Sleeknote’s E-Commerce Boost Podcast: The Hierarchy of Subscriber Needs

I’m honored to be among the first guests on Sleeknote’s new podcast, E-Commerce Boost. In my episode, I spoke with Sleeknote’s Julie Fjeldgaard about the Hierarchy of Subscriber Needs. I explain why creating respectful, functional, valuable, and remarkable email experiences is critical to email marketing success. In addition to the Hierarchy of…

The POGLE Media Model: Why Email Marketing Isn’t Owned Media

Email is the worst and most frustrating kind of owned media—because it’s not owned media at all. Email is like a pet dog. He doesn’t behave just because you “own” him. If you think of email marketing as owned media, chances are that you struggle. Perhaps you rail against Outlook messing up…

Are You Satisfying All 4 Levels of the Hierarchy of Subscriber Needs?

Creating relevance is the key to boosting email marketing performance, return on investment, and deliverability. However, it can be confusing and daunting to craft a plan that increases the relevance of your email messages. We have a four-part framework that will set you on the right path. It’s called the Hierarchy of…

Report: 2017 State of Email Deliverability

Email marketers can be successful in spite of deliverability problems, but why take the hard path? Make your life easier by avoiding the behaviors that lead to trouble in the first place. After surveying more than 3,500 marketers, we’ve identified the practices that clearly lower email marketers’ risks of being blocked or…

Marketing Cloudcast: It’s 2017. Are You Still Making These Email Marketing Mistakes?

I was fortunate to be asked back to be a guest again on Salesforce’s Marketing Cloudcast, which is hosted by Heike Young and Joel Book. During the 34-minute episode, we discussed the upcoming 3rd edition of my book, Email Marketing Rules, and what has changed over the years and is on the…

6 Email Marketing Manipulations that Should Stop

While many brands have embraced customer-centricity, there are many relics of brand-centric thinking still out there in the email marketing world, unfortunately. Here are 6 email marketing manipulations that we should stop in 2017: Using passive aggressive email signup and opt-out language Mandatory email opt-ins with purchase Hiding behind people’s names to…

Key Success & Failure Metrics for the Hierarchy of Subscriber Needs

Subscriber expectations have grown steadily over the years, driven higher by a wide range of factors, including the adoption of smartphones, the increase in targeting, and the rise in omnichannel experiences. For email marketers to be successful, they must exceed or at least meet these expectations, which can be measured by a…

Report: Adapting to Consumers’ New Definition of Spam

Consumer attitudes toward spam continue to shift dramatically, which in turn demands that brands make an equal shift in their email marketing strategies. To understand consumers’ current definition of spam and why they end email relationships with brands, Litmus and Fluent surveyed more than 1,300 American adults, using Fluent’s ad serving technology….

B2B Forum Presentation: Inbox Optimization

Consumers opt-out and report emails as spam for a wide range of reasons, only one of which is a lack of permission. That’s because while permission is needed to be welcome in the inbox, sending functional emails with relevant content is needed to stay welcome. In our session at MarketingProfs’ B2B Forum…

The Verdict on Single Opt-In vs. Double Opt-In

We’ve heard the case for single opt-in (SOI) and the case for double opt-in (DOI). And we have also heard public opinion on the matter, which is nearly evenly split. After weighing all the evidence, we’ve come to the following three opinions: Single opt-in just isn’t an option for everyone. Boiling permission…