Tip of the week 48 - How unhealthy mailing lists ruin your holiday email marketing

Tip of the week 48 - How unhealthy mailing lists ruin your holiday email marketing


Reaching out to a huge number of contacts promptly and effectively is one of the USPs of email marketing. The holiday season is a big testimony to that. Email marketers are at their busiest this time of the year sending promotional emails to as many contacts as possible. If you're an email marketer, you already know how email marketing software makes your life easier during these times. That said, you must look after it well for proper returns, by not feeding unhealthy mailing lists. 

What's an unhealthy mailing list? 

A mailing list that has invalid and inactive email addresses is considered unhealthy. While you'd be happy to see your email marketing database expand, it's important to validate every address now and then. Now comes the next question: from where do these come? Let's find the answers now. 

Invalid address

Let's assume that you met a person in a trade show, had a nice business conversation, and got their email ID (Jamiejames14@xyz.com). If you disrupt the format, say, like Jameijames14@xyz.com, while feeding the data into your system, it becomes an invalid address. Put simply, if an email ID doesn't meet the email format standards or doesn't exist at all, it's invalid. 

Inactive contacts

Recipients who are non-responsive for a long time come under this category. Though there are multiple reasons for this tendency, being subjected to irrelevant content is the most common one. 

How do invalid and inactive contacts hurt you 

To understand how these contacts affect your email marketing, you must first understand a concept called, bounce. Emails that can't be delivered returns a bounce, and it can be divided into two types: 

1. Soft Bounce - It's a temporary delivery failure which happens when the recipients' server is busy or their mailbox is full

2. Hard Bounce - It's a permanent delivery failure that happens when an email address is invalid or doesn't exist 

While the former is a short-lived problem, the latter poses a serious threat to your email marketing. The ISPs (Internet Service Provider) and ESPs (Email Service Provider) keep a close eye on your bounce rate because of the increasing presence of spammers. Once your bounce rate slips below the threshold level (defined by them), they pre-meditatively start seeing you as a spammer and direct your emails to your recipients' spam folder. 

How to overcome this problem 

Clean your mailing lists often

Supposing your last email campaign was done in the previous holiday season, you can't afford to use the same mailing list this year without removing your invalid and inactive contacts. From account deactivation to switching and inactivity to disinterest, a lot can transpire with a contact over time. So remember, old is not always gold. 

Segment your audience
 
Understanding what your contacts want and catering to those needs is the best thing you could do as an email marketer. And the good news is, your email marketing software helps you achieve that. Using the segmentation option, you can classify your audience based on their profile information, behavior, and more, and create relevant content. 

Use a double opt-in method 

This is a tried-and-tested way to ensure only genuinely interested contacts enter your mailing lists. After all, such contacts will not think twice to say YES if you ask them twice whether or not to join your mailing list. 

Final words 
Despite a busy holiday schedule, you should follow these basics to make justice to your purpose. Don't let the invalid and inactive contacts ruin what could be a fruitful holiday email marketing experience otherwise. 



We hope this helped! Stay tuned to this space for more useful tips on holiday email marketing. 


Regards, 
Aravindhan S


 





    Access your files securely from anywhere

          Zoho Developer Community




                                    Zoho Desk Resources

                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                    • Digest


                                    • Functions


                                    • Meetups


                                    • Kbase


                                    • Resources


                                    • Glossary


                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                    • MVP Corner


                                    • Word of the Day



                                        Zoho Marketing Automation
                                                • Sticky Posts

                                                • Tip of the week 03 - Sending emails in batches

                                                  Today's marketers not only want their email marketing to be efficient, but also smart. For an email campaign, you may think you have all the essential elements for lead conversion—a big mailing list, an attractive template design, and the most-engaging message content, but after hitting the ‘send’ button, you may not get the expected conversions. Wondering why? Here’s one of the major reasons. Many marketers miss out on sending the email campaign the right way. Did you know that you should not be
                                                • Tip of the week 04 - Know about your recipients' 'prime open time.'

                                                  In today's market, the importance of customer behavior is astounding, with a vast amount of research and resources going into finding how customers make decisions. The process of persuading your customers to open your email and click on your call-to-action becomes easy when you understand the psychology behind their behavioral traits. Time to turn into a psychologist! Let's get to the basics—you want your emails to resonate well with your recipients. So, what's the primary thing involved here? It's
                                                • Zoho Campaigns Expert Diaries on SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

                                                  Hi email champs,  As email marketers, we find great lessons in each other's works—be it the subject lines that worked good, the design that was received well, or the CTA that had the maximum clicks. Email marketing encompasses a wide variety of topics spanning everything from creation and design to development and deliverability.  Here's when we from the Zoho Campaigns team found the need to build an email marketing community comprising of seasoned marketers and email geeks who can help each other
                                                • Email Deliverability Tip #3: Seal the deal with the preheader

                                                  In the last post, we learned about the subject line. Today we'll be learning about the preheader. A preheader is the short text that follows the subject line in an email. The preheader is designed to hint at what your email message is all about. A good preheader should act as a second subject line and convince your contacts to open the email. Now, let's learn the best way to craft a preheader. Your subject line and preheader should work together and accurately convey the gist of your email. Keep
                                                • Tip of the week 15 - Add subscription-preferences option. Drive more engagement.

                                                  If crafting content for emails, getting creatives done, and running email campaigns is your love, then unsubscribes are the heartbreakers.  You can save your emails from being unsubscribed/trashed by adding a proper subscription-preferences option in your emails (works best at the time of signup). Giving subscribers the option to choose what they want to receive from you and decide how often (frequency of the emails) your emails should hit their inboxes will increase the reach of your campaigns manifolds. 


                                                Manage your brands on social media



                                                      Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                        Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                            Zoho Books Resources


                                                              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                    Qntrl Resources


                                                                      Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                          Zoho Campaigns Resources


                                                                            Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                            • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                              CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                            • Kaizen

                                                                              Kaizen

                                                                            • Functions

                                                                              Functions

                                                                            • Meetups

                                                                              Meetups

                                                                            • Kbase

                                                                              Kbase

                                                                            • Resources

                                                                              Resources

                                                                            • Digest

                                                                              Digest

                                                                            • CRM Marketplace

                                                                              CRM Marketplace

                                                                            • MVP Corner

                                                                              MVP Corner





                                                                                Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                Get Started Now


                                                                                  Zoho Show Resources


                                                                                    Zoho Writer Writer

                                                                                    Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                    Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                      Zoho CRM コンテンツ






                                                                                        Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                            ご検討中の方





                                                                                                  • Recent Topics

                                                                                                  • Apply Credit Note Automatically

                                                                                                    We need the ability to apply open Credit Notes toward invoices generated by recurring invoice as the first, priority payment. This should be an option that we can enable/disable in the recurring profile and/or the Credit Note. Other invoicing systems can do this. I'm not sure why Zoho Invoice doesn't have it. Here's an example for a Recurring Invoice... If a customer has open Credit Notes, and a saved credit card set for auto-pay, once an invoice goes out, the credit balance gets automatically applied
                                                                                                  • Workflow for "Expenses" module?

                                                                                                    Hi there, over the last 2 years, Zoho Expense has seen tremendous growth and we are happy with it. But, sometimes it is frustrating to see things are being implemented halfheartedly, or so it seems. For example, There is the possibility to create workflows
                                                                                                  • Record Template - Conditionally printing sections

                                                                                                    Is there a way to conditionally print a section of a Record Template? More specifically I am printing records from a Form "Invoice". That Form has 3 SubForms. I'd like to print the content of those SubForms using a Record Template but only if they have at least one line item. If they have no line items, I'd like to hide the headers for that section on the printout.
                                                                                                  • User can choose the PDF report

                                                                                                    Hi. I would like to find out if a user (Creator or customer portal) to choose from the different PDF customised reports that have been built?
                                                                                                  • Query table pull last 12 months

                                                                                                    I am tying to pull the following criteria and the date is always what causes me the issue. I want to pull people (pco_id) who have entries of "event_id" being these 2 events and whos "kind" is Regular or Guest and where the event_starts_at (date column)
                                                                                                  • PLEASE FIX Search options and consider a Global seach option

                                                                                                    A recent update has removed the ability to search for addresses and phone numbers under contacts. We cannot find where this moved to (If it is still available). Please put these options back as we cannot locate specific projects anymore. Also please consider allowing for a Global search. This would really improve the search engine. For example: If I search for "Sally Jones" then all invoices , estimates, vendors etc.. would populate.. Please let me know if you need any more information. Thank You....
                                                                                                  • Customize your calendar based on personal preferences

                                                                                                    Greetings, We're happy to introduce a few new capabilities to the Activities module's Calendar View! Now you can tailor your calendar's appearance and notification settings to suit your needs. In the past, the Calendar View lacked customization options
                                                                                                  • BUG ALERT: Client Script + Commands -> $Page contextual data is not updated

                                                                                                    When using the new Client Script Commands feature, there is an issue with the Client Script $Page contextual data not accurately being updated each time a Command is run. Assuming a Client Script Command called "Client Script Command Bug" with the following
                                                                                                  • Show iFrame of related List inside of Blueprint Transition

                                                                                                    Hey, is it possible to show an iFrame of a related list like this inside of a Blueprint transition?
                                                                                                  • Lookup Fields not Converting

                                                                                                    I manage holiday properties. I have a lookup to the Accounts (Properties) in the Leads module. The lookup is connected to the property address field. When I convert it the lookup field does not update in Deals, although the property address does. There
                                                                                                  • 2024: A Year of Transformation with Zoho Forms

                                                                                                    As we close the curtain on another exciting year, it’s time to reflect on the strides Zoho Forms has taken in 2024. From empowering businesses with advanced tools to simplifying workflows and enhancing user experiences, our updates this year were all
                                                                                                  • Stop selling out of stock Items.

                                                                                                    Hi I have been using Zohobooks for a around 8 month now. I am not involved in selling process but my staff cant stop selling product which they do not hold in stock, this is a big headache for me as physical count never matches what is shown on the books. 
                                                                                                  • Bigin API Token Request ("invalid_client")

                                                                                                    Hi people, I tried to connect to the API without success, I've read all of the documentation multiple time and tried just about everything. I tried to do it with Python Request module and with Postman, passing the information through both the URL parameter
                                                                                                  • Customer Happiness not clickable when using API

                                                                                                    Is there a way to automatically add the Customer Feedback links when generating email drafts via the API? Currently, the feedback links are only added when generating an email draft using the UI. I tried using the endpoint described in https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#CustomerFeedback#CustomerFeedback_Getthecustomerfeedbackplaceholderlink
                                                                                                  • Send To Zoho Sign not Showing

                                                                                                    The button send to Zoho sign is not showing on my Zoho CRM . Is there additional steps I need to take after installing Zoho Sign to CRM ?
                                                                                                  • How to Get An Image's URL once it's uploaded to library?

                                                                                                    I manage to find URLs to the images I uploaded to my library, but after a day, it seems the links stop working like its only temporary. Where can I find the ACTUAL solid URL for my images that I upload to my Library so I can use them for my custom template / HTML coded template? Thanks, Mac
                                                                                                  • 【Zoho CRM】インポート機能のアップデート:既存データへのタグ追加が可能に!

                                                                                                    ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中のインポート機能のアップデートをご紹介します。 Zoho CRMのタグは、データを効率的に分類、認識するためのラベルです。 タグ付けは次の3つの方法で行えます: 個別タグ付け:少数のデータを手動でタグ付け 自動化:特定のタイミングで繰り返しタグ付け 一括更新:インポート機能でタグを追加または更新 今回のアップデートでは、インポート時に既存のタグを残したまま、新しいタグの追加、既存タグを置き換えできるようになりました。
                                                                                                  • Link to Desk tickets

                                                                                                    Hello, We are using Analytics to analyze data in Desk. Is there a way to embed a link to a ticket in reports?  We'd love to be able to see the drill down data, and click a value in a result row that would launch the Desk Ticket in another window/tab. Thanks in advance for any ideas!
                                                                                                  • Bluerprints: How to connect the created record back?

                                                                                                    I've a blueprint which creates another record as part of an 'After' transition. But the two records don't seem to be linked together. If it's not automatic - how do I get the created record ID to link it to the original record? Thanks!
                                                                                                  • Populate a Related List Item based on a Stage

                                                                                                    I would like to know if I can populate a CLOSED DEAL section in a contact that populates only when a Deal (something in the Deal Module) is listed as Closed - Won. I'd like another section that is just called deals, which shows me all other deals that
                                                                                                  • Being able to draw inside a module ?

                                                                                                    I was wondering if anyone know of a solution for this request. We would like to be able to draw directly from one module in the CRM and have it attached to that record. Here is an example. Paul would go to the customer once he as done the measuring, he
                                                                                                  • 2 serial numbers for 1 item (Mac address and Serial number)

                                                                                                    There is a way to track 2 serial number type for 1 Item. Ex: Some electronic devices have a MAC address and a serial number. I need to track those 2 numbers
                                                                                                  • Holidays

                                                                                                    Hi; For defining Holidays, you need to add logic to handle the year as well as the month & day. We need to be able to enter Holidays for the next year. I need to add a holiday for January 2, 2017, but I can't until January 1st, which is a Sunday and we
                                                                                                  • Delete a department or category

                                                                                                    How do I delete a Department?  Also, how do I delete a Category? This is pretty basic stuff here and it's impossible to find.
                                                                                                  • Remove or hide default views

                                                                                                    I'm looking to only have the views pertinent to my organization.  Is there a way to show only my custom views (or separate them to a different area or something)? If not, this should be a feature as switching from Zendesk we had this option...
                                                                                                  • Analytics Module: Can you move items from one dashboard to another?

                                                                                                    Is there a way to move items from one dashboard to another? I want to rearrange my dashboard now that I know what i'm doing but i don't want to remake my various widgets? Edit: Hey Zoho, This would be a good feature: to be able to move/copy widgets to
                                                                                                  • Copy Widget to another Dashboard

                                                                                                    I can see the option to clone a widget to the same dashboard but is it possible to copy it to another dashboard?
                                                                                                  • Is there a way to print the dashboard?

                                                                                                    I would like the capability of printing the dashboard - is that possible?
                                                                                                  • Custom Deal Name in Lead Conversion Mapping

                                                                                                    I know there are ways to change the name of a Deal after conversion using a custom function, so no need to repost that information. I would like to see the CRM Improved with Deal Name Customisation and I think the Lead Conversion Mapping page would be
                                                                                                  • Introducing Record Summary: smarter insights at your fingertips

                                                                                                    Hello everyone, Building on the recent launch of Zoho's in-house Zia Large Language Model (Zia LLM)—a major milestone in Zoho CRM’s AI capabilities—we’re excited to introduce the Record Summary feature. This powerful addition makes use of Zia LLM to simplify
                                                                                                  • Suppress "spreadsheet will not be saved" message on published sheet

                                                                                                    I have published a sheet and have one column on that sheet that the user can edit (a dropdown picklist where the user can select the status for each line). Is there a way to suppress the Zoho Sheet message "Any changes made to this published spreadsheet
                                                                                                  • Missing "Email Authentication" tab

                                                                                                    Backstage is alerting users about "Unauthenticated Domains" with a large prompt in the backend. It adds a link to learn more. On this tutorial page, it shows where to find the "Email Authentication" tab in this screenshot. However, in our Backstage, that
                                                                                                  • Show item Cost value on Item screen

                                                                                                    The Item screen shows Accounting Stock and Physical Stock. It would be very helpful if value information could be displayed here as well, for instance Cost Price. Currently, to find the Cost Price (as used for inventory valuations) from inside the item
                                                                                                  • Zoho Analytics to Zoho Sheets - automatic update?

                                                                                                    Hi all, If I create a zoho sheet from an Analytics Report or Analytics Data, is there a way for the zoho sheet to automatically update as the Report / Data in analytics updates?
                                                                                                  • Integration with Moodle

                                                                                                    Greetings, I hope find all doing well and safe. I've recently returned to using Zoho Flow after a break and was hoping to connect my WooCommerce store with Moodle, the world's most widely used learning management system. My goal was to automatically enroll
                                                                                                  • How to Record Loan with interest

                                                                                                    I have received loans from friend he give me like 2 loans so far one is one year repayment and one short, how to properly record his payment, and repayment and give him statement  for each loan he give me 
                                                                                                  • Task status - completed - other options

                                                                                                    I have a dumb question I know i can make custom statuses for the tasks - but is there anyway to make additional "completed" statuses like for instance if i have a task "call back customer" and i leave a vm for them to call back marking it "completed -
                                                                                                  • Task module and related-to field

                                                                                                    In modules other than the Task Module I can add several lookup fields to provide a variety of relationships. In the Task module lookup fields are not available. There is only one "related to" field which I want to use for Company. But I want to relate
                                                                                                  • Add Lookup Field in Tasks Module

                                                                                                    Hello, I have a need to add a Lookup field in addition to the ones that are already there in the Tasks module. I've seen this thread and so understand that the reason lookup fields may not be part of it is that there are already links to the tables (https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/custom-fields-on-task-module).
                                                                                                  • migrating from Zoho Invoices (CRM) to Zoho Books

                                                                                                    Good day, I was wondering if there was a easy way to migrate all the quotes and invoices from Zoho Invoices CRM to Zoho Books. We plan to move to using Zoho Books in a few weeks and would like to have all the quotes and invoices from the past 3 years
                                                                                                  • Next Page