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Article #121: Guidelines For A New Sending Paradigm - Part 3 of 5 - Use (Legitimate) Tools and Tactics (M2M)

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Sustainable email sending programs in an corporate and ESP data centers. Many ESP
inherently hostile environment now operations are being pushed into
require great care and planning. Before unfamiliar technical territory in an
considering technical complexities and attempt to improve delivery performance.
marketing tactics, email senders must If you don't probe past the comforting
adopt this basic paradigm shift. superficialities your outcomes may be
The five guidelines included in this diminished.
series should become watchwords for ezine More information on email sender tools
emailers as they incur the risk and and tactics can be found in the Email PhD
responsibility of sending newsletters or Sending Signature Management section.
any other repetitive type of email. Upgrade and modernize your systems -
Part 1 of 5: Treat Email as a True Risk whether internal or external
and Cost Center Delivery tactics, drop-box testing, high
Part 2 of 5: Avoid Collateral Damage granularity reporting, trends analysis
Part 3 of 5: Use the Available all these are necessary features for
(Legitimate) Tools and Tactics (M2M) email program control. If you still think
Part 4 of 5: Build Strong Relationships that there is something simply called a
(H2H) "bounce" (as opposed to a "server level
Part 5 of 5: Continuously Evaluate response message") then you may be
Part 3 of 5 lacking sufficient data to influence your
Use the Available (Legitimate) Tools and sending outcomes. There is a lot more to
Tactics (M2M)within your email sending managing a successful sending process
system today than just pushing the "send"
One of the most basic systematic button.
distinctions influencing email In line with these needs, new levels of
performance is between those barriers control are now being built into many
operating under human control, and those sending systems, from the MTA package
that are under machine control. Email through to the total messaging system.
senders today need to understand and work These can allow managers to avoid
within this dicotomy. Remember: accidentally activating many routine
* Human solutions (such as ISP relations) volume and rate blocking traps. And
tend to work for human-run systems (H2H) virtually all system developers are now
* Machine responses (such as sender providing improved reporting and data
authentication) tend to work for machine integration. The use of controlled
systems (M2M) sending policies and scheduling can
* Not understanding the differences reduce your sending signature, and
between these types of systems tends to improve your reception and delivery at
create at lot of frustration most major recipient ISPs.
Most of the systems that stop your email The same level of expertise should be
are automated. This means machines, not expected from external service providers.
people, determine whether your email gets Presenting an easy to use interface, or
through. From client-side boxed software good database integration features is
packages to ISP email profiling systems, important, but it is not sufficient.
it is usually the things that machines Investment and effort to control and
can see and measure that count the most. improve email results, from ISP relations
Many ESPs rely almost exclusively on H2H to technical delivery, is essential in a
"ISP relationships" at major recipient good ESP partner.
ISPs for delivery improvement. Email Good decisions are based on data
managers need to remember that only a few Senders have been subject to a litany of
ISPs even offer such channels, and that a aphorisms about how to improve delivery.
large portion of their email list A few of these suggestions are entirely
addresses are at ISPs that don't. For useless, and others may have only an
those destinations, and just as extremely narrow field of effect.
importantly, for all of the outside Effective email managers know that the
monitoring systems that watch and record only accurate way to tell what is really
email flows, your technical (M2M) sending happening to your sends is to test and to
behavior is the primary determinant of collect data.
your success. Many online publishers have a key metric
This section addresses the that they like to use. Unfortunately,
machine-to-machine (M2M) communication chances are that it has been corrupted by
universe - that strange virtual place some type of sending barrier. Other
where what people think and see counts senders still rely only on aggregate
for little, but where algorithms, rule indicators of sending success, or worse,
sets, and thresholds control everything. indicators that can simply tell you if
Of course, people usually set those rules your campaign succeeded or failed
and thresholds, but once in place the according to a measure other than
machines do the sorting, filtering, and delivery. This data, while better than
blocking. And they determine whether your nothing, does not provide the diagnostics
recipients get your messages. and granularity needed to control and
Email delivery and communications is your adapt your sending strategies. To control
business, and your responsibility an email program today it is just as
Successful email communications programs important to be able diagnose a problem
actively use many types of M2M tools and as it is to simply report a result. Data
tactics to overcome delivery barriers and collection at multiple levels is key to
to improve the level of recipient diagnosis.
response. In fact, at a point in time Complete reporting systems should
where 22% of permission-based email from provide:
a wide spectrum of sources is being * detailed data from the Internet
erroneously blocked, and with email transmission level (server-to-server)
response rates far below their historical * data from monitored mailbox landing
highs, managers cannot afford to just systems (filter/junk-bin)
accept the status quo. From HTML checkers * data from email-based actions (opens,
to drop-box landing systems to sending click through)
profile control systems, email managers * results measuring value created (such
already use a range of M2M tools and as purchases or requested recipient
resources first to map out their own actions)
email delivery situations, and then to Each of these data sources addresses a
take corrective action. Even at the most portion of the delivery and response
elementary level, investigation and cycle, and only in aggregate can delivery
remediation of sending errors or delivery and response problems be identified and
failures can dramatically turn around addressed. Each measure also has
difficult situations. characteristic sources of error (for
Senders can effectively use either example image blocking for opens rates),
internal or external solutions so it is the relationship between these
With the right controls in place, data points that provides the most
outbound email programs can effectively information for sender control. This data
use either (or both) internal or external is almost always created from several
sending resources. The goal is to different sources, and senders may need
cost-effectively access the expertise and to build a customized system for
capacity necessary to operate a integrating and displaying these results
sustainable system. To do this email in a useful manner.
managers first have to realistically Integrated reporting data recorded over
evaluate their internal capabilities as time allows senders to measure changes in
well as the claims of potential Email system and recipient behavior, indicating
Service Providers. at which level problems (or improvements)
The key to this process is to ask the may be occurring. Changes in the pattern
right questions! In an era dominated by of these behaviors is very informative to
delivery and sustainability problems, email managers seeking to control their
many managers still evaluate systems only delivery profile.
on the basis of convenience or ease of More information on email data collection
use. Old "broadcast" email systems that and analysis can be found in the Email
activate blocking and filtering systems PhD Data and Tracking section.
routinely run unquestioned at both Copyright © by Email Ph.D.






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