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In the decade since email became a viable marketing and publishing channel, a
set of “best practices” has evolved for everything from signing up new
subscribers to optimizing messages for best display. However, EmailLabs' 2006
audit of 203 commercial email messages found relatively few marketers are using
more than one or two to get maximum return from their email programs.
Only one of the 18 best email practices we identified – a working unsubscribe
link – was adopted by 100% of senders reviewed in our audit: That's good,
because CAN-SPAM, the U.S. law governing commercial email, requires it.
Still, it doesn't mean all marketers have gotten the message on what CAN-SPAM
requires. Nine percent of marketers in our audit left out a second best
practice/CAN-SPAM requirement: posting the company's physical street address in
all commercial messages. (Tip: Check your email templates now to make sure you
comply with the law.)
The audit, which divided senders into six market segments including
publishers, retailers, travel, financial services, business services, and
consumer services, found some segments had adopted far more “best practices”
than others.
Travel marketers, for example, adopted the most “best practices”, ranking
highest most often in using recognizable sending from lines, subject lines,
subscription management and navigation within their newsletter and to their
company site.
On the other end of the scale, financial marketers, among others who have the
most to gain from optimizing their emails for best practices, are using the
least.
If you want to see how we created the audit and what criteria we used click
this link. If you are interested in how your particular
market segment did, use this link.
The Ten Most-Ignored Best Practices
Here are the 10 most frequently ignored best practices. Percentages refer to
the percentage of senders who used a best practice in their email messages.
1. Provide a subscription-administration center in each
message.
How many use it: 17.7%
Why it's important: The admin center (our shorthand name for
it) keeps you connected to your subscribers and helps distinguish you from
unsolicited email. It should include the email address they used to subscribe,
an unsubscribe link, a link to your privacy policy and preference page and your
contact information: street address, phone number and email address. For more
information, see our article - Email Admin Center – The
New Standard in Email Messages
2. Provide a site search function.
How many use it: 17.7%
Why it's important: Allows users to search for products,
past article, company information, etc., without having to first click to the
site then initiate the search.
3. Provide a forward-to-a-friend link.
How many use it: 25.1%
Why it's important: Giving subscribers a link to send your
emails on to their friends is a more proactive stance than just including a line
somewhere in the message asking them to pass on your messages. The link sends
the request through your server, which can also allow you to track who's
forwarding your message, how often and what actions result. It also ensures the
forwarded message will render properly, which may not happen when a recipient
simply forwards through their email client.
4. Provide a subscription link.
How many use it: 27.1%
Why it's important: Offering a subscription function in your
newsletter allows readers who received it from a friend to sign up without
having to search your site for instructions.
5. Add-to-safe-senders-list request.
How many use it: 35%
Why it's important: Most email clients won't block email
from a sender listed on the recipient's personal whitelist and image rendering
is also less likely to be blocked (also a safe-sender list, approved-sender
list, etc.) For more information, see our Quick Tip - Getting Added to
Recipients' Address Book/Personal Whitelist
6. Link to a Web version.
How many use it: 37.4%
Why it's important: Many email clients either block images
or don't render HTML messages properly, especially if they read email in a
preview pane. Providing this link allows readers to view your message in their
Web browser instead.
7. Provide a telephone contact number.
How many use it: 40.4%
Why it's important: Email is fast, but a phone call is
faster. Many respondents want to get in touch with you directly, especially
buyers, clients, or salespeople, may want to get in touch with you directly.
This way you spare them the extra step of going to your Web site and hunting
down your contact information.
8. Display the recipient's email address.
How many use it: 43.8%
Why it's important: Showing the recipient’s address helps
boost the email's credibility and helps readers who may be receiving duplicate
copies under several different email addresses unsubscribe from the correct
address.
9. Provide navigation links within the email and to the Web
site.
How many use it: 48.3%
Why it's important: Navigation links near the top of
newsletters with multiple departments or articles help readers find information
quickly and efficiently. Multiple site links help your readers move directly to
the areas on your Web site they need or want, which adds value and strengthens
your relationship with them.
10. Provide an email address for feedback or sender
contact.
How many use it: 53.2%
Why it's important: The email contact address gives
subscribers a way to reach you to ask questions, send comments or alert you to a
problem, such as an unsubscribe link that doesn't work. More senders provide a
contact email address than a telephone number, but even more should add this
feature to build their credibility and relationship with
recipients.
To sum up: If you are ignoring some of the best
practices listed above, your email program could be underperforming. If you need
more information on quick tips and best practices, visit our Resource Center or watch for more
helpful information in upcoming issues of The Intevation Report. Stay
tuned!
Background: EmailLabs 2006 Best Practices Audit – How we did
it
Market Segments
We examined 203 email messages from a wide range of marketers and publishers
in six market segments. The percentages refer to the percentage each segment
accounted for in the audit:
- Publishers (22.66%)
- Retail (32.51%)
- Business Service (17.73%)
- Travel (12.32%)
- Consumer Service (10.34%)
- Financial (4.43%)
Best Practices
We identified 18 best practices for email communications and used the
following criteria to determine whether each sender incorporated them in their
emails:
- Subject line use: Used personalization and action, conveyed information
enticingly, short length, avoided bad practices such as all capitals.
- Sender from name: Company or brand name, not email address, generic
department or unfamiliar person's name.
- Sender line email address: includes company or brand name, not generic
address such as reply@xyz.com or info@xyz.com.
- Accommodates preview pane and blocked images: Key content displayed even
with images blocked or only a portion is viewable; use of text links.
- Link to Web version: Link provided, preferably near the top
- Forward-to-a-friend link: Button or text link to Web form to launch a copy
of the message to another recipient.
- Profile/address update/change: Provide a link anywhere in the email to allow
reader to change address or preferences.
- Opportunity to subscribe: Provide a button or link to a subscription form.
- Unsubscribe link: Provide a working button or link to an unsubscribe page.
- Subscriber administration center: Block of copy containing crucial
information including email address, unsubscribe link, contact information,
privacy policy and any other standing information.
- Display recipient's email address: Display the subscriber's email address
anywhere in the email.
- Request to add sender to safe-senders list: Text line, preferably placed at
or near the top of the email.
- In-message navigation and Web-site links: At least two non-email links
pointing to departments or destinations on the site.
- Website search function: Blank form or link to site search function in email
message.
- Link to privacy policy: Direct link to privacy policy or detailed privacy
statement within the message.
- Contact-us/Send-feedback link: Link to contact information or contact email
address clearly placed.
- Physical mailing address provided: Postal (not a P.O. Box) or street address
plainly displayed.
- Telephone number: Phone number displayed within the email.
Performance by Market Segment
Publishers
Publishers scored highest on these best practices:
1. Designs messages read most easily in preview panes and with images
blocked (78.3%): Allows readers to see key content even without opening
the message or enabling images.
2. Provides a forward-to-a-friend link in the email message
(32.6%): Encourages readers to pass along messages to friends or
colleagues; ensures HTML message get sent with formatting intact; allows sender
to track who is forwarding email to whom.
3. Displaying email address (54.55): Tells recipient which
address he used to sign up for email, adds to message's trustworthiness.
4. Contact-us link/send-feedback link (69.7%): Articles
often inspire reader comment; also useful for media buyers looking to buy ad
space.
Publishers scored lowest on these practices:
1. Informative subject lines (65.0%): Most used generic
subject lines, listing only the issue name and/or data, not topics or key
content.
2. Link to Web version of message (19.6%)
3. Links to other departments at Web site (19.57%): Reduces
readers' exposure to relevant content, such as archives.
Retailers
Retailers, both online-only e-commerce businesses and online divisions of
offline merchants, scored highest at providing a Web version of the email
message and navigating through the email message and linking to the Web.
However, retailers performed poorly in two areas essential for optimized
sales: preview-pane/blocked-images accommodation and forwarding.
Retailers scored highest on these best practices:
1. Providing link to Web version of email (60.6%): Allows
user to see the same message on the Web site if the email client doesn't render
it properly.
2. Providing at least two navigation links either in message or to
Web site (69.7%): Helps out users who need more information or don't
find what they want in the email.
Retailers scored lowest on these practices:
1. Designing for preview pane/blocked images (33.3%):
Represents lost sales or inquiries because readers can't see product images.
2. Offering forward-to-friends (21.2%): Another crucial lost
opportunity to capture sales through viral marketing.
Travel
Travel marketers, including airlines, hotels and booking agents, scored six
top ratings for adoption of best practices, the most of any market segment in
the audit and had no lowest ratings, although that doesn't imply that all
marketers are equally adept at using best practices to optimize their
messages:
1. Informative subject lines (100%): Subject lines used
personalization and enticing, timely or action-oriented text.
2. Informative sender name and address: (100%): Name did
include company name or newsletter title, not email address or unfamiliar
person; 16 characters or less.
3. Providing subscriber administration center (32%): Allows
user to change preferences easily; crucial for highly personalized email.
4. Requesting addition to safe-senders' list (52%): Assures
inbox delivery instead of filtering to bulk, crucial for travel
confirmations.
5. Web-site search function (28%): Gives readers more
options to customize interest and contact company.
6. Link to privacy policy (76%): Further underscores email
and company integrity.
Although their lowest scores were still higher than other market segment on
all best practices, travel marketers scored under 25% adoption on offering a
subscribe feature (12%), forwarding to friends (16%) and link to Web version
(24%).
Financial Services
Banks, mortgage brokers and credit-card companies rely on trustworthy emails
delivered reliably to the inbox. However, the EmailLabs audit showed messages
from these companies typically lack the elements that promote those
qualities.
Financial-service companies did not outperform any other market segment.
Within its segment it did best on including a physical mailing address (100%),
and optimal sender and subject lines (89% and 78%).
This segment scored lowest among all segments on these best practices:
1. Displaying email address (11.1%)
2. Requesting addition to safe-senders list
(11.1%)
Business Services
Like financial services, business-service marketers did not outscore any
other segment on adoption of best practices, but within its segment, it scored
highest on sender and subject lines (69.4% and 61.1%), preview-pane-friendly
design (77.7%), unsubscribe link and physical mailing address (100% each).
The segment scored lowest among all segments on these best practices:
1. Providing subscriber-admin center (8.3%)
2. Providing navigation links in message and to Web site
(25%)
Consumer Services
Consumer-oriented service providers (weight-management, music, social
networks, and sports-fan newsletters) scored no top adoption rates among all
segments but did well in its segment on sender and subject lines (80.9% to
90.4%) and using a profile-update link (71.4%).
The segment scored lowest among all segments on providing a company
telephone number (14.2%).
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