Enter the new Google Postmaster compliance page — a helpful addition to Google Postmaster Tools that simplifies how you obtain your compliance data in all the important areas. 

What is Google Postmaster?

Before we delve into the latest update, let’s quickly recap what Google Postmaster is all about. Google Postmaster Tools is a free service provided by Google that offers insights into a sender’s email performance within Gmail. It provides data on delivery errors, spam reports, sender reputation, and more, allowing senders to identify and address issues that may be affecting their email deliverability.

The importance of compliance

Compliance with email industry standards and best practices is crucial for maintaining a good sender reputation and ensuring inbox placement. Failure to comply with these standards can result in emails being filtered as spam or even blocked outright by email providers like Gmail.

The new compliance page

The new Google Postmaster compliance page is designed to help senders better understand and adhere to Gmail’s sending guidelines and policies. It provides a comprehensive overview of a sender’s compliance status, highlighting key issues that could impact deliverability.

Features and benefits

1. SPF and DKIM authentication
Ensure that your emails are properly authenticated using SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), reducing the likelihood of them being flagged as spam or phishing attempts.

2. From header alignment
Verify that the “From” header in your emails aligns with the DKIM signature, enhancing trust and improving inbox placement.

3. DMARC authentication
Verifies that your DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) record is present and correct.

4. Encryption
Pass/fail result letting you know whether your emails are encrypted in transit, safeguarding sensitive information and enhancing security.

5. User reported spam rate
Lets you know if your user reported spam rate is below the acceptable threshold.

6. DNS Records
Verifies your domain’s DNS A and PTR records.

7. One-click unsubscribe
Coming soon – there are no published details on this but we assume this will be a pass/fail if your email header has a RFC 8058 compliant one-click unsubscribe or not.

8. Honor unsubscribe
Coming soon – again there are no published details but we would hazard a guess that this will monitor whether or not senders continue to email recipients after they have requested unsubscription.

How to access the compliance page

Accessing the compliance page is simple for senders who are already using Google Postmaster Tools. Look for the text link at the top of your Postmaster tools homepage:

The post The email marketer’s guide to Google Postmaster’s new compliance page appeared first on Cordial.

Most cloud-based email service providers (ESPs), some built on ‘90s infrastructure, are complex with too many constraints that hamper efficiency, impede revenue growth, and restrict creative potential. But is it worth the “hassle” of migrating* to a new platform? Here are four signs it’s time to consider upgrading:

*Migrating to Cordial is the opposite of a hassle, see why here.

Sign #1: Your revenue gains seem maxed out

Advanced segmentation, dynamic content personalization, and true cross-channel orchestration allow modern email marketing platforms to drive continuous revenue growth in ways legacy providers simply cannot match. If your email marketing revenue and engagement have plateaued over the last 12-18 months, your current system very likely is leaving money on the table. Before dismissing a migration as not worth the hassle, make sure to carefully evaluate potential new platforms on their tried and true ability to drive revenue growth. 

Sign #2: Your creative requirements have outgrown the platform’s rigid structure

Outdated architectures hamper creativity. Technical constraints and long development queues stifle innovation, wasting your talented team’s creative potential on uninspiring, templated campaigns. Modern email marketing platforms break down those barriers by providing marketer-friendly tools flexible enough to bring new campaign ideas to life quickly. Dynamic content and templates, advanced audience segmentation, cross-channel orchestration—if you can dream it, you can build it. Unlock your team’s creativity by removing the technological barriers holding your marketing innovation back.

Sign #3: Load times and support requests are taking forever

Think back to dial-up internet speeds—does your current platform feel that slow? Lagging performance drastically cuts into productivity as your team wastes precious time waiting for support to get back to you, and data to update. Beyond mere frustration, delays at scale significantly drag campaign velocity and limit how quickly marketing can move. Prioritize your team’s time and attention above all else by upgrading to a platform engineered for speed and turnaround.

Sign #4: You’re unable to seamlessly integrate multiple channels

Contextual cross-channel messaging simply cannot happen without underlying technology support. If your current email marketing platform falls short on critical capabilities like SMS, push notifications, or integrating data with other channels, you are severely limited in your ability to craft the seamless customer experiences that modern consumers expect. Seek out a platform purpose-built to unify messaging across all critical channels.

Making the switch

If one or more of these signs hit home for you, your team is likely ready to upgrade. Contemplating a migration can feel daunting, but rest assured, with Cordial it does not mean starting from scratch. We can help you seamlessly migrate — so you can activate your data faster and in ways you never thought possible. Learn how Cordial enables you to fully automate your marketing strategies across email, SMS, and mobile app.

The post 4 signs you’ve outgrown your email marketing platform appeared first on Cordial.

These changes may seem more evolutionary than revolutionary, as they essentially document and reinforce existing best practices. The updates provide a clearer framework for reasoned and documented policy-based blocking of non-conforming mail. The key requirements are as follows:

1. Authenticate email

Authentication of email messages is no longer just a best practice; it is now a requirement for successful inbox placement. Marketers should implement DKIM to meet this authentication standard. Whilst not an explicit requirement, both Google and Yahoo recommend that bulk message senders authenticate with SPF and DMARC as well as DKIM. DMARC can be set to “p=none”.

2. Make unsubscribing easy

Bulk-sending platforms are urged to implement list-unsubscribe, emphasizing support for one-click unsubscribe (RFC 8058) or the “mailto” unsubscribe method (RFC 2369). This is in conjunction with a clear and easy-to-find unsubscribe link in the body of the email. 

3. Ensure wanted mail is sent

Maintaining low spam complaint rates demonstrates that the emails sent are wanted. Google specifically warns that high spam complaint rates (>0.3%) may result in blocking at Gmail. Yahoo Mail already blocks some emails based on high complaint rates, and this announcement could be Yahoo’s way of making the requirement of a low complaint rate more transparent.

Additional resources

Both Google and Yahoo have released statements directly addressing these changes:

Yahoo: More Secure, Less Spam: Enforcing Email Standards for a Better Experience

New Gmail protections for a safer, less spammy inbox

What this means for email marketers

Email marketers should follow the implementation requirements set by their email send platforms. Paying close attention to authentication best practices, ensuring proper DKIM implementation, and avoiding practices that could lead to high spam complaint rates are critical. Including an unsubscribe link and exploring list-unsubscribe or list-unsubscribe-post support, if applicable, is also recommended. Email marketers should sign up for Google Postmaster Tools to monitor spam complaint rates directly.

What action does a Cordial client have to take?

Very little! Cordial already set clients up to meet these requirements, so other than ensuring your mail is wanted and keeping the spam complaints rate below the 0.3% threshold, there is no action required. Detail of how Cordial meets these requirements below:

Easy unsubscribe: Cordial incorporates the one-click unsubscribe via the mailto method (RFC 2369)

Authentication: Sending domains that are delegated to Cordial are set up with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC as standard. Clients who choose to manage their own sending domain will be supplied with the required authentication records. For more information on domain delegation please see our knowledge base article.

The post Google and Yahoo unveil new email sender requirements: What you need to know appeared first on Cordial.

During our webinar, Rhon Bell, our Director of CRM Strategy, and Steve Lunniss, our Head of Deliverability chatted about how to balance short-term revenue demands with long-term subscriber health. Here are some key takeaways from their insightful discussion.

Watch the webinar

Keep an eye on key metrics

While open rates are less reliable after iOS 15, significant changes can still indicate issues. Watch for spikes or dips that deviate from historical trends. You can still use general open rate trends for measuring success. Even after iOS 15, Year-over-year or month-over-month open rate comparisons are still relevant. High click-through rates show your subscribers find value in your emails. Lower rates suggest your volume or content needs reevaluating.

Test different frequencies to find your sweet spot

Ideal send frequency depends on your business. Sectors like insurance or subscription services may only need annual renewal reminders. Others like retail and restaurant can send much more frequent product or service updates and offerings. The only way to truly understand the correct frequency is to test to find the right cadence for your brand. Ideally, you will want to balance revenue opportunity with potential fatigue (unsubscribe rates).

One way to test frequency is to segment your active subscriber file into 3 equal groups. Assign each a different email volume like 3, 5, or 7 campaigns per week. Run the test for 4 weeks and monitor performance.

Look at demand generated, click-through rates, and opt-out rates for each group. One may see a small increase in opt-outs but a large jump in demand that makes it worthwhile. The goal is to understand how your subscribers react to increased or decreased email volume over a period of time.

This test informs your overall sending strategy and cadence that you can adjust in different seasons. It helps you find the right balance between long-term subscriber health and demand. Continually test and iterate as your business needs shift.

Personalize to show value and build engagement

Segmenting by past purchases is a start, but personalized content keeps subscribers opening emails long-term. Segmentation says: Once a mountain bike customer – always a mountain bike customer. Personalization takes this a step further and says: A mountain bike customer may also be interested in other categories, but they have a propensity for mountain bikes.

With Cordial’s flexible data platform, you can go beyond just purchase data to build a more complete profile of subscriber preferences. Rank customers’ favorite categories or subcategories based on their browse, search, and cart activity, as well as consumers like them. Use this data to create meaningful product recommendations to surface in emails, SMS, and in-app messages.

Give control with preference centers so subscribers choose email types and frequency. 

Truly personalized content tailored to each subscriber’s demonstrated interests keeps them engaged over time. Map their journey and evolve recommendations as their needs change. The right personalized approach drives long-term value.

Monitor churn and grow your active file

Keep an eye on opt-outs, but also acquisition growth. Increasing your total acquisition means a healthier long-term file that is promotable. Aim for steady active list growth through expanding acquisition opportunities on your website and then build relevant messaging and quality content. Last, it’s critical to build meaningful campaigns to win back lapsing or lapsed subscribers before they fall off your active file or else unsubscribe. Sometimes this can be offer-based, but presenting them with outside-the-box content can be a useful tactic.

Automate for conversions and reactivations

Well-planned automations targeted to subscriber onsite, in-store, or email behavior generate more revenue. Create flows for activation, conversion, and reactivation. Give new subscribers a tailored onboarding journey for activation. Follow their path then read performance, test, and iterate as needed.

The right email volume aligns with your business model and subscribers’ expectations. Continually test and analyze performance to find the sweet spot, build in personalization, monitor churn, and automate to boost engagements. With the proper strategy and email marketing platform, you can achieve long-term subscriber growth and sales success.

The post Email diet: The right mailing quantity appeared first on Cordial.

When it comes to rewards notifications and promotions specifically for loyal customers, email enables restaurants to provide exclusive value beyond just points at checkout. Here are five tips for creating effective emails for your restaurant’s loyalty and rewards program:

1. Share tips and instructions.

Email is an optimal channel for clearly communicating program information and instructions directly to members. With 78% of consumers saying they’d consider joining a loyalty program after shopping with a brand 5 times or less, it’s important to inform new members how to participate and maximize rewards.

Zoes Kitchen uses email to provide specifics like where to download their app and how to earn/redeem rewards in-store. Clear guidance helps members take full advantage of benefits and builds loyalty through education.

See full example.

2. Use complementary CTAs.

Every email presents an opportunity to motivate readers into action. But make sure to give members options if they aren’t ready for your primary CTA. 

Complementary CTAs give consumers choices while still promoting engagement. Just make sure your email design clearly differentiates the prioritized action.

In a Chipotle reward notification email, the main call-to-action is “Go to My Offers” to redeem. However, directly below they include “Order Now” as a secondary CTA for those wanting food delivery immediately.

See full example.

3. Include your latest promotions.

Email enables efficiently showcasing current offers to motivated loyalty program members already willing to engage with your brand. Timing exclusive preview promotions to align with loyalty email sends is a great way to increase redemptions and transaction frequency.

In fact, 46% of consumers cite access to exclusive deals as a top incentive for joining loyalty programs. Domino’s Pizza uses email to share its ongoing promotions and entice meal orders from enrolled members.

See full example.

4. Keep it simple.

When it comes to program notifications like points balance statements, simpler is often better to prompt the desired behavior. Avoid overcomplicating things and diluting your core message.

Every message you send should have a clear purpose. If it’s a statement balance, focus just on points details to maximize clarity.

Starbucks sends straightforward rewards emails explaining the number of points earned and how many more are needed to redeem a reward. The email sticks to essential info members need at a glance to understand their status.

See full example.

5. Make members part of your story.

Loyalty programs are all about making members feel special. Use email to bring them into your brand story on a personal level.

Look for opportunities to celebrate key member milestones and share VIP accesses. Employee spotlight emails are also great for making members feel part of the brand family.

Alamo Drafthouse offers loyalty members free birthday tickets while also reassuring them about strict data privacy practices. This makes members feel recognized while also building brand trust.

See full example.

Email is the workhorse of loyalty programs, providing the fastest path to delivering value. Adjusting messaging based on loyal member preferences leads to higher engagement. Be sure to collect feedback and optimize over time. With nearly 90% of companies using email for their loyalty program, it represents a significant opportunity for restaurants to build retention and repeat visits.

For more best practices, check out these email strategies for loyalty and rewards programs.

The post 5 ways to improve your restaurant loyalty program emails appeared first on Cordial.

What are Gmail Annotations?

Gmail Annotations are an innovative way to make your emails stand out in a crowded inbox. They allow you to add extra information, images, and details to your email subject lines and preheaders, giving recipients a preview of your email’s content before they even open it. This added context can significantly improve open rates and engagement.

Types of Gmail Annotations in the Promotions Tab

• Product Carousel: Showcasing a carousel of products in your email with descriptions and prices.
• Single Image Preview: Using a single image to preview content inside of the email.
• Deal Annotation: Highlights special offers, discounts, or promotions.

Brand examples from Cordial clients

Discover how a couple of our clients have successfully used Gmail Annotations to boost their email marketing campaigns:

How to set up Gmail Annotations

Getting started with Gmail Annotations is a straightforward process:

• Enable Annotations: Ensure your email sender address is authenticated with the Google Annotations Support Team (you can reach out to your CSM to connect the dots here).
• Provide Metadata: Add the necessary metadata to your emails, including image URLs, offer details, and relevant information. Use the structure provided on Google’s Developer Annotation Site.
• Test Your Annotations: Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to verify that your Annotations are correctly implemented. If you see them show up, then you know you are good to go. If something is broken, it will notify you in the preview screen. 

Optimizing for Gmail Annotations

Deal Annotations, Product Carousels, and Single Images will not show up for everyone that the message is sent to (Google has a secret recipe of who actually receives the annotations and who doesn’t). Google will also recognize when it’s sent to a mass audience to determine who gets the annotation in their inbox. Meaning, it will only appear during sends to a large number of contacts making it tricky to test before the message goes live (see above re: “Test Your Annotations”). 

With these slight limitations in place, it’s best to follow the following tips to optimize your content and make the most of your Annotations: 

• Utilize high-quality product images with little text.
• The setup for the Product Carousel Annotation allows up to 10 images. Use all 10 spaces if possible to maximize the chances of passing through the quality filter. 
• Avoid masking around the edges of images, and ensure all images are the same aspect ratio and file size.
• Annotations provide extra space for text (think of this as a second subject line), so use it wisely to entice recipients to open your email.
• Ensure that the Annotations accurately represent the content of your email to avoid misleading recipients.

Measuring the impact

While Gmail Annotations don’t have a direct reporting function (yet), the impact can be quantified through monitoring your regular email metrics:

• Open Rates: Measure the increase in open rates after implementing Annotations, and compare to emails without Annotations present. 
• Click-Through Rates & Conversion Rates: Analyze how Annotations affect click-through rates and user engagement, sales, and orders. 
• Unique Tracking Identifiers: Include unique UTM parameters in the URLs and Images provided for the Annotations, separate from other links inside your email, to be able to track downstream in your usual reporting tools. 

Gmail Annotations offer a powerful way to supercharge your email marketing efforts within the Gmail inbox. By implementing the right Annotations and optimizing your content, you can capture your audience’s attention and drive higher engagement rates. 

Ready to get started with Gmail Annotations? If you’re a client of ours, get in touch with your Client Success Manager, and let’s take your email marketing to the next level!

The post Stand out in the inbox like bareMinerals & Church’s Texas Chicken with Gmail Annotations appeared first on Cordial.

Why traditional from names aren’t enough

Traditional from names often include just the brand name or a generic department like “Customer Service.” While this approach isn’t bad, it leaves room for improvement—it fails to give your email a personal touch. In an era where personalization is key to customer connection, a friendly from name can be a game-changer. Think about it: would you rather receive an email from “Marketing Team” or “Brittany from Cordial”? The latter feels warmer and more inviting, almost like receiving a note from a friend rather than a corporation.

Benefits of a friendly from name

Using a warm, human from name instead of your brand name:

• Increases open rates: Recipients will be more likely to open an email from a friend rather than a faceless corporation.
• Boosts click-through rates: Once opened, a friendly from name helps create a relationship that gets more clicks.
• Improves deliverability: Spam filters give more leeway to human names than unfamiliar brand names.
• Creates trust: A real name conveys transparency and credibility, building trust with subscribers.
• Enhances brand identity: A consistent human from name helps associate your brand with a personality.

Tried-and-true from name strategies

Before diving into testing, it’s helpful to consider various “from name” formats that have proven to be effective:

First name at/from company name: E.g., “Brittany from Cordial”. This format skillfully balances personalization with brand recognition. When customers see a first name, it humanizes your brand. It implies that there’s a real person behind the message, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

Company department: E.g.,”Cordial Sales Team”. This approach adds specificity and maintains brand identity. It tells the customer exactly which part of the company the message is coming from, aiding in immediate recognition and trust.

Company campaign name: E.g., “Summer Savings by Cordial”. If you’re running a specific campaign, this from name format is perfect. It tells recipients what to expect from the email and why it’s timely or important.

Title of a series or newsletter: E.g., “Cordial Newsletter”. This is particularly effective for recurring content. It sets the expectation for what’s inside the email, making it more likely that interested subscribers will engage.

Character or mascot names: E.g., “Tony the Tiger” for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. If your brand has a well-known character or mascot, this can make your emails instantly recognizable and exciting for customers who have a fondness for the character.

CEO or founder’s name: E.g., “A Message from Jeremy, Cordial CEO”. This adds a layer of prestige and exclusivity to your emails. It makes recipients feel like they’re getting an inside look from the top, fostering a sense of community and importance.

From name do’s and don’ts

Do’s

• Be clear and specific: Your from name should leave no doubt about who the email is from. Use recognizable brand names or identifiers.
• Keep it short: Long from names can get truncated in some email clients. Aim for fewer than 30 characters to ensure it’s fully visible.
• Personalize when possible: If you can include the recipient’s name or a personal touch like “Your Stylist at BrandName,” do it. Personalization boosts engagement.
• Consistency is key: Try to maintain a consistent from name across similar types of messages to build brand recognition.
• Test, test, test: Use A/B tests to find out what resonates best with your audience. What works for one brand may not work for another.
• Align with subject line: Make sure your from name complements your subject line and the content inside your email for cohesive messaging.
• Legal compliance: Make sure your from name isn’t misleading and adheres to the CAN-SPAM Act or other local email laws.

Don’ts

• Avoid generic terms: Using generic terms like “Admin” or “Customer Service” can make your email blend in, rather than stand out.
• Don’t mislead: Never use a deceptive from name that could trick recipients into opening an email. This will damage trust and could lead to legal consequences.
• Steer clear of ALL CAPS: Using all caps can be seen as shouting and is often flagged as spam by email providers.
• Avoid special characters: Stick to alphanumeric characters to ensure that your from name displays correctly across all email clients.
• Don’t overcomplicate: While it’s good to be descriptive, don’t add so many descriptors that your from Name becomes a sentence. Keep it simple and to the point.
• Don’t change too often: Consistency is key for brand recognition. Changing your from name too frequently can confuse your audience and lower engagement.
• Avoid internal jargon: The recipient won’t understand terms or abbreviations that are only used internally within your company.

How to make the switch

Convinced about the benefits of a friendly and creative from name? Testing and optimizing this tactic is key (here are 10 other testing ideas for email marketing optimization). Here’s how to get started:

• Start small: Test-friendly from names with a small segment of your email list. This reduces risk and allows for more controlled measurement.
• Measure impact: Use analytics to track open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement. This will provide the quantitative data you need to gauge the success of your new strategy.
• Iterate: Based on the gathered data, make informed decisions about wider implementation. Perhaps consider seasonal or event-based variations in your from names to keep things fresh.

The small change with big impact

In the crowded world of email marketing, every detail counts. While a friendly from name might appear minor, its impact on engagement, trust, and customer relationship-building is monumental. If you consider that the average consumer receives hundreds of emails every week, standing out positively can be a significant advantage.

A friendly from name isn’t just a “nice-to-have”; it’s a “need-to-have” in today’s highly competitive email marketing landscape. Make the change today and watch your engagement rates soar.

The post Traditional email ‘from names’ aren’t enough (try these 6 tried-and-true strategies instead) appeared first on Cordial.

Watch the webinar:

Maximizing deliverability

Deliverability is imperative to your email campaign’s success – it determines whether your brand’s messages reach customers. What factors influence deliverability, and how can you ensure emails end up in inboxes? These are the most critical considerations:

Building a positive sending reputation

Sending reputation is like a golden ticket to the inbox. ISPs (Internet Service Providers) evaluate various factors, such as your sending IP, domain, and content quality, to determine your reputation as a sender. It’s crucial to build and maintain a positive sending reputation.

Maintaining a low percentage of bounced emails is essential since high bounce rates indicate poor list hygiene and can negatively impact sending reputation. By regularly cleaning email lists and removing invalid or inactive email addresses, you can enhance deliverability and build a positive sending reputation.

Deliverability dos and don’ts

Do create personalized and relevant content that engages subscribers and compels them to interact with emails.

Don’t ignore authentication protocols like DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework). This is crucial for establishing your brand’s legitimacy as a sender. These protocols verify the authenticity of emails and help ISPs recognize that messages are from a trusted source.

Do respect unsubscribe requests. By making it easy for subscribers to opt out of email lists and promptly honoring their preferences, you demonstrate good sender practices and build trust with ISPs and subscribers.

Mastering subscriber lifecycle management

Subscriber lifecycle management is the strategic approach to nurturing and engaging with email recipients throughout their journey. From initial sign-up to re-engagement or sunsetting inactive subscribers, effective lifecycle management is crucial for maintaining healthy email lists. 

The power of re-engagement

Re-engaging inactive subscribers can significantly impact an email campaign’s success. Crafting attention-grabbing subject lines and compelling content is vital for grabbing the attention of inactive subscribers and enticing them to open emails. Personalization and tailored incentives, such as exclusive experiences or relevant content, can also play a significant role in encouraging inactive subscribers to re-engage.

Sunsetting inactive subscribers

Sometimes, parting ways with inactive subscribers is necessary to maintain healthy email lists and improve overall engagement. Defining inactivity criteria is a crucial first step in sunsetting inactive subscribers. This could be a certain period of time since their last engagement or a specific action, such as not opening or clicking any emails within a defined timeframe. Segmenting inactive subscribers separately allows you to target them specifically with a sunsetting campaign or strategy.

Creating a dedicated sunsetting campaign is essential to re-engage inactive subscribers before removing them from lists. Compelling subject lines, personalized incentives, and exclusive content can entice inactive subscribers to re-engage and take action.

Monitoring metrics and data hygiene

Tracking engagement metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions is crucial to evaluate the success of re-engagement and sunsetting strategies. These metrics provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of email campaigns and help refine strategies for better engagement.

Optimizing email marketing campaigns and monitoring engagement metrics allows you to identify trends and patterns in subscriber behavior. By analyzing open rates, you can gauge the level of interest generated by subject lines. Click-through rates indicate the effectiveness of email content in driving recipients to take action. Conversion rates provide insights into the ultimate goal campaigns, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or completing a form.

Data hygiene is another critical aspect of subscriber lifecycle management. Regularly cleaning and updating email lists helps maintain a higher deliverability rate and improves overall engagement metrics. Removing inactive and unresponsive subscribers ensures that you’re targeting an interested audience and reduces the chances of emails being marked as spam.

Putting it all together

Achieving deliverability success and mastering subscriber lifecycle management are essential for maximizing the effectiveness of email marketing efforts. By implementing these insights, you’ll be equipped to create compelling content, build a positive sending reputation, engage subscribers effectively, and maintain healthy email lists.

Mastering email through deliverability and subscriber lifecycle management is an ongoing process. Continuously evaluate and refine strategies based on the metrics and data you gather. Regularly review and update content, authentication protocols, and list hygiene practices to adapt to changing trends and maintain a strong sender reputation.

The post Mastering email through deliverability and subscriber lifecycle management appeared first on Cordial.

As you’re prioritizing your SEO strategy, it is vital that you reconsider your advertising strategies. Here are five ways to leverage social media beyond engagement and on-platform objectives to integrate your various marketing touch points for your campaigns.

1. Stay updated with your Meta pixel and Meta’s API conversion requirements.

Before diving into this, let’s address the elephant in the room. You may ask, “What is the difference between a Meta Pixel and Meta API conversion?” I’m glad you asked! Facebook Conversions API (also called CAPI) was formally known as Facebook Server-Side API. CAPI is designed to help businesses maintain data privacy while simultaneously delivering personalized advertising experiences to customers and audiences without browser cookies.

A Facebook Pixel is one component of the CAPI. It’s a piece of coding for your website that allows you to measure, optimize, and build audiences for your ad campaigns. Facebook Pixels alone may rely on browsing cookies, but by pairing it with CAPI, you will have a full-funnel conversion experience with no browser cookies necessary.

Meta technologies are constantly changing and evolving. It’s crucial to stay current with these changes and keep your features up to date. An outdated feature can cause errors within your campaign or even cause your campaign to be rejected due to CAPI errors.

To ensure everything is updated, go to your Meta Business Suite settings, check the websites associated with your account are verified, review the status of your Pixels (located within Events Manager), and check Business Suite notifications for anything that needs immediate attention. Meta is excellent at providing updates when things occur with targeting parameters, and they often appear at the very top of your menu. Please read them before you close them to remove them from your dashboard. They will most likely answer the questions you have that involve those massive updates that happen often.

2. Integrate your email marketing campaigns with social media.

Sometimes your social media audience differs from those that engage with you through email marketing campaigns, but powerful conversion magic happens when the two intertwine. The average American uses social media for approximately 2.5 hours a day and checks their emails an average of 20 times a day! Integrating these two significant consumer behaviors will have a very positive impact on conversion rates.

Consider marketing synchronicities with social media and email marketing, including cross-promotion. Are you inviting your social media fans to join your email list? Are your social media channels connected to your email templates with a clear call to action? If not, do these things immediately while being mindful of platform nuances.

For example, Instagram allows four bio links, but links within posts or comments are not clickable. Add an opt-in landing page to your bio links and build evergreen posts throughout the year to remind fans to join the email list for exclusive deals.

3. Utilize social media advertising to build your email list.

Of all the social media advertising objectives, this conversion objective is by far my personal favorite. Although all are great objectives for various desired outcomes, the lead generation objective allows advertisers to run campaigns that integrate with your chosen CRM. You can gain more email subscribers through this objective with an easy opt-in process.

As an advertiser, you can choose to have them opt-in on the platform or direct them to a landing page. The on-platform experience allows users to click the opt-in button, and it auto-populates all information required for completion. It’s so simplistic that it removes all barriers of doubt for the audience.

This ad objective allows you to use your advertising dollars to gain email subscribers for your lists. When the ad is complete, you have something tangible that belongs to your brand: consumers that happily opted into your email list. Consider this a total win-win on the investment return for your advertising spend.

4. Personalize the incentives for your audience.

Personalization is an essential piece to the successful integration of any of your marketing efforts. Still, it can significantly impact your goals when you create unique offerings for engaged fans through social media.

Now that we know that we can build your email lists through social media advertising. Let’s take that a step further and incentivize your engaged audience. You can create retargeting campaigns within advertising parameters that remind customers to purchase items in abandoned carts or increase the frequency of ads they linger on to increase the chances of purchasing through repetition.

If you’re looking for ways to incentivize your organic social media audience, start with exclusive deals for your advocates. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram now offer a marketplace for users to purchase directly from the platform. With Facebook Shop and Instagram Shop (remember that these are two different features), retailers can have product sales directed to their website or have direct sales through the shop, which improves conversion rates. Additionally, within Shops for both Facebook and Instagram, you can create special offers and promo codes exclusively for the fans on that platform. By personalizing offers based on the platform, customers will have a bonus reason to follow you on various platforms and engage with your content to seek out new deals and offers.

For example, the women’s clothing brand, The Deep Pout South, rewards its email subscribers with special exclusive offers that can only be used on their Instagram account and Instagram shop during what they call “Social Saturdays.” During these promotional events, email subscribers are notified of highly discounted products through Instagram, and the deals are only available during a specific time period. This is a phenomenal way to engage your audience via email, rewards the action of following on social media, and can likely impact your open rate due to high customer anticipation.

5. Don’t forget to read your data.

The best synergy for marketing success requires your data and the story behind it. Data alone could tell you that you had a massive amount of engagement on one post, and the story behind the data will tell you why people were so inspired to react or comment. As you’re integrating marketing channels, remember to connect your data points for a full view of what your data is telling you. For example, if you have something similar to a “Social Saturday” experience within your loyalty program, remember to review how many people clicked to your social media platform(s) during your promotional period and then review their behavioral journey afterward. All of that data matters, along with the why behind it.

A marketer’s goal is to create as much synergy as possible to cultivate a consistent presence and message to one’s audience. Leveraging social media into the mix is a positive and powerful integration for maximizing community engagement and conversion.

As you learn more about your customers through data, personalization, and segmentation, remember to maintain a heart of curiosity toward all your learnings. It will be the guiding light of fulfillment in your marketing journey.

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Email marketers implement IP warming to establish their reputation with internet service providers (ISPs). This process helps to ensure that emails reach the recipient’s inbox and don’t end up in their spam folder. By warming IPs, marketers can improve deliverability rates, maximize open rates, and ultimately drive more conversions.

Why do you need to do IP warming?

IP warming is the process of gradually increasing the number of emails sent from a specific IP address over a period of time to build a positive reputation with ISPs. It’s important for marketers to warm their IPs before sending out large volumes of emails, as failure to do so will likely lead to their emails being blocked or junked.

While this may seem like a tedious task, the benefits of IP warming for marketers are numerous:

• Email acceptance rates will improve
• Emails will reach the inbox rather than the spam folder
• ISPs will learn to trust you as a legitimate, responsible sender
• Subscribers will have more opportunity to engage with your emails
• You will see a better ROI from your email marketing campaigns

How long can IP warming take for enterprise brands?

A good estimate is it takes roughly 30-45 days to warm a set of IPs. However, there are many variables at play that can affect the time it takes, such as:

• Data hygiene: The quality of your data can have a huge impact on the outcome of the ramp plan. Hitting lots of traps, disengaged or churned subscribers, and typo addresses will negatively impact your reputation with the ISPs. It is advisable to run your data through a cleaning tool prior to ramping and to only target those who have recently engaged.
• Frequency: The frequency of which you send is important. Having a regular cadence of sending will assist in keeping the process on track. Having multiple days of inactivity causes the IPs to cool down and also trigger a red flag at the ISP for abnormal sending patterns.
• Volume: The size of your audience comes into play. Of course, the larger the database the larger the pool of IPs that are required — and the longer it will take to get the IP fully warmed to your business as usual send volume.
• Content: During the ramp process you may need to send more campaigns than you usually would. You should plan ahead and make sure you have enough good content ready to send so that your subscribers continue to engage.

Example of promotional campaign warm-up plan:

Common terms for your teams to know during the IP warming process

There are a number of terms that you will likely come across while navigating through the IP warming process:

• Sender reputation: Your sender reputation is essentially a score created by the ISPs against your IP/domain to determine whether you are a good, responsible sender. Microsoft and Gmail have tools that allow you to see what your reputation is in their eye.
• Email validation: Email validation involves use of a tool that checks the syntax, spelling, and, in some cases, mail exchange (MX) records of the recipient domain to see if it actually exists.
• Soft bounce: A soft bounce is generally a temporary error, such as a full mailbox, where the receiving ISP cannot accept the email at this time but may accept it later.
• Hard bounce: A hard bounce is when the email is permanently rejected due to reasons such as the recipient domain does not exist or the account is no longer valid.
• Blacklists: There are a number of not-for-profit organizations that will put you on a blacklist and make that information available to the ISPs if you are deemed as spamming and/or have poor data acquisition processes.
• SNDS: Smart Data Network Services is a free reporting tool provided by Microsoft where you can monitor the reputation of your dedicated IPs and request support for deliverability issues.
• GPT: Google Postmaster Tools is a reporting platform provided by Google to see how they view your IP and domain reputation. You can request support and read about best practices.

The following three items are all authentication methods that can be used in conjunction with each other to help stop spammers from sending phishing messages:

• SPF: Sender policy framework
• DKIM: Domain Keys Identified Mail
• DMARC: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance

Best practices for IP warming

In order to give yourself the best chance to be successful in building a good long standing reputation you can start by following these steps:

• Authentication: When setting up DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, you are immediately showing the ISPs that you are who you say you are and are actively taking steps to ensure your subscribers are not phished from your domain.
• Segmentation: Sending emails to only those subscribers who are engaged with your emails will ensure your reputation builds quickly and keeps the negative interactions (spam complaints and unsubscribes) to a minimum.
• Content: Make sure you are sending emails with relevant and interesting content to your subscribers.
• Subject line: While open rates are now hard to measure, it is still worth investing time into creating exciting subject lines that will draw the attention of the subscriber.
• Reporting: Keeping a close eye on performance by domain group (Microsoft, Gmail, Yahoo ,and Global) will help you quickly identify if you are under performing at any of the ISPs.

IP warming is an essential part of any email marketing strategy, as it helps marketers to establish a positive reputation with ISPs and improve deliverability rates. By following the steps outlined above, marketers can ensure that their emails reach the recipient’s inbox instead of their spam folder and maximize open rates and conversions.

Ultimately, IP warming can be a powerful tool for email marketers if done correctly. By taking the time to prepare and execute the process properly, marketers can reap the rewards of improved deliverability rates and overall better email performance.

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