

Play with the data you have collected

Play with frequency

Two-way communication: the email newsletter

Conduct reader polls or surveys
Read Article

Posted by: DTB at 9:14 AM  |  Permalink

The protocol that has defined e-mail for more than two decades may have a fatal flaw: It trusts you.
Developed when the Internet was used almost exclusively by academics, the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, or SMTP, assumes that you are who you say you are.

Read Article> Posted by: DTB at 8:44 AM  |  Permalink