Email Marketing Glossary
This section provides some definitions for most popular email marketing terminology. So please get known to the most important email marketing terms.
Auto Responder
The same as phone auto responder. It’s a program which automatically answers someone’s message to its address. Auto responders are usually used to confirm subscription, to write a welcome email letter or answers on customers support questions.
Bounced Email
An email letter which is automatically returned to server. The reasons may be non-existent receiver email address or blocking by the receiver (hard bounce), or because of full mailbox or unavailable server (soft bounce).
Call-to-Action
Special phrases or words designed to encourage the readers to a specific action, i.e. to click to know more. Usually it looks like “Click here to view more” or “Buy it right now!” or “read more…”
Campaign
The range of specific organized actions to achieve specific aim. In case of email marketing campaign is a set of individual email messages sent with definite intervals with definite purpose.
CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
Federal anti-spam legislation passed in 2003 that requires the following in each email: a legitimate header, a valid «From» address, a straightforward «Subject» line, an unsubscribe/opt-out link and/or instructions and a physical address. It also requires that all unsubscribes are processed within ten days of receipt.
Click-Through
The recipient’s action when he clicks the link. Click-through rate is performed in percents.To calculate it you must divide the number of responses by the number of all emails and multiple the result by 100.
Confirmed Opt-In
The same as Double Opt In. Confirmed opt-in is a two-step procedure to allow the recipient to join your email list. Firstly, the user signs up, and then he responds to the follow-up letter, confirming his agreeing to receive further email letters from you.
Conversion Rate
The measure of your email marketing campaign success. Conversion is turning recipients into customers during your marketing campaign. Conversion rate can be measured in sales, orders, phone calls etc.
Double Opt-In
See Confirmed Opt-In
Email Client
A program for handy email sending and receiving operating.
Email List
A list of email addresses which you use for bulk mailing. It can be bought or built by yourself with recipients permission (house list).
Email Marketing
Online activity with the purpose of advancing a product or the brand through the email contact with future or present customers. In the broad sense of this, the term wrap each and every email you sent to the customer, potential customer or to the public venue. Traditionally, it stands for:
- Sending direct promotional email messages to get hand to the new customers and to influence the current customers to buy the product again.
- Sending email designed to encourage the client devotion and to improve the customer relationship. To place the marketing email or the ads in email sent by the other people.
House list
A permission-based list that you built yourself. The best variant of mailing list that can be used for email marketing purposes.
Opt In (or Subscribe)
The action when the person by his own will accepts or requests to receive your email newsletters.
Opt Out (or Unsubscribe)
The action when the person decides not to receive your email newsletters. This function requires a web-based mechanism which enables removing from the mailing list. Such request must be satisfied within ten days.
Permission-Based Email
Email newsletters sent to the recipients who have accepted to receive them (opted-in). Permission is an absolute prerequisite for legitimate and profitable e-mail marketing.
Personalization
Using the recipients name or photos in emails in order to make him feel that it’s more personal and that the sender takes remembers and respects him.
POP/POP3 – (Post Office Protocol)
A mail protocol that leaves the user’s email on the server until he or she connects to the server and downloads it to the local machine. POP describes the method in which the email client communicates with the email server.
Rental List (or Acquisition list)
A list of targeted recipients who have already subscribed to receive email containing information that they are interested in. Due to rental lists you may categorize recipients into groups according to their interests and write special message to each group. Renting a list usually costs between $.10 and $.40 per name.
Recipient
Email address owner who has requested email from the sender. Usually identified by email address in “To” field.
Segmentation
Procedure of dividing your mailing list into groups according to such categories as interests in definite products or services, geographic location, purchase behavior etc. Segmentation enables more targeted email marketing and consequently larger click-through and conversion rate.
Sender
The organization or single person who is responsible for sending email newsletters. Usually identified by the email address in “From” field.
Spam or UBE (Unsolicited Bulk email)
Undesirable bulk/junk email generally sent for commercial or political purposes, and always sent using an automated email program.
Subject Line
The field at the top of email newsletter which describes the subject of the letter and is usually designed for attracting recipients’ attention.
Subscribe
See Opt-in.
Targeting
Choosing a part of the mailing list according to such categories as interests in definite products or services, geographic location, purchase behavior etc.
UCE
Also referred to as SPAM or UBE.
Unsubscribe
Also referred to as Opt-out.
Viral Marketing
It is often referred to as word-of-mouth advertising. Viral marketing is a type of marketing maintained by the customers when they invite friends or any other people to try your products or services.
Viral Design
Features that encourage the customers to offer your production to the others. It’s usually performed by “tell a friend” or “please forward” buttons.
Viral Effect
Effect received from viral marketing.
Viral Responses
Number of the recipients, who received the referral, opened it and clicked on a link.
Visual Clarity
A term closely associated with layout and design. It depends on how comfortable is the letter or page for the recipient’s using.
