Using Animated GIFS

eShoutz have noticed that there has been a subtle growth in the use of animated GIFs in email marketing during 2008. This has been especially true in this month, where subscribers are bombarded with numerous email campaigns and so companies are using animated GIFs in order to stand out from the crowd.

This subtle growth in the use of animated GIFS could be because, despite popular belief, they are supported by all of the major email clients and also because they do still hold a novel quality when used in email.

So what are the benefits from using animated GIFs in your email marketing?
- They can grab your reader's attention - Since animated GIFs are not greatly used in email marketing there is still quite a lot of novelty surrounding them and this is great attribute for grabbing your reader's attention.

- They can allow for a more creative message - Animated GIFs are great for drawing attention to particular elements of your email marketing message and for encouraging your reader to complete a certain action. The eShoutz team have seen in previous emails that animated GIFs have been used to encourage the reader to scroll down the email and also to highlight the call-to-action.

Here are a few points to bear in mind when using animated GIFs in your email marketing:
1. consider the file weight - animated GIFs can be considerably larger files than static images, especially since they use more and more colour.

2. consider how file compression affects your email design - Your email marketing message may lose its effectiveness if the design doesn't look good. Therefore, keep an eye on how the file compression affects the design, if it looks pixelated and garish, then may be animation isn't the right method for you.

3. keep it simple - You should assume that you only have your readers' attention for 10 seconds and so you should keep the copy to a minimum and make sure that your message is clarly defined.

4. consider compatibility issues - the major compatibility issue is that Outlook 2007 uses Word to render HTML emails and so animated GIFs do not display correctly. Instead, in Outlook only the first frame is displayed and so, for that reason, you may want to design your animated GIF so that the first frame contains all the information.

For more tips and advice on email marketing visit eShoutz.com.

Want to lower your unsubscribe rate?

Does it seem like you unsubscribe rate is increasing? Do you want to lower your unsubscribe rate?

Here are some typical reasons for unsubscribing and how you respond to them.

1. You are sending too many emails
Problem - You may overwhelm your subscriber is you send out emails too often and this may prompt them to use the unsubscribe link like a stop button.
Solution - Try using a preference page during your sign-up process as this would give your subscriber the option to select the topics/services/products that interest them the most and you could use this information to send emails that reflect your subscribers interests.
You could also offer the option for subscribers to select how often they wish to receive your email, i.e. weekly, monthly etc
You could also try testing different mailing frequencies to see how your unsusbscribe rate is affected.

2. Your subscriber has a new email address
Problem - Subscribers may not want to leave your list but just want to change the address that the email is sent to. If there is no easy way to do this, then they may just unsubscribe. If you're lucky this act is followed up by a new sign-up.
Solution - You could include details in the footer of your email about how your subscriber can update their details/change their email address. If your website doesn't have the functionality for this, then give them alternative instructions such as sending you an email.

3. Your subscriber isn't receiving what they expected
Problem - The subscriber will have opted-in to your email marketing with certain expectations. If these expectations aren't met, then they have no incentive to stay.
Solution - Ensure that the expectations you set at the sign-up stage match exactly what you send.
You could also allow your subscribers to select the type of content/topics they wish to receive by use of a preference page during the sign-up process.

4. Your subsciber is receiving too many emails
Problem - Unfortunately, people get a lot of emails and it is possible that your subscriber is overwhelmed by the amount of emails they are receiving in their inbox.
Solution - Although you may have lost them as an email subscriber it doesn't mean that they do not want to stop all communication with you altogether, so you could show them the other ways they can stay in contact by using links to your blog etc on the unsubscribe page.

Finally, the best way to find out why people are unsubscribing from your email list, is to ask them. You could add an optional feedback form on the page users reach when they press the unsubscribe link.

For more email marketing tips visit eShoutz.com

Tips for growing your email list

Looking to grow your email list? Then take a look at the eShoutz tips below.

1. Make your sign-up easy to find - Put your sign-up form/button in a hard-to-miss location on your homepage and also put on as many pages of your website as possible because not all users will enter your website on the homepage, for example, Pay-per-click marketing normally directs clients to specific landing pages.

2. Provide a convincing incentive for users to sign-up - This is normally as simple as 'Sign up to receive our newsletter', as this tells them what they are entering their details for.

3. Reassure the user - Some users may be concerned about what will happen to the information they have provided, so it may help to include information about provacy assurance.

4. Don't ask for too much information - The more information you ask for, the more hesitant or fed-up the subscriber may become. Keep it simple, only ask for the information you need in order to reach your personalisation goals.

5. Do your best to keep the subscribers you already have - Keep your current subscribers, provide good products/services and great customer service. Happy subscribers might even mention your website/company to friends.

6. Use a thank-you page - Once you have gained a subscriber you want to do your best to turn them into an active reader, someone that enquire/buy your products/services. The thank-you page is the first opportunity for you to do this so you should set the expectations about what they should expect to receive.

7. Understand why subscribers are leaving - If you are noticing increased number of subscribers, try to find out why this is. One way of doing this is to give subscribers the option to leave feedback when they unsubscribe. This may point out any glaring issues.

Visit eShoutz.com for more useful email marketing tips.

Top tips for creating successful landing pages

If you are sending email marketing campaigns, it is always advised that you develop an effective, dedicated landing page for each campaign you send out. If your recipients click through to your website, the landing page can determine whether or not you make a sale.

Here are some eShoutz tips on how to create successful landing pages:

1 - Make your landing pages look good
You can grab the attention of your readers with an impactful design, and reinforce your message with large, colourful font or images.

2 - Create a seamless experience
Your landing page should reflect the email campaign, and be the design should be consistent with the email. Try using the same images on landing pages as in the email, and include similar headlines on both the page and email newsletter.

3 - Make your landing pages relevant
Don't repeat the information in your email on the landing page, but make sure that the content compliments your newsletter sales message.

4 - Reduce any distractions from your key message
Don't lose customers who have clicked through to a landing page from your email by offering them too many options once they get there. Avoid links to too many other pages on your website that may prevent a recipient from making a purchase.

5 - Use your landing page to build trust
To build trust and brand awareness, include testimonials of happy customers and company information on your landing page.

6 - Have a clear call to action
Tell customers what you want them to do next with clear buttons or telephone numbers.

7 - Use page tracking with your email campaigns
If you integrate advanced ROI tracking into your website, you will be able to see where your email recipients click through and also track their activity throughout your website. You can then analyse the activity to determine whether your landing pages are working or not.

For more email marketing tips visit eShoutz.com

Checklist for your email campaigns

Having an effective checklist for the quality control of your email campaigns can help you to spot and correct mistakes before you send to your email address books.

Most common blunders on email marketing include:
1. misspelt subject line
2. missing images
3. wrong links used or links not working
4. spelling and grammar mistakes
5. sending to the wrong list

Running through a checklist will help you to limit these types of mistakes from your email campaigns so that you can send them in confidence. See the eShoutz suggested points for your checklist:

1. Have I proof-read all the copy? Try reading in Microsoft Word, using the spellchecker to highlight glaring spelling mistakes. You should also read in Notepad, Word won't always catch grammatical mistakes (e.g. to/too/two) so putting your email copy into another environment will help you to see any mistakes that may have been missed previously.

2. Are all links correct and working? Check that each of your links are working and they are each going to the right page/offer.

3. Does each image have an ALT tag? Make sure that each image has an ALT tag decribing the content, this is important because it gives you another way to deliver you information to readers who have disabled images.

4. Have I proof-read all the copy in the text version? Repeat step 1 on your text version. Usually not as much attention is paid to the text version in comparision to the HTML version but this is just as important for your subscribers who do not receive HTML emails.

5. Have I included all of my company information? You should include your company name, street address, telephone number, website address and email address. Having different ways to be contacted encourages your subscribers to interact with you, which in turn makes them feel more confident in your company.

6. Have I previewed the email? Complete a test send so that you can view your email campaign in the preview pane, with images disabled and with different email providers (Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail etc). This enables you to see the email as most of your subscribers will view it. If it doesn't look pretty then go back to your design and make the necessary amendments.

7. Has another person checked over the email? Before you press send, get someone who has not been involved in the creation of your email campaign to check over it. A fresh pair of eyes can spot mistakes that you may have overlooked.

8. Am I sending to the correct address books? This final check helps to ensure that your email campaign is being sent to the intended address books.

For more email marketing advice visit eShoutz.com.

Building trust through your email campaigns

We all need recipients to trust our company and our email messages but factors such as spam have taught people to be wary about commercial messages received by email. So how can you build trust through your email marketing?

eShoutz provide some tips below:
1. Ensure a recognisable sender appears in the from address and/or subject line
2. Brand the preview pane - The first encounter of your email is normally through the preview pane so this area needs to support your brand identity - through use of your logo etc
3. Put full contact details in the footer - Providing your company's name, postal address and contact email address shows that you are being upfront with the recipient
4. Ensure the reply-to address is working - This should be monitored regularly and you should try to respond quickly as human interaction breeds trust
5. Match the design to brand expectations - People trust what they know so your email design should try to reflect your website. These don't need to be identical but should share common elements such as logos, colours etc
6. Encourage recipients to share your email - The easier it is for recipients to share your email to others, the more likely they are to do it
7. Be open about privacy policies - make it easy for recipients to find out how you intend to use their data
8. Give the subscriber some control - If you have the functionality, you should allow the subscriber to manage their personal details and preferences. This will also allow you to create and send more personalised and relevant emails to your email lists, this in turn should increase response rates
9. Avoid spelling and grammar errors
10. Check the email functionality - Are all the email links working and going to the correct place etc

For more advice and tips on email marketing visit the eShoutz website.

A guide to planning a Christmas email marketing campaign

The 10 weeks before Christmas are usually the busiest selling period for online retailers. It is also the time of year that retailers should stand out from other online stores to make the most of the shopping season. Take a look at this guide to planning your Christmas email marketing campaigns and maximise your selling potential.

• Send email campaigns early

Customers will be thinking about Christmas well before your busiest selling period of November - December. By emailing them early you can get them thinking about your products and services whilst they are thinking about what to get family and friends as presents.

• Send campaigns right up until Christmas

Customers will buy online every day of the year, including Christmas Day! Therefore, there's no need to stop sending email campaigns actually over the Christmas period.

• Alter your sales message

Your customers may usually buy your products and services for themselves, until Christmas when they will be buying them as gifts for others. You need to change your newsletters to reflect this. Perhaps feature gift recommendations for family members.

• Check what people bought from you the same time last year

You may want to try including similar products, upgrades, accessories or new additions to the range of products which sold well last Christmas.

• Implement a testing plan

Before your Christmas email campaigns are sent out, make sure that you have tested differentt subject lines, calls to action and product or service ranges to see which ordinarily give you good results. These should then work even better in the run up to Christmas.

• The subject line is crucial in Christmas email campaigns

Your recipients are likely to be inundated with promotions in the few weeks before Christmas. You therefore need to make your email stand out within their inbox so that it doesn't get lost amongst all of the others. By doing this you need to use a subject line that will make your recipient open the email. Try the following in your subject lines:

- Inserting relevant product names that may be of interest to your recipients.
- Creating a sense of urgency. Make your recipients feel that they must buy now before stock runs out or to make sure they receive their goods before Christmas.
- Including a unique selling point. Can you offer free delivery? Guaranteed stock?

• Drive further sales

Don't just stop emailing recipients when they have bought from your website. Keep sending them relevant newsletters to try and encourage further sales.

• Retain new customers

You may create a number of new customers over the Christmas period. Make sure you don't lose these...try offering them incentives to buy from you in the future. Perhaps offer a voucher for use in the new year to encourage them to buy from you again.

For more tips on email marketing visit the eShoutz website.

Top tips for creating an effective html email campaign

Take a look at the eShoutz top tips for creating effective email newsletters and improve your email marketing return on investment.

1. Place your most competitive offers in the top part of the email so that they are viewable in a preview pane of a recipient's inbox. If a recipient sees an enticing offer straight away they are likely to open the email fully to see what more you have to offer in the newsletter.

2. Have your call to action both at the top and at the bottom of the email so that a recipient can always see a telephone number or web address. Recipients will only contact you if they are reminded how to do so.

3. Always include an unsubscribe link. Remember that placing the unsubscribe link at the bottom of an email may encourage recipients to click the ‘junk’ button rather than scrolling down and clicking ‘unsubscribe’, which can result in your domain being registered as spam.

4. Always test your email campaigns in a number of inboxes, including Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo mail and Outlook. Your email template may look completely different in a number of inboxes depending on how it has been created. eShoutz has an 'inbox preview tool' which allows you to check your campaign quickly and easily before sending to your entire address book(s).

5. Always add a ‘forward to a friend’ link so that if a recipient wishes to share the offers with someone the email that they receive is in the correct format. By adding the link you can also increase your brand awareness if your recipients send the campaign to their friends.

6. Include ALT tags for all images, as many recipients will have images disabled in their email account settings. If they can read the Alt tags and understand what the email is about they are more likely to enable the images to view the html fully.

7. Make all images clickable. Many recipients will automatically assume that the images are links that will take them through to your website.

8. Remember that it is a legal requirement to include your business name, registered address and company on all email marketing campaigns that you send.

For more email marketing tips visit http://www.eshoutz.com/email-marketing-tips

For more information about eShoutz, visit eShoutz.com

Choosing an email marketing provider

If you're trying to choose an email marketing provider, there's a few things you should consider. Take a look at these top tips on what you should look when when choosing an email marketing provider:

1. Ensure that the system is easy to use. Have a demonstration so that you know exactly how the system works. The team at eShoutz are more than happy to give you a full demo of the system; how to create, send and report on email marketing campaigns.

2. You should choose a system that does not require you to send high volumes of emails. Ensure that you are not committed to sending thousands of emails on a regular basis.

3. Check that the software is provided by a UK company. Using a provider overseas often limits the support available due to time differences. If you use a UK provider you can often receive face-to-face training and office hour support.

4. Use an email marketing provider that has its own design service. That way you can be sure that the design is not only attractive but also works with the software. eShoutz has its very own design team who can design and create email newsletters to reflect your needs and branding.

5. It is always useful to sign up to a provider’s trial account. Therefore once you have had a demonstration of the system you can create a demo account and get colleagues to log in and give you their opinions on the system. You can also see how easy or difficult it really is to use the system on your own.

You can sign up to a free eShoutz trial and test the system for yourself at http://www.eshoutz.com/freetrial.

For more email marketing top tips visit http://www.eshoutz.com/email-marketing-tips

Top tips for creating an effective subject line

One of the first things that a recipient sees when they receive your email campaign is the subject line that you have given it. This therefore has a direct impact on your open rates. If the recipient is not inspired by the subject line to open the email, they are likely to simply delete it without ever seeing the content of your newsletter.

To increase open rates, you must create a subject line for your email marketing campaign that will encourage your recipients to open the newsletter.

Here's our top tips on creating an effective subject line:

1. Ensure that it is short in length, up to 70 characters. If it is too long it may not display properly in the inbox.

2. If you have basic information for your recipients, personalise the subject line. It may intrigue them enough to open the email. For example 'Hi John - here's your August eShoutz newsletter'.

3. Don’t use CAPS, spam words or lots of exclamation marks. The subject line can determine whether or not the email makes it into the junk box or not, as it scanned for spam in the same way as the content of the email is.

4. Test different subject lines over time to evaluate the best approach for your business. Test questions, offers and headlines to see which receive the best open rates.

5. It should grab attention and entice people to open it. Offers and promotions help open rates.

For more email marketing top tips visit the eShoutz.com website.