Email Marketing

The percentage of email messages that are accepted by the mail server. Just because an email is accepted by the mail server does not mean it will get to an inbox.

A list of email senders of bad repute. Being on a blacklists means a sender’s email messages may not get to the inbox at all.

The rate at which your emails are not delivered. There are two types of bounces, hard and soft, both of which are defined later in this glossary. An acceptable bounce rate is less than 5%.

A very short looping movie that can be embedded into emails and on websites.

A percentage measure of the number of clicks divided by the number of emails delivered to the intended inbox.

A percentage measure of the number of clicks divided by the number of opens.

The percentage of recipients who respond to your call to action in an email marketing campaign or promotion. This is one measure of your email campaign’s success.

In email marketing, CPM commonly refers to the cost per 1000 names on a given rental list. For example, a rental list priced at $250 CPM would mean that the list owner charges $.25 per email address. We'll get into buying lists later in this post.

The percentage (the number of unique clicks divided by the number that were opened) of recipients that click on a given URL in your email.

All the technologies and metrics used to measure email programs.

Sometimes called a “data overlay”. A list-enhancement technique where email names are appended unto a customer data, usually by a database company that has those customers’ email addresses.

An email or series of lead nurturing emails designed to accomplish an overall marketing goal.

Each time you send a promotional message to your subscribers, you’re sending a campaign. The term applies to the list select you’re sending to, the creative, and the results of each email deployment.

The domain name, website or URL that an email is sent from. Typically, this is your company’s primary domain name.

A technique used to block email based on the sender, subject line, or content of an email.

A fraudulent email sent from a spammer that says something has gone wrong with a critical account and asks the recipient to give their bank account login information or other sensitive information via a link in the email. The spammer then collects the information the unknowing email recipient has given them.

Buying ad space in an email newsletter or sponsoring a specific article or series of articles. Advertisers pay to have their ad inserted into the body of the email.

One of your most valuable marketing assets, it's a permission-based list that you built yourself with opt-in subscribers.

Sending HTML email makes it possible to get creative with the design of your emails.

A lead-capture page on your website that is linked to from an email to provide additional information directly related to products or services promoted in the email's call-to-action.

A way of establishing a sender's identity, and ensure the sender is allowed to send from a given domain.

The marketing strategy of defining communications to different customer segments, then setting those messages to go out automatically. Autoresponders are an example of marketing automation.

The marketing strategy of defining communications to different customer segments, then setting those messages to go out automatically. Autoresponders are an example of marketing automation.

To opt-in or subscribe to an email list is to choose to receive email communications by supplying your email address to a particular company, website or individual thereby giving them permission to email you. The subscriber can often indicate areas of personal interest (e.g. mountain biking) and/or indicate what types of emails they wish to receive from the sender (e.g. newsletters).

When a subscribers chooses not to receive email communications from the sender anymore, and requests removal from your email list. It is legally required that you provide a clear way to opt out in every email you send.

Adding elements to your email that are personalized based on information you already know about them. It could refer to addressing the recipient by name, referencing past purchases, or other content unique to each recipient.

A measure of the length of time a person opens the email until they close it.

A single opt-in list is created when users sign up for email communications, but don't confirm the action. This means they can be signed up for a list by someone else, and as such is not a recommended way to build a healthy email marketing list.

The language or "protocol" servers use to talk to each other as they send emails around the world.

The language or "protocol" servers use to talk to each other as they send emails around the world.

A paid spam service that plants their own emails and monitors who harvests the address and spams it.

Email sent to someone who has not opted-in or given permission to email to the sender. Over 90% of email sent is classified as spam.