PR = D squared

Permission + Relationship = Deliverability and Dollars

The more advice, reports, posts and articles I read, the more I'm convinced that the foundations underpinning successful email marketing are simple.

Everything builds on permission and the relationship between sender and recipient.

So everything we do -- whether it's writing subject lines, planning offers, determining frequency, tweaking targeting etc. -- should reflect that context.

Take deliverability, for example. Most people now agree that the biggest determinant of your success at getting emails delivered to inboxes is your sender reputation.

And the key elements building such a reputation are ultimately whether you send email to people who asked for them (initial permission). And whether they continue to want them (relationship and ongoing permission).

Fail on either count and you find yourself reported as a spammer and your sender reputation in tatters (closely followed by your deliverability).

What about subject lines and preview pane design? Stefan Pollard discusses the "mind filter" in an article today. He points out the way your preview pane display and headers interact to determine whether the recipient gives the desired attention to your email.

People are more likely to open and/or recognize your emails if they expect them (permission) and value them (relationship).

Getting people to pay attention to your email in a crowded inbox is the first link in the chain that leads to the action or response you want (a click, a purchase, a download, more awareness...). So again, it's ultimately about permission and relationships.

When email marketing was knee high to a grasshopper, permission and the reader relationship were hot topics. Then we got distracted by legal regulations, technical issues and clever software.

All of which have an important role, of course.

But keeping the twin concepts of permission and relationships in mind at all times helps guide all email-related decisions towards the right ones. Especially if we don't have the resources or skills to make use of all the clever technological aids out there.

More on permission and deliverability | Tags: email marketing, permission, email deliverability, relationship marketing

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