| A |
| |
A/B Split
When the list is divided into two segments,
each of which is tested for different offers. |
| |
Above-the-fold
The part of an email or web page that
is visible without scrolling. It is generally more desirable
placement because of its visibility. |
| |
Acquisition
versus Retention
The presentation and content of an email
marketing message or campaign often depends on whether the objective
is to acquire new customers or encourage loyalty and repeat
purchases from existing customers. Acquisition efforts are more
likely to focus on encouraging action, retention efforts on
building relationships. |
| |
AIDAS
"Attention, Interest, Desire, Action,
Satisfaction" - elements of a sales campaign that establish
and sustain the prospect's momentum from initial contact up
to and beyond the "close." |
| |
Auto-reply
An automated email message that sends
a standard reply to all emails. |
| |
Attributes
These are the properties of your contact
database fields. When you create a contact database you must
set the properties (attributes) of the database fields. The
three types of attributes required are, field name, field default
value, and field data type (date, email, number, string etc.). |
| |
Appending
Appending is the process of running
information in one database against another to create a complete
record for individuals (postal address, email address, phone
number, etc). This may be done with two "permission-based"
databases, but with the appending process, the individual has
not necessarily given the database owner permission to contact
them at all of their contact outlets. |
 |
| B |
| |
Benefits
versus Features
Benefits address a prospect's emotional
needs and communicate how the product or service will improve
his/her quality of life or make him/her feel better. Features
address the attributes of the product or service. Benefits are
more effective in driving action. |
| |
Blocking
E-mails that are blocked are not processed
through the ISP and are essentially prevented from reaching
their addressed destination.
|
| |
Bounce
An automatic reply which informs you
that the email message you sent cannot be delivered. Typically,
emails bounce because the email address:
- Contains an error
- Is temporarily out of service
- No longer exists
|
|
| C |
| |
Calls to
Action (see also Point of Action - POA)
Words that offer the opportunity and
encourage the prospect to take action. For example, "Click
here to see CM3's new designer colors" or "Add this
product to your wish list." |
| |
Campaign
A coordinated set of individual email
marketing messages delivered at intervals and with an overall
objective in mind. A campaign allows each new message to build
on previous success. |
| |
Click-through
When a prospect takes an action and
clicks on a link. To determine the click-through rate, divide
the number of responses by the number of emails opened (multiple
this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). |
| |
Contact database
This is your own list of contacts and
their email addresses. |
| |
Conversion Rate
The key metric to evaluate the effectiveness
of a conversion (often, sales) effort, reflecting the percentage
of people converted into buyers (or subscribers, or whatever
action is desired) out of the total population exposed to the
conversion effort. For websites, the conversion rate is the
number of visitors who took the desired action divided by the
total number of visitors in a given time period (typically,
per month). For email marketing, the conversion rate is the
number of people who take an action divided by the total number
of people who received the email. (Multiply these numbers by
100 to express the results as percentages.) |
| |
CPA (or Cost per acquisition)
A payment model in which payment is
based solely on qualifying actions such as sales or registrations. |
| |
CPM (or Cost per thousand)
In e-mail marketing, CPM commonly refers
to the cost per 1000 names on a given rental list. For example,
a rental list priced at $250 CPM would mean that the list owner
charges $.25 per e-mail address. |
|
| D |
| |
Direct
Email
The electronic equivalent of Direct Mail Marketing. (Also see
Permission Based Email) |
| |
Double
Opt-In
When a contact decides to opt-in to receive campaigns, a confirmation
email can be sent to ensure that the sign up was not a mistake.
The subscriber is only added to the contact database after they
confirm their subscription. They request a subscription and
confirm their request. This is called double opt-in. |
|
| F |
| |
Frequency
The intervals at which email marketing efforts are repeated:
weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc. |
|
| G |
| |
Goal (Objective)
of Emailing
The coherent, defined purpose, which allows targeting recipients
appropriately, creating a unified and effective message and
measuring the results. Each email, as well as the overall campaign,
should have a clear goal. |
|
| H |
| |
Hard bounce/Soft
bounce
A hard bounce is the failed delivery of an e-mail due to a permanent
reason like a non-existent address. A soft bounce is the failed
delivery of an e-mail due to a temporary issue, like a full
mailbox or an unavailable server. |
| |
Headers
The documentation that accompanies the body of an email message.
Headers contain information on the email itself and the route
it's taken across the Internet. Recipients can normally see
the "to" (identity of recipient), "from"
(identity of sender) and "subject" (information in
the subject line) headers in their inbox. You can modify these
to influence their decision to open or delete an email. |
| |
Headline
The opening announcement that greets recipients once they have
opened the email. Ideally, this immediately communicates the
company's unique selling proposition and encourages the recipient
to penetrate further into the email.
|
| |
House list
A permission-based list that you built yourself. Use it to market,
cross sell and up-sell, and to establish a relationship with
customers over time. Your house list is one of your most valuable
assets. |
| |
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language. The coding
language of Web pages. HTML-coded pages proide control over
fonts, color, graphics, even multimedia elements such as audio
and video. Campaigner fully supports the transmission of HTML
pages via email. (also see Plain Text) |
|
| K |
| |
KISS
"Keep it Simple, Stupid" - a directive to keep the
communication clear, concise and intuitive to improve the likelihood
the prospect will take action. |
|
| L |
| |
Landing
Page
The page on a website where the visitor arrives (which may or
may not be the home page). In terms of an email campaign, one
can think of the landing page as the page to which the email
directs the prospect via a link. A landing page must satisfy
all the requirements pertaining to a home page.
|
| |
Layout
The arrangement of elements in the communication, designed to
optimize use of screen real estate within the prospect's email
client. Layout of an email must take into account the fact that
only a small portion of the content will appear in the visible
window ("above the fold"), and further reading requires
the prospect to scroll down. |
| |
Links
Text links, hyperlinks, graphics or images which, when clicked
or when pasted into the browser, direct the prospect to another
online location. To be most effective in motivating action,
links must be obvious to the visitor or recipient. When images
or graphics are used as links, or when hyperlinks are used,
always provide a corresponding text link as well. |
| |
List host
A service providing users with tools and facilities for distributing
high volumes of email and managing a list of email addresses. |
| |
Load Time
The length of time it takes for a page to open completely in
the browser window. |
| |
Look and
Feel
The degree to which design, layout and functionality is appealing
to prospects and fits the "image" the business is
trying to portray. |
|
| M |
| |
Mailing
list
A set of email addresses designated for receiving specific email
messages. |
| |
MIME type
MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME).
MIME extends the format of Internet mail to allow non-US-ASCII
textual messages, non-textual messages, multipart message bodies,
and non-US-ASCII information (such as HTML formatted information)
in message headers and in messages. |
| |
Merge/purge.
As more B2B email lists become available for rental, merge/purge
becomes a B2B issue. According to the Association for Interactive
Media (AIM), merge/purge is "the practice of purchasing
multiple e-mail lists, combining (merging) them, and eliminating
(purging) any duplicate names." When you're renting lists
from several different sources for the same target audience
(e.g., engineering product managers), find out if some form
of merge/purge is possible so your intended recipients don't
get two copies of your message. You don't want to be labeled
as a spammer. |
|
| N |
| |
Nth Sampling
When a subset of the list is constructed based on every Nth
individual. For example, if one is doing Ninth-Testing, every
ninth person on the list is sent an email. |
|
| O |
| |
Opt-In
/ Opt-Out
Opt-In is the action a person takes when he or she actively
agrees, by email or other means, to receive communications.
It requires tactics and mechanisms to encourage and allow people
to become recipients. Opt-Out is the action a person takes when
he or she chooses not to receive communications. It requires
tactics and mechanisms by which people can ask to be removed
reliably from an email list. |
| |
Opt-In
To give permission for a particular message or messages to be
sent to your email address. "Opt-In email" is the
business of emailing commercial messages to people who agree
to receive these emails. Opt-in provides a quick and efficient
way to expand your contact database with the email addresses
of visitor's who sign-up (opt-in) for your promotional programs.
It's also a quick way for your visitors to give you their email
address and give permission to send them information they have
an interest in receiving - from newsletters, to interesting
articles, to special offers or surveys. (Also see Subscribe
and Permission Based email) |
|
| P |
| |
Paragraph
Length (Average)
The average number of sentences in a paragraph, determined
by dividing the total number of sentences in a document by the
total number of paragraphs. Shorter paragraphs encourage readers
to stay focused and move through the document. |
| |
Percent
Bounced Back
The number of emails that were returned as undeliverable
divided by the total number of emails sent, multiplied by 100. |
| |
Percent
Opened
The number of emails opened divided by the total number of emails
sent, multiplied by 100. |
| |
Percent
Removes
The number of requests for opt-out or removal divided by the
total number of emails sent, multiplied by 100. |
| |
Permission
The idea of only sending email messages to those recipients
who have agreed (or asked) to receive them. The definition of
permission is the subject of considerable debate in the email
marketing community. |
| |
Personality
The tone the email communicates: excited, cheerful, playful,
serious, concerned, helpful, etc. The personality of the document
should be consistent with the personality of the business and
the offer. Ishould remain consistent throughout any one email
and consistent across all emails in a campaign. (For "personality"
as it pertains to your prospects, see WIIFM.) |
| |
Personalization
The practice of writing the email to make the recipient feel
that it is more personal and was sent with him or her in mind.
This might include using the recipient's name in the salutation
or subject line, referring to previous purchases or correspondence,
or offering recommendations based on previous buying patterns. |
| |
Plain Text
Refers to text data in ASCII format. Plain text is the most
versatile of text formats since it can be read by almost any
software on any machine. Plain text is limited in that it cannot
contain any formatting commands, images or other multimedia
effects. Plain text documents are identified with a .txt extension
(also see HTML). |
| |
Point of
Action (POA) (see also Calls to Action)
Specific locations in a presentation that offer the opportunity
and encourage the prospect to take action. |
| |
Privacy
The quality or condition of being free from unsanctioned intrusion.
Communications need to reassure the prospect through clear,
accessible and enforced assurances so he/she can feel comfortable
about providing personal information and transacting business. |
|
| R |
| |
Readability
The degree to which the copy is well-written as well as optimized
for reading on the web. The readability of text is affected
by many factors including, but not limited to: the color of
the text in relation to the background color, the font, the
spacing between words and between lines of text, the length
of lines of text, how blocky and dense the paragraphs appear,
text justification, the complexity of the grammar and the education
level of your audience. |
| |
Relationship
Building
Undertaking strategies and tactics aimed at developing a positive
and ideally long-term relationship with the prospect or customer. |
| |
Rental
list (or Acquisition list)
A list of prospects or a targeted group of recipients who have
opted-in to receive information about certain subjects. Using
permission-based rental lists, marketers can send e-mail messages
to audiences targeted by interest category, profession, demographic
information and more. Renting a list usually costs between $.10
and $.40 per name. |
| |
Response
Your Direct Email Campaign can generate three different responses:
- a desired business reply (see also Response rate)
- an unsubscribe request that has not been formatted correctly
(see Unsubscribe)
- an undeliverable email message that for various reasons
falls outside the category of bounced emails (also see Bounce).
|
| |
Response
rate
Your statistics report will show the number of responses you
have received from your Direct Email Campaign. The report indicates
the number of people who actually respond as a percentage of
your total Contact List. The report counts those who press reply
and also auto-replies ("I'm out of office/I'm on vacation"
messages). |
| |
Rich Media
Media such as streaming video and audio, MP3, 3D animations
etc. |
|
| S |
| |
Sales Process
A five-step expert process that directs a prospect from the
start of a sale to the close and beyond. The steps begin with
Prospecting (largely a marketing function), continue through
establishing Rapport, Presenting, Qualifying and culminate in
the Close. Overall, the sales process is linear, although there
are always iterative elements. |
| |
Scannable
Text (also called Skimmable Text)
Highlighted, bolded, bulleted or otherwise visually-distinguished
content that allows the reader to quickly scan block text and
distill the overall point and essential features of the communication.
More correctly, scannable text is "skimmable" text
- text the reader can easily skim through to determine the essence
of the communication. |
| |
Sentence
Length (Average)
The average number of words in a sentence, determined by dividing
the total number of words in a communication by the total number
of sentences. In general, shorter sentences best capture and
retain a reader's interest. Long sentences can be confusing. |
| |
Signature
file (sig file)
A tagline or short block of text at the end of an e-mail message
that identifies the sender and provides additional information
such as company name and contact information. Use it to convey
a benefit and include a call-to-action with a link. |
| |
Spam/UCE
Unsolicited commercial email. The term normally given to commercial
email sent without the recipient's permission. Those accused
of sending UCE can run into trouble, ranging from impolite responses
through loss of Internet access accounts to destruction of reputations
and infrastructure. |
| |
Spam
A famous brand of canned luncheon meat that is gross, but my
brother-in-law loves. On the Internet, spam is any unsolicited
or unwanted email or newsgroup posting, especially of a commercial
nature. Also "junk" email. Sending such email is known
as "spamming". People who send such messages are described
as "spammers". Opt-In email is not considered spam
because the recipient has asked to receive the messages. |
| |
Subheads
(or Subheadings)
Titles within the body of the email communication that distinguish
discrete sections, topics, offers, promotions, etc. |
| |
Subject
Line
The title of the email communication. This is the first (and
hopefully not last) element of the communication recipients
will see when they access their email. It has to grab attention
and be credible or the email will not get opened. |
| |
Subscribe
Subscribe means to sign up - to give permission to someone to
send you newsletters, email, or other electronic information.
(Also see Opt-In)
|
|
| T |
| |
Targeting
Sending the right message to the right recipient at the right
time. |
| |
Terminology
Words that communicate specifics about the features and benefits
of the product or service, or features and benefits of the sales
process. Content needs to communicate effectively in language
that avoids jargon, does not require insider knowledge and is
understood easily. In email campaigns, it is particularly important
that terminology avoid clichés and "spam words"
such as "free," "limited time offer," etc. |
| |
Timing
1. Scheduling the email campaign to reach the audience at the
most opportune time so it is most likely to be read. Timing
might be seasonal (for example, vacation or school), dependent
on holidays, etc. or mailings might go out on a standard schedule.
Even the day of the week and what time of day the mailing goes
out are important considerations: for example, a Friday afternoon
mailing may be great for retailing customers, but bad for business-to-business
customers.
2. Choosing the most appropriate interval between emails in
a campaign, to maximize overall effectiveness. |
| |
Tracking
Collecting and evaluating the statistics from which one can
measure the effectiveness of an email or an email campaign. |
| |
Trackable
Links
At Benchmark you can embed web addresses (URLs) in the body
of your email campaign messages. Benchmark tracks the activity
on those links and reports back the average number of click-throughs
per email; click-throughs by URL; click-throughs per day and
what contact clicked on what URLs.
Templates - These are fill in the blank HTML templates, provided
by Benchamrk, to help you assemble the content for your campaign.
The Benchmark templates provide a variety of tools to allow
customization of each section of your campaign email. |
| |
Type
A size or style of typewritten or printed character. For example,
a serif type (or typeface), a sans-serif type, 10 point type,
14 point type. |
|
| U |
| |
Unique
Forwarders
The number of unique individuals who forwarded an email. |
| |
Unique
Selling Proposition (USP)
The concise and memorable phrase that concisely and powerfully
describes the unique value of your business and creates excitement
in the prospect. The USP is not a slogan or a phrase designed
for advertising, although that is one potential use for it.
Instead, its purpose is to answer the prospect's implicit question,
"Why should I do business with you and not somebody else?" |
| |
Unsubscribe
To cancel a service such as the delivery of an email newsletter
or mailing list. In Benchmark an unsubscriber is a person who
has asked to be taken off your mailing list. |
| |
| URL
- Uniform Resource Locator. The unique address assigned to each
Web page, ie. http://www.benchmarkemail.com. |
| |
Up-Selling
/ Cross-Selling
Presenting customers with an opportunity to purchase related
products, services or accessories to products they have shown
an interest in or previously purchased. |
| |
Usability
The ability to implement effectively the body of knowledge concerning
the human-computer interface in order to remove any obstacles
impeding the experience and process of online interactions. |
|
| V |
| |
Value
The overall appeal and usefulness of the product or service
to the prospect. Rarely is value simply a function of price
(which typically ranks fourth among purchase considerations). |
| |
Viral Design
Elements and functions included in a communication that encourage
and allow recipients to pass the offer along to others, thereby
leveraging the marketing effort ("tell a friend,"
"please forward," etc.). |
| |
Viral Effect
A measurable outcome of the degree to which recipients of a
communication refer the offer, products, services or company
to others. |
| |
Viral Forwards
The number of referrals sent. |
| |
Viral Responses
The number of recipients who received the referral, opened it
and clicked on a link. |
| |
Visual
Clarity
A function, in large part, of layout and design: Pages are easy
to scan; text and graphics are clear; prospects can find what
they are looking for quickly and easily. |
| |
Voice
A grammatical property of verbs that indicates a relationship
between the subject and the action expressed by the verb. "Birds
build nests" is written in the active voice and emphasizes
the subject - birds. "Nests are built by birds" is
written in the passive voice and emphasizes the action - building
nests. Active voice is far more persuasive in driving action. |
|
| W |
| |
WIIFM
"What's In It For Me?" - this question always underlies
and informs a prospect's decision whether to take the suggested
action. Beyond addressing the critical value propositions and
benefits that will interest prospects, all communications must
accommodate their deeply-felt, emotional needs and take into
account the different personality profiles which influence prospects'
different shopping styles. (Driver, Analytical, Amiable and
Social are the four acknowledged dominant personality profiles). |
| |
Word Length
(Average)
The average number of letters in a word, determined by dividing
the total number of letters in a communication by the total
number of words. Unless meaning is compromised, choose the shorter
word over the longer word. |
This copyrigted material is reproduced with permission
from Future
Now, Inc.© Future Now, Inc. 2000-2003, all rights
reserved."
|
