Your Intevation Report Top 10 of 2006

This month, we have converted our regular optimization column into the Intevation Report Top 10, featuring our readers’ favorite articles from 2006. In this article, you'll find short summaries of the top five articles of the year and links to the full stories in our Resource Center, followed by article titles and links to the other five. They cover everything from basic how-to information to broader issues affecting your entire email program. We'll return to our regular programming in January 2007 with a full slate of tips, advice and news. Read Full Article.

Full Article | Email Feedback

Previous Optimization Article
'Tis the Season for Standout Subject Lines

Additional Resources:

• Subject Lines: 15 Rules to Write Them Right
• 20 HTML Email Tips: Ignore at Your Own Risk
• The 5 Biggest Email Brand-Killers
• Beyond Open Rates: Metrics that Matter

Why Your Email Still Lands in the Junk Folder

By Stefan Pollard

Email deliverability is a moving target. The minute you find a tactic that helps your message move past ISP filters and into the inbox, spammers discover it, too, and ISP change their criteria once again. In my regular ClickZ column I explain why you must constantly monitor your deliverability rate and update your tactics. It isn't enough anymore to fix a broken program and then forget about it. Read Full Article.

Full Article | Email Feedback

Previous Delivery Trends Column
Crafting a Compelling Text Message

Campaigns that target based on Web-site user clickstream data generate conversion rates that outperform untargeted broadcast campaigns by nearly 4 to 1, according to a recent Jupiter Research report promoting use of targeting devices beyond basic personalization and segmentation.

How targeting affects campaign performance:

Untargeted broadcast emails
Open rate: 20%
Avg. CTR: 9.5%
Avg. conversion rate: 1.1%

User-triggered campaigns
Open rate: 27%
Avg. CTR: 9.3%
Avg. conversion rate: 2.3%

Lifecycle messaging campaigns
Open rate: 26%
Avg. CTR: 9.3%
Avg. conversion rate: 2.3%

Clickstream-based campaigns
Open rate: 33%
Avg. CTR: 14%
Avg. conversion rate: 3.9%

Source: David Daniels, Jupiter Research.

Everybody Else Uses 'Free;' Why Can't I?

Question: If FREE is such a bad word to use in an email subject line or in the message, why do I get so many emails in my own inbox that say "free shipping?" Shouldn't they all go to my junk folder?

Answer: Using "free" once or twice in an email message probably won't be enough to get your message blocked or filtered anymore, unless you have many other spam-like elements in it. This article explains how content-scoring programs like SpamAssasin work and how you can use "free" without fear. Click here to read why.

Full Answer | Got a Question? Ask EmailLabs

More Email Marketing FAQ's

EmailLabs is a leading provider of high performance email marketing solutions to agencies, publishers and marketing, sales and customer service departments of middle-market and Global 2000 companies. The EmailLabs email marketing platform is provided as an ASP (Web-based) service, and is easily customized and integrated with a company's Web site, sales force automation and CRM technologies. The company provides email marketing solutions to more than 550 companies, including Nokia, Agilent, PalmSource and Jupitermedia. Headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., EmailLabs was founded in 1999 and is a subsidiary of Lyris, Inc. (OTCBB:JLHY).