Number 11 is a nice place to be
15 March 2011
Sometimes we can get too close to something. So close, in fact, that we take comments the wrong way so that they become insults that they were never intended to be. A couple of years ago, a member of the postmaster staff at a large, North American ISP said to a group of ESP people:…
Are appended lists really purchased lists?
20 January 2011
Earlier today I asked a couple of questions on Twitter: “How does one go about transferring permission?” “Why do marketers buy ‘opt-in’ lists?” The first question did not get many answers. The consensus of those who took the time to respond was that permission might be transferred in an assets purchase. Beyond that, it would…
An average email user responds
17 November 2010
As I mentioned in my last post, I asked my dad to have a look at Gretchen Scheiman’s article, “Does Permission Need To Be Explicit?”. My dad is a baby boomer and I think is a relatively normal email user. He does not know (nor does he care) how spam filters or mail servers work. …
Bigger Is Not Always Better
9 November 2010
Delivery professionals have been telling clients for years that a bigger list is not always a better list. We have been telling people that mailing people for sake of mailing people is not a winning strategy. And, we have been advocating mailing to engaged subscribers while letting the dead wood fall away. And for years…
Inertia Is Not Email Marketing
1 July 2010
The people over at AlchemyWorx put out an article today with this title: “Getting real about inactive subscribers.” About all that I can say about it is that it is a “feel good” article. The entire point of the post seems to be to help email marketers feel good about inertia. Why should they feel…
Asking for the Impossible: Send Rates
13 May 2010
Today’s is the third in a series of posts on contractual terms that clients want to try to get, but usually will be unable to get due to the harsh impact of reality. Thus far, we have considered Delivery Service Level Agreements and Inbox Guarantees. Today, we turn our attention to send rate guarantees. Occasionally…
Asking for the impossible: Inbox Guarantees
12 May 2010
Yesterday, we had a look at Delivery SLAs as a contract term that you are unlikely to get out of an email service provider. Closely linked with the Delivery SLA is the Inbox SLA, more commonly referred to as the Inbox Guarantee. This is a contractual term that many people try to impose upon an…
Asking for the impossible: SLAs
11 May 2010
Just a few days ago, I wrote that I cannot give a guarantee that an intervention on my part will get you removed from a DNSBL. Why? Because I won’t agree to terms that will bind me to making someone use do something. I figured that I would follow that up by looking at some…
Guest Post: Your Problems Are Bigger Than You Think
6 May 2010
A few days ago, I was approached by a delivery consultant. Frustration abounded, and while this person didn’t need my assistance with anything, there was a need for someone to vent at for a few minutes. This person, whom we shall name “Gary” for the purposes of this post, agreed to write up a paraphrase…
I Can’t Give You What You Want
4 May 2010
Yesterday, I was talking with a potential client about engaging my services. The prospect asked for a guarantee of results with regard to a smallish blocking list, and left the telephone call unhappy because I would not do that. The reason that I, and indeed ANY email delivery consultant, cannot guarantee results seems obvious to…