If you use redirection links in the emails you send out, where a click on the link goes to your server – so you can record that someone clicked – before redirecting to the real destination, then you’ve probably already thought about how they can be abused. Redirection links are simple in concept – you include a link that points to your webserver in email that you send out...
Recently, a client asked me, what is the value to ISPs in utilizing Return Path Certification (formerly known as Sender Score Certified)? Meaning, why do ISPs use it? A number of ISPs both big and small have spam filtering systems that treat certified IP addresses differently than non-certified IP addresses. Sometimes spam filtering is bypassed, effectively guaranteeing inbox delivery. Sometimes...
Asking for permission is an obvious best practice in email marketing. But, it applies to billing and fees as well, if you ask the FTC. Click here to read about their settlement with Jason Strober of payday loan marketer Swish Marketing.
I manage inbound mail for a large set of mailboxes at work; and a number of those mailboxes are on various Zeus botnet spam lists. So, every day, I’m treated to the Zeus botnet “flavor of the day,” giving me insight into who they’re spoofing at any given time. A client asked me why the messages morph so often and I explained that the spammers seem to be continually...
In the realm of email, content filtering is old hat. Nowadays, it’s all about reputation and engagement. Okay, sure, content filtering still exists, but the bad old days are long gone. No more do you have to worry that using the word FREE in the subject line is going to get your mail blocked. Sounds like spam blocking in the world of text messaging is not quite as modern, according to a...
Have you ever sent an email message, and received an automated response in reply? And in that reply, you are asked to “prove that you are human” by clicking on a link and/or entering a CAPTCHA code. What is this? Is it new? When that happens, you’re interacting with a “challenge response” email filtering system. When you receive a “prove that you’re...
Hi! Al Iverson here. I offered to guest blog for my friend Laura Atkins, as she’s off to a conference for a few days. If you like my posts, c’mon over and visit me at my blog, Spam Resource. A few weeks ago, an industry colleague asked me why I’m so anti-email append. I’m not specifically anti-email append, I’m just not very fond of things that cause deliverability...
I’m off to MAAWG next week and seem to have had barely enough time to breathe lately, much less blog. I have a half written post, but it’s taking a little more research to put together. That can wait until I get the chance to do the research. Instead I thought I’d talk about the North Coast Journal article “The Rise and Fall of a Spam Crusader.” It’s quite an...
Sending frequency is an important part of any email campaign. Too little mail and recipients forget about the mail and don’t open it when it does arrive. Too much mail and folks start complaining, like John Cole over at Balloon Juice. Take the dogs to the park for a half hour, come back, and there are 30 new messages from advocacy groups and campaigns in my email box. […] Seriously...
… and the device they’re probably going to read your email on.
@lauter from MailChimp points and laughs at an advertising email from Blackberry-the-company that’s completely unreadable when read on Blackberry-the-device.
That’s really bad marketing on a bunch of different levels.
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