Constant Contact, MailChimp and other email service providers (ESPs) embed a pixel (small piece of code) in your email when they send it. The code feeds information back to them: when the email was opened, what device it was opened on, etc. That information populates the traffic reports we send you after every email.

Apple is rolling out a new privacy option beginning in the fall of 2021. iPhone users can choose not to send email data back to the ESPs. Most people when given a choice will block sharing data.

Apple will pre-load images, content and the pixel regardless of if the recipient actually opened the email or not. Roughly 50% of your readers read email on an Apple device. They are all going to show as Opened emails. Therefore the pixel metrics will be unreliable.

Your Open Rate for emails is going to jump and look very good! But the numbers will be false.

Your Click Rate as a percent of the Opens will be false.

The actual Clicks will still be accurate! So Clicks become an extremely important measure for email success. We need to link all images in an email. We need multiple Call-To-Action links to gauge which articles are drawing attention. We need links to your website and social media platforms in every email.

Your Computer Lady is following this change closely. We’ll keep you informed as we get new information. We’re telling you before the change happens so you have time to adjust your marketing plans.

Email marketing still has a $42 ROI according to Litmus. Even with an unreliable Open Rate, emails are a great marketing tool.

• Low cost
• Re-useable content
• Content that can be used in multiple ways

Click here to read the full article. 

As you create and send emails, it’s important to be aware of how your readers are receiving/viewing the messages. Outlook certainly displays an email differently than AOL.

While this info shows Outlook as #3 overall, I would consider them #1 or #2 as far as business email. A lot of people use Microsoft Office and Outlook at their office.

Here are some stats to keep in mind.

Interesting article about improving your email results with Interactive Content. It’s from the experts at Constant Contact.

Click here to read the full article.

I think this is a very excellent example of a sales email. It is promoting book sales. It could just as easily be used for a webinar, a class or an event.

• You see an image of the front of the book
• You see the costs
• You see a short description written with bullet points

Then there are images and descriptions to address specific pain points.  After each section, there is a Buy Now button. The images “say” more than the descriptions.

In closing, there is another image of the book cover and a description. The costs are repeated.

So this is a fast skim to see if the information applies to me. The email keeps my attention by addressing specific pain points and different levels of need. They start with How to Meditate and move to How to Deepen Your Practice.

This email has a much greater chance of grabbing my interest than a message that has 1 description and 1 price. Especially if that description is long and wordy!

MailChimp reports an average increase of 60% for clients who use a pop-up to encourage people to opt in for their newsletters. But there is a right way and a wrong way to build and present your pop-up. Read this article to learn best practices.

Click here to read the full article.