| Are you worried people are not getting your emails? | | | | 1. Make sure your spam rating is low. Most good |
| I've set up a lot of online shopping carts and email | | | | systems will have a check that you can use to make |
| marketing systems for clients and I often get the | | | | sure you are not using overly 'spammy' words or |
| question: "People say they're not getting my emails - | | | | phrases that will trigger the filters and make your email |
| Why Not?" | | | | 'poof' into thin air! Use this to make sure all your |
| The first thing I like to make sure my clients understand | | | | messages get through. |
| is that we can't control who gets our emails, we can | | | | 2. Use a system that has good relationships with the |
| only do our best to follow the rules and laws (aka | | | | email hosts. I personally highly recommend Aweber if |
| Can-Spam Law) to make sure we get the best | | | | you just need an email service provider, and |
| chance of having our emails delivered. | | | | 1ShoppingCart is a good program if you need an |
| Yes, when you send out a personal email to your | | | | autoresponder plus shopping cart plus affiliate program. |
| friend Joe it gets there just about every time - but | | | | 3. Don't send from a free email! First off, it just looks |
| setting up a mass mailing system and sending out | | | | unprofessional to be sending a business email from It |
| emails in bulk is different, very different. | | | | also isn't a good idea because spammers use free |
| You see, when you send out mass email messages | | | | emails and using one yourself gives you a 'check' on |
| through a system you have to pass a set of rules and | | | | the list of potential things a spammer does and puts |
| regulations. It doesn't just go through because you say | | | | your email one step closer to the garbage 'poof' |
| so. The reason it is this way is because of the | | | | vanished category. |
| spammers, the people who seriously abuse the | | | | 4. Give people very clear directions. If you have a |
| system and of course the honest people have to pay | | | | double opt-in system make sure people know this and |
| by bending to prove they are not spammers. | | | | they know they need to open up an email (give the |
| Where Does Your Email Go? | | | | subjectline even) and click to receive email from you. |
| Here's a simple description of what happens when you | | | | Aweber is so awesome they have an automatic |
| have an email scheduled to go out through a program | | | | thank you page that tells your subscribers this, most |
| like 1ShoppingCart or Aweber. | | | | programs don't. |
| - The email is usually given a potential spam rating and | | | | 5. Tell your people to avoid Yahoo. I haven't checked |
| sent out into cyberspace. | | | | into this lately but not too long ago Yahoo was terrible |
| - The email arrives at the email pick up portal (just | | | | for letting autoresponder messages come through. |
| made that up) out there in cyberspace. Now the pick | | | | 6. Let it go. Here's the thing. Everything I mention here |
| up portal will be different depending on where | | | | and more is a lot of work. Is it worth it? That's up to |
| someone's email comes in. Many people use free | | | | you. I prefer to do everything I can to get my emails |
| email accounts these days so the pick up portal could | | | | delivered, and then I will answer any individual issues as |
| be gmail, yahoo, hotmail, or a host of others. Each one | | | | they arise. If someone isn't getting your email and they |
| sorts through the mail differently and they make a | | | | really want to, they'll let you know. Then you can |
| decision as to what gets:a) chucked in the garbage, | | | | troubleshoot the situation and figure out why you're not |
| never to be seen by the recipientb) sent to the 'spam' | | | | getting through to them. |
| folderc) sent directly to the inbox | | | | Technology isn't perfect and you can't expect it to |
| You can't control the pick up portal. Once it gets there, | | | | work like a well oiled machine, it just doesn't yet. |
| the delivery is beyond your control. | | | | Remember the internet is a baby, just learning to take |
| What can you do to make sure the emails get there? | | | | it's first steps and you're on the cutting edge and doing |
| My clients ask me this question and I have a hard time | | | | what the majority of businesses don't know how to do |
| responding because it's not just one thing. | | | | yet so sometimes you just have patience and let it go. |