You'd think a department holding data on 28 million children would treat it like gold dust. Instead, the Department of Education (DfE) handed access to a company that then used it for online gambling. Yes, really. According to the ICO, between 2018 and 2020, one company with no legitimate reason to access the Learning Records Service (LRS) database … READ MORE »
It has long been held that using double opt-in for subscribers to your email marketing list is the best way to ensure you have quality rather than quantity with addresses. While it might, in fact probably does, reduce the size of your list, it ensures that those on it are genuine subscribers and, more importantly … READ MORE »
Oscar Wilde once said that most of us suggest we adhere to our morals and ethics, but when tempted, we struggle, and fail, to conform. The Liar’s Paradox. He said it more succinctly, in six words, but that’s like him; he was too clever by half. You might wonder what one of the greatest … READ MORE »
There’s a lot to be said for targets. With a clear goal, a team will have a focus they can concentrate on. There’s little doubt that having targets gives good results. After all, if your target is to increase open rates by 15% and you hit it, or even go slightly above it, you’ve made … READ MORE »
The best thing about email marketing is, in some respects, its very worst factor. You were, no doubt, excited at the prospect of lots and lots of data from the returns of a campaign. Then it cascaded in and you had no idea what to do with it all. Understanding what the various terms mean … READ MORE »
We need subscribers. It is a certainty in the confusing world of starting out in email marketing. The problem is that generating them is neither easy nor cheap. You can buy-in lists, but many feel this does not normally give value for money. It might be better to find those who want what you are … READ MORE »
Having lots of subscribers to your email marketing lists might well give you the feeling that you’ve cracked it, but without detailed information on your subscribers, you cannot effectively segment your lists. If that’s a bit of a downer, don’t worry. There are some straightforward ways to gain data on them. The sign-up procedure … READ MORE »
The festivities are over and your New Year promise to go to the gym every morning is, thankfully, a fading nightmare. But what of your resolution to ‘do something’ about your email marketing lists? Now that you have more free mornings, it’s a good time to start honing your biggest asset into a sharp tool. … READ MORE »
Simply knowing that a contact is subscribed isn’t going to be good enough in the post-GDPR world; consent will need to be specific. If you are already using a signup form that contains an opt-in checkbox with, “Yes, sign me up”, then that’s going to cease being the gold standard on May 25. In preparation … READ MORE »
If there is a spike in your opt outs it is not always, probably not normally, down to the design of your email. If the peak occurs in a specific metric or combination of metrics, then you need to look for causes elsewhere, as covered in a recent article. Now we discuss what you should … READ MORE »