It's beginning to look a lot like…

I had a call this morning discussing holiday email volumes.
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I think many consumers now expect the deluge of emails that start in early November. I’m not sure all of them want it, but I think they expect it. We’ll, of course, be writing more about holiday volumes, mailing issues and such through the end of the year.
What are your plans for sending all the mail? How have experiences in previous holiday seasons affected your planning for this one? Tell me how you’re approaching things.

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'Tis the season

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It’s the time of the year, when we celebrate a holiday by telling you about email.

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Ask Laura

An Advice Column on Email Delivery
When we work with brands and senders to improve email delivery, there are many questions that come up again and again. For 2016, we thought it might be interesting to answer some of those questions here on the blog so others can benefit from the information.
Confused about delivery in general? Trying to keep up on changing policies and terminology? Need some Email 101 basics? This is the place to ask. We can’t answer specific questions about your server configuration or look at your message structure for the column (please get in touch if you’d like our help with more technical or forensic investigations!), but we’d love to answer your questions about how email works, trends in the industry, or the joys and challenges of cohabiting with felines.
Your pal,
Laura
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Dear Laura,
I’m having a hard time explaining to our marketing team why we shouldn’t send email to addresses on our lists with very low read rates, that are dormant but not bouncing, or that spend less than 2 seconds reading our mail. I’m also struggling to convince them that it’s not a good idea to dramatically increase email volume during the holidays (i.e. going from one send/day to 2-3 sends/day).
We already segment based on recency, engagement, and purchase behavior, and we also have some triggered messaging based on user behavior.
Can you help me find a way to help explain why sometimes less is more?
Thanks,
The Floodgates Are Open


Dear Floodgates,
ISPs ask two fundamental questions about email when it comes in:

  1. Is it safe?
  2. Is it wanted?

If the answer to both those questions is yes, the mail is delivered to the inbox.

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Thanks

It’s thanksgiving here in the US and most of us are off eating way to much food with family and friends. But that doesn’t mean I can’t take a few minutes to give thanks.
I am thankful for reasonably effective spam filters.
I am thankful for ESPs and ISPs who actually take action on complaints.
I am thankful for the unsung folks who keep email useful.
I am thankful for my readers who tell me they enjoy, even if they don’t agree with, my blog posts.
For all my US readers, enjoy your holiday. For all my non-US readers, check back Monday for more posts.

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