Email Marketing Checklist for Mailer Scheduling

1.      Email List Cleansing

Before scheduling your mailer, it is crucial to clean the email list to ensure accuracy and avoid unnecessary bounces or spam issues. Follow this checklist for cleansing the email list:

• Remove Duplicate Entries: Ensure no duplicate email addresses are present in the list.
• Check Contact Names: Verify that the contact names associated with the email addresses are correct.
• Verify Email Addresses: Ensure that the email addresses are accurate (e.g., replacing "gmx.com" with "gmail.com" where appropriate).
• Remove Test Emails: Eliminate any test ads or placeholder email addresses from the list.
• Remove Non-Commercial Domains: Delete any email addresses ending with "@Facebook," ".gov," or other non-commercial domains.
• Eliminate Irrelevant Symbols: Remove any email addresses containing irrelevant symbols that could affect delivery.

2. Include Sulekha Verified Email IDs

Adding Sulekha verified email IDs to your list can significantly reduce the number of spammers and increase the likelihood of engagement. Always prioritize verified email addresses when scheduling mailers.

3. Schedule Mailers at Regular Intervals

Timing is key in email marketing. Schedule your mailers at regular intervals to maximize user engagement. Stagger the email sends over a period of time to improve the open rate, as users may be more likely to open the email when they receive it after a few days.

• Maintain EST Timing: Ensure that all mailers are scheduled according to EST (Eastern Standard Time) to align with the target audience’s time zone.

4. Remove Inactive Email Addresses

Segment and clean your email list by removing inactive addresses. Specifically:

• Remove email addresses that have shown no activity (e.g., have not opened an email or emails were not delivered) in the last five years.
• Segment the email list based on engagement to focus on active users.

5. Frequently Change HTML Design and Content

Update the design and content of your HTML mailers frequently to maintain user interest. It is recommended to refresh the content every 3 days. Consistently changing the design will keep the audience engaged and reduce the chances of your emails being marked as repetitive or irrelevant.

6. Optimize the Subject Line

The subject line is crucial for enticing recipients to open your emails. Follow these guidelines:

·         Avoid Offers and Symbols: Steer clear of including offer percentages (e.g., "10% OFF") or symbols like exclamation points ("!") in the subject line, as these can trigger spam filters.

·         Check Engagement Score: Adjust the subject line based on engagement metrics to improve performance.

·         Suggestions and Emojis: Consider using suggested titles based on subject line analysis and enable the use of emojis to make your subject lines more appealing and relevant.

Checklist for Subject Line Optimization: i) Include the title taken from the page. ii) Review and adjust the subject line based on click engagement scores. iii) Utilize suggested titles for better performance (you can use recommendations). iv) Enable the emoji button for added visual appeal.

7. Remove Unsubscribed Email IDs

Unsubscribed email addresses must be identified and removed from your mailing list to comply with email regulations and avoid negative impacts on deliverability.

8. Cross-Check and Upload Corrected Email IDs

Any email addresses that were not uploaded initially should be cross-checked for accuracy. Once corrected, upload the updated email base separately to ensure no errors in the mailing process.

9. Add UTM Source for Event Tracking

To track the performance of your mailer campaigns effectively, ensure that UTM parameters are added for event tracking. This can be done within the scheduling tool (e.g., Netcore) on the first page.

10. Maintain a Daily Mailer Report

Keep a detailed report of your mailer campaigns on a daily basis. The report should include all necessary fields such as sent emails, open rates, click-through rates, and other relevant metrics. This will help you monitor the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven improvements.