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Anne Clark
New Email Marketing Changes for Google and Yahoo Starting 1st February 2024

New Email Marketing Changes for Google and Yahoo Starting 1st February 2024

by | Feb 7, 2024 | Business, Digital Marketing, Email Marketing

Starting from 1st February 2024, Google and Yahoo will implement new regulations affecting how bulk emails are managed. These changes aim to reduce spam and improve email security and deliverability.

Key Changes:

  1. Bulk Email Threshold:
    • The new regulations specifically target senders of bulk emails, defined as those sending to 5,000 or more recipients.
  2. Spam Management:
    • Senders are required to keep spam complaints below 0.3% to ensure their emails are not flagged as spam.
  3. Email List Hygiene:
    • Only active email addresses should be targeted. Inactive email addresses need to be regularly cleaned from your lists.
  4. Sender Domain Requirements:
    • Emails must be sent from the sender’s own domain (not generic email addresses like Gmail) to enhance sender reputation and improve email branding.

Required Actions:

  1. One-Click Unsubscribe:
    • Include an easy-to-find unsubscribe link in emails, allowing recipients to opt-out effortlessly.
  2. Monitor Spam Rate:
    • Use tools (e.g., Google Postmaster) to monitor and maintain spam complaints below the 0.3% threshold.
  3. Clean Email Lists:
    • Regularly check and remove inactive email addresses to maintain list health and compliance.
  4. Authenticate Sending Domain:
    • Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain to verify your emails and prevent spoofing. This is crucial for ensuring your emails reach the inbox.

Importance:

  • Compliance with these new rules is essential for maintaining the deliverability of your email marketing campaigns.
  • Even though the threshold is set for bulk emails to 5,000 or more recipients, it’s recommended that all senders, regardless of list size, adhere to these guidelines to avoid potential issues.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure your email marketing efforts remain effective and compliant with the new Google and Yahoo regulations. This not only helps in reducing spam but also in building trust with your audience through responsible email marketing practices.

How your business can grow its returns with email marketing

How your business can grow its returns with email marketing

by | May 8, 2023 | Business, Customer Service, Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Mailchimp

Email marketing gives you immediate access to your audience by allowing you to send your content directly to their inboxes, which can lead to increased conversions and brand loyalty.

According to research email marketing has the highest return on investment than any other form of digital marketing.

Here are some best practices for using email marketing in your business:

The first step is to build a list.

You can’t market to anyone if you don’t have their contact information, and the best way to do that is by building an email list.

You want to develop an offering of some form that entices your target market to subscribe to your list. For example; a retail store may offer a discount on their first purchase, and service-based business might offer something that showcases their expertise and gives their audience a sample of how their services will benefit them. Give a solution to the most common problem your target market may have.

Send emails with personalized content that engages your readers.

Personalised content

  • is more effective,
  • helps build a relationship with customers, and
  • helps you stand out from competitors.

Personalised emails are more likely to be read and acted upon by your customers, which can increase customer satisfaction levels if used appropriately.

Automate where possible

When someone signs up to your mailing list, create an automation where you welcome them and introduce your business and services in more detail so they can get to know you.

Some kinds of automation you can also add that have great ROI (return on investment) are

Anniversary or birthday emails – make your audience feel special. Sending a birthday or anniversary email is a wonderful way to make a customer feel special. You can add an incentive for them to buy products as part of their birthday wishes, for example: when they spend $50, they will receive a birthday gift valued at $30.

Abandon Cart or Recovery emails – often people can get distracted on a website and forget to finish their purchases, a simple email saying you held their items for them can see purchases completed.

Some interesting statistics on abandoned cart emails by Moosend

  • A staggering average of 69% of online carts are being abandoned by users 
  • 45% of cart abandonment emails are opened; 21% of all are clicked on, while 50% of the users clicked purchase. 
  • Shipping-related reasons contribute to over 60% of carts being abandoned. 
  • Setting up an automated cart abandonment email is a great way to lower your cart abandonment rates.
  • Offer free shipping to really boost the conversion of your cart abandonment emails.

Perhaps incorporating free shipping more regularly in your marketing offers could be a great conversion for your business, obviously, you would have set guidelines around this such as minimum spend amount, or limited time offer. 

Consistency

Send out a regular newsletter is important, this can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Consistency is key. Your target market has given you permission to be able to email them, so don’t allow this opportunity to be missed. Life gets busy, so being consistent is a gentle way of reminding your audience you are still there if they need you!

Content

Make sure your content is valuable to your audience. It’s a privilege that they’ve allowed you to email them directly, so treat them with that same respect. Where possible throughout your content, don’t be afraid to insert their first name.  

When creating your newsletter, create the value of sharing your content and showcasing your expertise.  

Whilst we have AI here to help you along, only YOU can make it a personal experience for your audience. 

Need Help?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the whole process, then feel free to reach out to me for assistance. Creating opt-in, automations, funnels and newsletters is one of my specialities.

Some wise words for you

David Newman says “Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches—at scale.”

Ramsay Leimenstoll says “A small list that wants exactly what you’re offering is better than a bigger list that isn’t committed.”

Ann Handley says “Make the customer the hero of your story”

Karl Murray says “Focus on growing your list all the time as newer subscribers are more engaged, adding to healthier open rates and ROI.”

Why email marketing is important to your business

Why email marketing is important to your business

by | Oct 21, 2022 | Business, Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Mailchimp

Email marketing is still alive and well, with over 12 billion emails sent every day. It’s not going anywhere. Email is a great platform for personalized messages to reach your customers and potential customers in their inboxes where they’re most likely to respond. In this article, you will learn why email marketing is vital to your business’ success, as well as how to get started with it if you haven’t yet!

Personalization.

Personalization is the key to getting your emails opened, clicked on and read. In fact, personalization has been shown to increase open rates by up to 80%.

It can also help you connect with your audience by showing them that you’ve taken the time to learn more about who they are as individuals.

Branding.

Email marketing is an effective way to build your brand.

It allows you to connect with customers and demonstrate that you care about their needs. By building a relationship with your audience, you’re creating trust and loyalty, which will allow them to feel more comfortable purchasing from you in the future.

This sense of trust and comfort can also help your business stand out from competitors who are trying to get noticed in this crowded market by using flashy ads, gimmicks or slogans that don’t really mean much for consumers (or even make them laugh). If a consumer trusts an email because it’s coming directly from someone within the company they know or has been recommended by someone they trust, then they’ll likely be more willing to give that particular business their attention than one whose only selling point is having a catchy tagline!

Customer retention.

Email marketing helps you keep in touch with your customers. You can send them deals or newsletters to remind them of your products and services. You can also use email marketing to get feedback from customers on what they like and don’t like about your business.

This is a great way for you to learn about which parts of your business are working well, so that you can improve them in the future!

Audience development.

Email marketing is a great way to grow your audience. Email is one of the most effective ways to engage with customers, especially if you want them to take action and buy something from you.

Email marketing is also a great way for brands to get their followers’ attention on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media marketing allows businesses to engage with customers in real-time conversations by posting updates about new products or services as well as sharing industry news that may be relevant for their followers/customers

Revenue.

Email marketing is also an effective way to generate revenue. For example, consider the following statistics from Case, who has conducted a study on email marketing:

  • Email is one of the most effective channels for generating revenue with each email campaign generating an average of $39 in sales.
  • On average, email marketing generates 126% more ROI than other channels like search engine optimization and social media marketing.
  • Email marketing can help you increase revenue by up to 200%.

Email marketing is important to your business because it still works, and it’s always growing and changing to be more effective for all sorts of businesses worldwide.

Email marketing is important to your business because it still works, and it’s always growing and changing to be more effective for all sorts of businesses worldwide.

Email marketing is still effective because it’s personal. The internet has made our lives easier in many ways, but one thing hasn’t changed: people like to feel special. Email gives you the opportunity to make each recipient feel like they’re receiving a message just for them, rather than part of a mass mailing list that could include anyone who shares their name or birthday.

Email marketing is growing because it’s so flexible. There’s no limit on how far your email campaign can go—or how many new leads it can bring!

Email marketing continues to change as technology advances year after year; however those changes are not always immediately noticeable by small business owners who depend on email campaigns as an integral part of their overall brand strategy.

And that’s it! I hope this article has helped you understand why email marketing is still so important to businesses today. We know that everyone seems to be talking about social media, but don’t forget about the power of personalized messages in your inbox. The best part of all? You don’t need anything fancy to get started with email marketing; just sign up for an account with any provider, start building your list now by adding contacts one at a time, then follow these tips outlined above when crafting your next message!