The Wall Street Journal recently published the story, Why Email No Longer Rules. The writer, Jessica E. Vascellaro, talks a lot about the increasing number of people jumping on the social media bandwagon, and how that could have a negative effect on the way people use email today.

Are people jumping on the social media bandwagon? You betcha! And why not? It’s free, easy to use, and you can communicate to the masses. But are they using email less? Nielsen doesn’t seem to think so in some recent research they’ve done.

Read 10 Reasons why email isn’t going away

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Just a friendly reminder for you to check to make sure your the images in your email have HTML “alt” tags, which displays a text description when the image does not display. Here is why… 

Need I say more? Well yes, I will say more. I have been on Reebok’s list for quite a while. The reason the images were blocked is because they changed the email address used for email.  That removed the inbox whitelist I had previously setup.  While they do have a link to “If you can’t read this newsletter, view the HTML version online”, with no ability to see anything referencing email content, why should I click that link? Because of the subject line?This leads me to another topic: Image only emails - Why? With all of the chatter from ESP’s and the Blogosphere on email rendering and conversion increases from well designed/coded emails, why do people still do it?  I will tell you why, because it is easy. It takes time to code email for optimal rendering. In an image only email, you can create a unique and dynamic experience.  But is that going to pay the bills?Make sure that your designers are aware of the complexities of the inbox BEFORE they start designing.

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Undoubtedly, e-mail remains a great way to build brand recognition. But how does a new e-mailer capitalize on all the benefits that the channel has to offer? This dilemma comes up fairly often. As a result, I find myself giving a crash course in E-mail 101 to many a bewildered client. They don’t know how or where to start. They ask questions such as “Do I need to track the results on my end?” or “Do I need to have a landing page?” I assure them that they will learn all they need, and I begin my overview.

Here’s a short list of e-mail “how to” basics that I have developed over the years.Develop your creative in an HTML format Don’t sell the product/ service in the creative. You want to give them a taste. Keep copy to a minimum. You want a clear call to action and a strong enticement so the recipient will click through to your landing page. Once they’re there, it’s up to you to close them.From and subject lines should get you noticed The From line must not be misleading.The subject line shouldn’t be more then 45 to 50 characters, so use this space wisely. You want the subject line to be like catnip to the reader. Tempting as it might be, try to refrain from using the word “free.” Do remember to use spell check!Include unique tracking codes You will know with these which list a responder came from. Without this valuable information, you won’t know which list worked. It also will help you compare the tracking reports provided by the e-mail provider with the activity from your Web site.Be flexible E-mail urban legend No. 1: There is no best day to deploy your campaign. It really depends on your offer. For example, if you target work-at-home moms with school-age children, consider sending your message during the school day.Understand CAN-SPAM law I can’t stress enough the importance of this step. You must have a postal address (physical) for the mailer and an active opt-out link for the recipient to use. I recommend putting it in the footer of the e-mail. It must remain active for at least 30 days after the broadcast. If the recipient uses the link to opt out, you must remove them within 10 days of their action.By now, my e-mail neophytes have absorbed all they can from their first lesson. Soon, they will be ready to move onto E-mail 202, the deployment. But that’s a lesson for another day.Michele Volpe is VP of sales and marketing at Media Source Solutions. Reach her at mvolpe@mediasourcesolutions.com.

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I know that the Facebook momentum has gained a ravenous pitch as I see more and more people jumping into it. And not only are they jumping but they are guzzling the addictive life streaming service at a pace that is at times scary. So as the Nigerian email scammers that rose to rapid fame/hatred have found it too. They realize that there is an opportunity to stop using email, as it might be played out, and now are using Facebook to run the same scams. Thanks for leaving email to us and jumping on the social media bandwagon. You will not be missed. 

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