Introducing the new and improved eConnect Email, your go-to email marketing platform. Featuring enhanced usability, customization and security- the new eConnect Email will make building your email campaigns a breeze!

To begin, we restructured eConnect Email from the ground up with several new and exciting features. We now have a template builder where you can create custom rock-solid templates optimized for both desktop and mobile applications.

How about those clients of yours in different time zones? Yep, the new eConnect Email will automatically send your email campaign to your recipients in their specific time zone. In addition, we have beefed up security on both ends with back-end authentication and relationships with top ISPs and industry-leading mail servers.

Worldview

See who is opening and what they’re clicking on with real-time data, all beautifully displayed on Worldview (our gorgeous maps app). Don’t forget about the bread and butter, you know, ROI- the new eConnect Email boasts in-depth reports on your email campaign’s performance and deliverability.

Social Integration

Social. Yes I said it and yes we did it. You can now allow your Facebook friends and fans to subscribe to your newsletter directly from your fan page. We also report every “Like” and “Tweet” your campaign receives as part of our stunning reports. So now you can see not only which subscribers are sharing with their friends, but also what they’re saying about you.

So what are you waiting for? Dive in and set up a new eConnect Email account today for free!

If you’re still viewing mobile optimization as the latest in email marketing design, you may be falling behind the times. Studies show that tablet users now account for a growing percentage of online shoppers, with tablet ownership almost doubling over the 2011 Christmas holidays. And not only are more people using tablets, but those same people are also spending more. A recent Digital Marketing Insights study conducted by Adobe Systems found that tablet users spend 50% more than their smartphone counterparts and 20% more than those using desktops or laptops. What does that mean for email marketers?

• Even if you’re not ready to take action, now is the time to consider how tablets might be changing the face of email marketing. Just as we are all getting used to creating a mobile version of our email campaigns, the tablet market has begun growing, introducing a whole new dimension to both email and website design. The changes may be subtle, but they are worth considering in light of the lucrative potential of this new market.

• Adapt your code for larger screens. You can create device-specific code that will help your mobile emails display properly on varying screen sizes, from a relatively small iPhone to its larger tablet cousin, the iPad.

• Keep it interesting below the fold. While it is still vital to make sure your most important information displays above the fold on any device, tablet users will appreciate interesting content that extends beyond the visibility cutoff for smartphones. Include good quality graphics and keep clickable elements spaced widely apart to accommodate finger clicks.

• Monitor client usage to determine when it’s time to make the switch. By watching the analytics reports on each email you send, you can determine what percentage of your subscribers currently checks their email on a tablet device. As those numbers grow, you will know when it’s time to start implementing tablet-friendly designs and creative for your overall email campaign. Until then, it’s a trend that bears watching.

As email marketing continues to evolve alongside technology, eConnect Email provides all the capabilities you need to keep your email campaigns up to date. Our analytics and deliverability tools will keep you apprised of trends among your subscribers, ensuring that you’re ready to launch new initiatives when needed without scrambling to catch up.

Two months ago, Hotmail announced the addition of new email controls that will give users greater ability to regulate the influx of marketing messages they receive. The new features will address the problem of “graymail,” the messages a user did at one time subscribe to but which now no longer engage his attention.  Newsletters, Groupon-style ads, and online clubs can all fall under the category of graymail if the subscriber deletes or marks them as spam without opening.

How Hotmail users will control graymail

The primary change to Hotmail’s handling of graymail is that newsletters will be automatically marked as such by the email service. This designation will enable Hotmail users to perform tasks such as:

• Scheduled Sweeps—Designate an expiration date for mail from specified senders, with automatic deletions when the message expires. This action also allows Hotmail users to sweep newsletters directly to a subfolder or to delete them altogether

• Inbox Unsubscribes—Unsubscribe from a mailing list directly from Hotmail’s inbox. Hotmail will handle the unsubscribe process for you, or simply block the email

• Instant Actions—Delete, flag, mark read, or sweep messages to a subfolder simply by hovering over the message in your inbox

What this means for marketers

While news of Hotmail’s new graymail controls may cause initial panic for email marketers, the truth is that the success of your email marketing campaign will continue to depend on the same thing it always has: value for the subscriber. Your customers wanted your email once; by making each email communication relevant to your subscribers, you can continue to keep them engaged with the marketing emails you send.

Continue…

Just last week, I walked out of a store and got in my car only to discover a few miles down the road that I was cheerfully humming “Silver Bells.” Christmas music already? You bet, and now is the time to focus your efforts on holiday email campaigns that deliver the goods. Without further ado, here are my top ten email practices that will determine whether your subscribers put you on the naughty or nice list.

Naughty: Ramping up email frequency without fair warning.

Your subscribers have come to expect messages from you at a consistent frequency. Start increasing that frequency without telling them and they’re likely to dump you in the spam folder.

Nice: Ask for permission if you plan to change sending frequency.

Or better yet, give subscribers the option to set preferences. Segment your list so that those who opt in can receive daily holiday reminders, while other subscribers can still receive emails at the intervals they’re used to.

Naughty: Sending fluff emails, just because.

Your subscribers already have to wade through more email than normal at this time of year. Don’t waste their time with holiday greetings that provide no benefit.

Nice: Include a clear benefit and call to action in every email.

Make sure the subject line communicates the benefit and that customers can take action directly from the email.

Naughty: Ignoring mobile users.

As the number of people using mobile devices to check email increases, so does the frustration caused when your email doesn’t display properly on the subscriber’s iPhone or other smart device.

Nice: Design your email for mobile screens.

Include a call to action that can be viewed without enlarging and make sure subscribers can easily access a mobile version of your website.

Naughty: Failing to communicate shipping policies.

Shipping makes a big difference for most online holiday shoppers, and failure to communicate can result in lost sales.

Nice: Promote special holiday shipping offers in your email subject line or state clearly in the body of the email.

Free shipping can make the difference between a lead and a completed sale, so highlight it if you have it. If you don’t, it’s still a good idea to provide a clear link to your shipping policy.

Naughty: Failing to follow through post-holiday.

Don’t leave subscribers hanging on December 26^th. Post-holiday needs should comprise an essential part of your holiday email campaign strategy.

Nice: Communicate post-holiday specials clearly and promptly.

Return policies, clearance sales, and New Year’s resolution targeting can all be appropriate elements of your late December and early January email strategy.

Let eConnect Email help you keep your email campaign on the nice list this year by taking advantage of our customizable templates, list segmentation, deliverability, and tracking data. Eggnog, anyone?

Yahoo!’s new email visualization tool may be email marketing eye candy, but it has also revealed some noteworthy tidbits for email marketers. The map on the front page shows Yahoo! email usage volume by location as well as a continuously updated number of emails delivered every second by the Yahoo! mail network. Click on a continent, and you can receive the same information specific to that area, with additional clicks zooming in further to reveal more detailed information about the data used to determine whether a particular message lands in the inbox or the junk folder.

What Information Is Available?

Perhaps the most interesting pieces of information for email marketers are the trending keywords and the email verification criteria.

• Trending Keywords

Click on the green box on the left side of the map to view keywords showing up most often in the subject lines of emails that make it to the inbox. Click the “Show Spam Keywords” box at the bottom of the graph to see keywords appearing in messages that land in the spam folder.

• Email Verification Criteria

This information is buried a little deeper, but can be found by clicking on a continent on the main page, then on a point within that continent. Click on one of the envelopes labeled either “Junk” or “Inbox” to see a list of five criteria used to determine which emails go where, as well as a pass or fail designation for each.

What Does This Mean for Email Marketers?

Sure, it’s interesting, but can it really impact your email marketing strategy? We think it can, by offering some valuable information we could only guess at before.

• The subject line isn’t as important as you might think when it comes to spam determination. So you can forget your list of approved or banned subject line words (like “free”) as well as those odd variations that attempt to fool the filter (f.r.e.e.; f*r*e*e; f-r-e-e). The trending keyword feature demonstrates that previously anathema words like free actually show up in delivered messages a high percentage of the time. They also show up in junked messages, suggesting that subject line words might not play as important a role as once thought.

• Spam filters look at the email as a whole to determine in-box worthiness. Criteria such as a verified IP address, links, sender, and message content all play a part in determining which messages get marked as spam and which ones reach the inbox.

The bottom line? Stop trying to game the system and instead work towards creating engaging, useful emails that build relationships with your subscribers—the kind of emails we help clients create every day at eConnect Email.

In an effort to better serve our clients and solidify our place in the market, our creative team has been hard at work redeveloping our brand and website from the ground up. Our main goal was to simplify the user experience to make it easier for you to find what you’re looking for. This being said, we are pleased to announce the launch of the new eConnect Email website!

To all of our current, past and future client we’d like to extend a warm thank you for your support! We hope you like what we’ve done. If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback we would love to hear from you.

Free 30-Day Trial
No Credit Card Required. No Contracts. eConnect Email is totally free for 30 days, so give it a spin. Activate your free account today and see why it’s is simply, email done better.

Affordable Pricing Plans
Starting at just $19.95, eConnect Email offers affordable pricing plans to fit all different types of businesses. No contracts. Upgrade or downgrade your plan when needed.

Expansive Help Center
The new eConnect Email website features an expansive help center, complete with video tutorials to guide your throught the application.

Interactive Features Overview
Explore all that eConnect Email has to offer through our new interactive features section.

Spring is such a great time of year for many industries to promote new products and/or services and put the winter stuff on sale. What better way to get your message out there than with a fancy little email? Well, we know there’s nothing more cost effective anyway…

For This Month’s Email Marketing Tips & Tricks – CLICK HERE

Ever wonder when the best time is to send your emails to your subscribers? Our March Newsletter will give you some incite on time and other practical tips to getting your emails opened and read. With Spring just around the corner there are so many good reasons to send out great emails!

As always, let us know if you have any questions or suggestions, we are always happy to hear them!

For This Month’s Email Marketing Tips & Tricks – CLICK HERE

Valentines day is already behind us, although our lovely offer is still good for a few more days (view our newsletter for more details). So be good to your business and take advantage of the savings while giving your email campaigns a fresh and professional look.

Also, included in this months newsletter is our email marketing recap for 2010.   As always, let us know if you have any questions or suggestions, we are always happy to hear them!

For This Month’s Tips & Tricks – CLICK HERE

Is your email marketing program in need of a redesign? If you haven’t evaluated your marketing practices since last year, then it’s time to ask some pertinent questions about your marketing objectives and strategy. Consider these best practices and start your new year off on the right foot.

1.     Craft Your Welcome Letter as a Marketing Email

Don’t settle for a run-of-the-mill boring welcome letter. Instead, use it as an opportunity to start building a solid relationship with your subscribers.  Invite your subscribers to connect with you via social media and include links to additional content about your products/ services. Need help?  We’d be happy to give you some pointers or help you craft and design an effective welcome email.

2.     Use Emails to Follow Up on Cart Abandonment

Cart abandonment rates are astonishingly high, but you can draw some of that lost business back by using emails to follow-up with customers who bailed out before buying. Remind them of their selections and use the email to cross-sell or up-sell. You can also give them the opportunity to leave feedback or offer an incentive for them to come back and complete the purchase.

3.     Use Split Tests to Achieve Higher Open and Click Rates

If you don’t test various options, then you’re essentially guessing what will entice readers.  Split Testing allows you to choose the most effective subject line, call to action, images, and copy for every email campaign.

4.     Give your Subscribers Options

Give your readers the chance to unsubscribe, modify details, or change email preferences without jumping through hoops. Making this process easy leaves a sweet taste in their mouth even if they choose not to remain on your mailing list.  With eConnect Email’s list management options, you can stay on top of subscriber information and make sure your emails reach their intended destinations.

5.     Integrate Social Media with Your Email Campaign

With the rise of social media you’ll want to make sure you adapt your email campaign to the new landscape. You can increase your overall reach by giving your subscribers the opportunity to share your campaign on the various social networking websites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).

As you rethink your email marketing initiative, take advantage of the tools and solutions available with eConnect Email in order to further engage and interact with your subscribers.  If you have any questions or there is ever anything we can do to help you out let us know!