Stay connected with top-nothch, in-house email marketing programs!

Gmail and some other major ISPs are now accepting a new unsubscribe protocol to help marketers effectively remove people who complain about spam from their list. Instead of using the convenient unsubscribe link provided in your email, many people hit the "report as spam" feature to get rid of your message. In most escases, you never know who these people are so that you can remove them from the list and actually quit dinsending to them and preserve your email reputation. With this new feature, the ISP can attempt to execute the unsubscribe process for you in your preferred manner, all the information necessary is stored in the List Unsubscrbe Header of the email.

• Edit your campaign and configure either the web based, or email based unsubsribe feature.
• Send a test message, then look at the message properties, you will see the List-Unsubscribe header.

The header for email based looks as follows:

That's all there is to it, there is no additional configuration necessary. Now, if the recipient clicks "report as spam" they will also be marked in your list as an unsubscribe.

This feature is available in the latest versions of Campaign Enterprise and Email Marketing Director.

For more information on List-Unsubscribe and its intended uses, please visit the List Unsubscribe page.

Don't Look Spammy!

We all hate spam and get way too much of it - agreed? Now that we have that out of the way it is important to realize that in everyone's zest to minimize their spam, we are deleting legitimate e-mails - and those e-mail could be YOUR business messages! Two factors are at play - not reviewing your trash before you empty it and sending e-mail with indicators that trip spam filters.

When sending business e-mail, it is critical that you make certain efforts so that your e-mail will not be inadvertently, incorrectly perceived as spam. Several times each day, legitimate e-mail makes its way into my Junk/Trash due to the sender doing or not doing certain things that trigger most spam filters. These are issues you need to be aware of so that your e-mail has its best chance to make it to its intended party.

Your initial contact and making sure your e-mail gives the perception of a serious business entity can make the difference between being read or being trashed. Here is a simple checklist of things you need to put in practice so that your e-mails are not mistakenly identified as spam and deleted before read:

=> Always include an appropriate, short and accurate SUBJECT:. Many times spam does not have a SUBJECT: or it is malformed without appropriate text. Many e-mail programs automatically send subjectless e-mail to Junk/Trash. You also want to avoid using the words: hello, hi, help, new or the recipient's name or e-mail address as doing so can trigger spam filters.

=> Refrain from using common terms abused by spammers in your subject and/or first paragraph of your email. You know what they are - you see them every day. Many spam filters track these terms and may inadvertently send your email right to Trash.

=> Type your subject with appropriate capitalization and structure. All small case or all caps gives the impression of being spam (and lack of online savvy/education).

=> Make sure your full name, not your e-mail address, is formally displayed in the FROM: field. Example: Jane A. Doe is correct - not jane a doe, or Jane or janeadoe@yourisp.com. FROM: fields with all lower case, only your first name or lack of punctuation indicates a lack of online savvy that is typical of most spammers which signals that your e-mail could also be spam. Not using your last name gives the impression you have something to hide. You always want to use your full and formal name in all business e-mail.

=> Refrain from using any formatting just for the sake of doing so. Formatting can also trigger spam filters if not done properly. Think company letterhead. If you wouldn't have your name in big, blue, bolded letters on company letterhead do not do it in your business e-mail.

=> Unannounced attachments are viewed suspiciously. Do not send attachments without a specific request to do so and they are expected. If you are going to send attachments over 200K, show extraordinary courtesy and ask the other side FIRST when would be the best time to send your collateral. Then follow through and send it at that prearrange time so the recipient on the other side is available to download your files and keep their inbox clear.

=> When using any sort of spam software or filtering system, before you purge your trash, it doesn't hurt to take a quick peak to see if any e-mail is in fact from folks you know or recognize.

By keeping the above issues in mind, you have the best chance of your e-mail getting to the person on the other side and for business e-mail that could make the difference between making a sale - or not.

About the Author:
Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse who has played @ http://www.TheIStudio.com for over a decade. Check out her popular Netiquette site @: http://www.NetManners.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judith_Kallos

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Resuscitate Lifeless Business Email Requests With CPR

It is frustrating to send a business email with a clear request and get no response. Why aren't people responding to your request, your invitation, your proposal or recommendation?

Let's improve the odds of getting the response we want. Business readers scan emails quickly to find out what's in it for them, what they need to know, and instantly decide if something is important for them. Remember, it's all about them. First, we have to get their attention with a good subject line. The best email subject lines tell the whole story. A specific and useful subject line tells your reader why you sent the message, and they will be more likely to open it. The body of the message should be the details of the topic you announced in the subject line, not a new topic. Your reader's attention fades with each sentence, and it is important to pack important information in the subject line and the first two sentences of the message.

There are more ways to help ensure your message gets read, and gets the right results. Try applying business email CPR to your next request or invitation.

CPR Procedures:

• Clear Writing: Brevity is the key to the right results. Keep the message short.
• Don't write 20 sentences when it can be said in 2 sentences.
• The average sentence length should be 15-20 words.
• Short paragraphs or bullet points will make it easy for the reader to scan your message.
• Use familiar words to make your message clear and easily understood.
• Courtesy: Please and thank you are always appropriate.
• The absence of courtesy is a poor reflection of you.
• Concise, well-written emails show respect the reader's time.
• Don't forget to start with a personal salutation. Messages without a proper greeting are often perceived as terse and demanding.
• A well-formatted message tells the reader they are important.
• Provide Needed Details: Make it easy for your reader to say yes.
• Requesting information: Vague requests don't get results. Tell the reader specifically what you need. Explain why the information is important and how you will use it. Remember your reader gets numerous requests each day; make sure yours is the one they give their attention to.
• Invitation: When inviting your reader to your company's event, to sign-up for your webinar, to arrange an in-person meeting, or schedule a conference call, providing all the necessary information upfront will increase the chances of them saying yes. Readers will not hunt for the information, and if it's not clearly provided, they will quickly move on to the next thing. Focus on the reader and what's in it for them. (Don't forget to test hyperlinks before sending your email.)
• Reasons for Reader to Act or Respond.
• Requesting Information: 'Because' is a powerful word. People are more likely to comply with your request if they know why you need it. As a financial executive for many years, requests for financial information sliced and diced in every which way filled my inbox every day. Knowing how they would use the information, and why it was important, made it much easier to fulfill their requests in a timely manner.
• Invitation: Use your best persuasive writing strategies. Focus on the benefits for the reader, what it will do for them, and not the features of your program, recommendation or event. We all want to know, what's in it for me? Is there a special incentive for them to respond quickly, like a reduced rate or a bonus? If there is, make sure you tell your reader upfront.

Still Not Getting a Response? You've sent a well-written email with all the right information, so why haven't you gotten a response?

• Your topic is not a priority for the recipient
• Your email landed in their spam folder
• Their inbox is so cluttered, they haven't even seen your message
• It's time to pick up the phone:
• You need a critical piece of information to complete a report or other project from a co-worker or associate
• It's important to you
• The request is time sensitive

You've sent a clear concise email. You couldn't reach them by phone and left them a voicemail message, but they never returned the call. Now what? If your request is for necessary information from someone within your own company, you will have to try another avenue for getting it. Putting together the financial reports for publicly-held companies required a lot of information from different departments. There always seemed to be one person who didn't respond in a timely manner, or at all. If they weren't in the same building where I could get their attention by standing in their office door, I had to find another person in their department to help me, or sometimes talk to the person above them in the chain of command.

If you are trying to set up a meeting with someone or include them in your event, there is one more thing you can try. We have forgotten the power of a hand-written note. We are inundated with emails and voicemails, but when a simple hand-written note appears, we respond. A hand-written note tells the recipient that they are important. They feel valued that you would take the time to send them a note. Try it and see, they are pretty hard to resist.

"The Email Doctor"

Jane Dominguez, CPA
The Write Business Advantage
Speaker and Trainer for Better Business Writing Results Today
(520) 668-0327

jane@writebusinessadvantage.com
http://www.writebusinessadvantage.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/WriteAdvantage

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_Dominguez

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