xyzdirect.com.au - email marketing glossary

A/B split: A test situation, where data is split into two or more segments. Alternate email addresses are sent one of two specific messages, and vice versa. See also Nth name.
Above the fold: Refers to part of the email message or Web page that is visible on the screen without scrolling. Because the reader/recipient sees this area first, it is considered to be the most valuable. What areas of an Email or Web page appear above the fold will differ, according to the users' preview pane, monitor-size, and monitor resolution. Email programmes like Yahoo and Gmail have different layouts (headers) which will affect an email’s page fold. Given these variances it is wise to test your message across multiple email clients including the free accounts.
Accreditation-based systems: With spam a major global problem, accreditation based systems affectively ‘certify’ senders of emails, and convince ISPs that they are legitimate mailers who should not be blocked. Examples include: Bonded Sender from ReturnPath and Safelist from Habeas.
Acquisition cost: The cost incurred to acquire a single lead, subscription, or customer from a campaign. This can usually be calculated by taking the total campaign expense, and dividing it by the number of leads, subscribers or customers it generated.
Affiliate: An agreement or relationship whereby a third party promotes products or services for another business and earns payment on the results achieved.
Affirmative consent: Marketing organisations must gain affirmative consent (or ‘opt in’) from their readers, clients or subscribers before they are allowed to send them advertising or promotional information, newsletters, etc, by email.
Application Program Interface (API): An API enables a programme (application) to access another programme (application), and transmit data to/from it. As an example, a company might use an API connection to ‘send’ list information from their database to a third party email vendor automatically, and that same interface to receive data back from the email as well.
Application Service Provider (ASP): Company or organisation that provides a web-based service to its clients. ASP’s enable clients to perform various tasks on the ASP’s servers, thereby negating the client’s requirement to install software on their own computers. The XYZdirect Self Serve email platform is an ASP.
Attachment: Any file that ‘is attached’ to an email message but is not part of the message itself. Many ISPs, email clients and individual email recipients block emails with attachments, as hackers can use them to deliver viruses and other malicious code.
Authentication: Many ISPs and other gateway administrators look for technical standards within email messages in an effort to establish the true identity of an email sender. Examples of authentication programmes include: SPF (PO Box, AOL), Sender-ID (Microsoft), DomainKeys (Yahoo), and DKIM (Cisco and Yahoo).
Autoresponder: Programme which enables a single or a series of automated email messages to be sent automatically. An example might be a welcome message sent to all new subscribers the minute they register on a web site, or join a mailing list. Autoresponse messages can also be triggered by other actions such as updates to personal details or unsubscribes, mail received into a particular mailbox, dates, or specific events.
Bayesian filter: A programme designed to ‘read and evaluate’ the header and content of incoming emails to determine the probability that they are spam. Bayesian filters mark and assign specific point values to words, phrases and symbols that appear frequently in spam, such as “$”, “!” or "free." Any email that accumulates too many points is either rejected as probable spam or delivered to a junk-mail folder.
Blacklist: A list that includes domains or IP addresses of individuals or companies that are suspected of sending spam. These blacklists are used to reject inbound email, either at the server level or before it reaches the recipient’s in-box.
Bounce message: A bounce message is a message sent back to the sender of an email, confirming that their original email could not be delivered to the intended mailbox. A bounce message may outline why the message could not be delivered, though not in all cases.
Bounce handling: The way in which a sender processes emails that have bounced back to them. Bounce handling is crucial for the maintenance and integrity of a database, and future campaign results.
Bounce rate: Normally shown as a percentage, the bounce rate is calculated by taking the number of hard/soft bounces from any given campaign, and dividing it by the number of emails sent for the campaign.
Bulk folder (also junk folder): The folder where email clients direct messages that a) appear to be from suspected spammers, or b) actually contain spam, or c) are from a sender who is not in the recipient’s address book or contact list.
Call to action (CTA): The link or body copy in a message that instructs the recipient as to what action to take.
Cell: A cell refers to a specific group of data within a list that receives a message at a different time, on a different day, or with alternative copy or a different subject line to other data within the same list. The sender will look at the results of the campaign to measure how the cell response tracked against the control segment (the other data that received the normal message/subject line, etc.) Aka test cell or version.
Cell Testing: To produce a robust test that measures the response to a number of variables within a message, a sender may divide the data into a number of cells. The response rate is measured for each cell to determine the optimum response.
Churn: The number of members that unsubscribe from a mailing list (or the amount of email addresses that go bad) over a certain length of time. The churn rate is usually expressed as a percentage of the whole list.
Click through & Click through tracking: A click through is the term given when a recipient clicks on a link within an email. Email messages with ‘links’ can be tracked to determine the level of recipient response. Click through tracking highlights how many people clicked on each link, and can also highlight many clicks resulted in actions such as sales, forwards or subscriptions.
Commercial email: Sales and/or marketing orientated material that is sent by email in bulk.
Confirmation email: A message received that acknowledges a recent subscription, or a request for information.
Confirmed Opt-in: A secondary subscription process that ensures a client really does want to be included on an email list - usually executed as an instant email follow up to their initial registration. The confirmed opt-in process requires the client to click on a link in the email to confirm their subscription. This method serves the dual purpose of positively confirming the validity of the client’s email address.
Content filters: Software programmes that block emails according to the words, phrases, or header information contained within the messages. Content filters identify spam and direct the offending messages to the Bulk (aka Junk) mail folders.
Conversion: A positive response to a call to action within an email message. Examples of conversions might include a purchase that resulted from clicking a link within an email, a registration to a web site, the downloading of a white paper, the filling in of a form to confirm attendance at a conference or Web seminar, or subscribing to receive emails or other correspondence.
Conversion Rate: Used to evaluate the effectiveness of a campaign, the conversion rate highlights the number of people that responded to a message and went on to become converts, either as purchasers, or registrants, or attendees, as a percentage of the total population exposed to the conversion effort.
Co-registration: An opt-in arrangement whereby companies that collect data from clients (email and web site registration forms, hard copy subscriptions, etc.) include a separate box for users to check to receive specific third-party emails and correspondence.
CPA: Cost per action (often referred to as ‘cost per acquisition’). The actual ‘hard cost’ incurred to convert a single email recipient (either as ‘an opener’, ‘a click-through’, a purchaser, a registrant, or an attendee – whatever ‘acquisition goal’ is agreed upon). Typically, CPA is the total cost to build, test and deploy the email campaign, divided by the number of clients that ‘converted’. Often used as a way to charge for email advertising.
CPC:: Cost per Click. This is a method of charging for email advertising. CPC differs from CPA in that the ‘acquisition goal’ is simply for the recipient to ‘click’ on a specific link in the email, regardless of what action the client takes beyond this.
CPM: Cost per Thousand. Clients that wish to send email to rented list often pay for the data by CPM.
Cross-campaign profiling: Describes a method of reporting whereby recipient responses to a series of email campaigns are tracked and the results grouped to allow for profiling.
Cross-Selling: The marketing of products, services or accessories to customers who have shown an interest in, or previously purchased, similar good or services.
CTR: Click through Rate. Typically shown as a percentage, the CTR divides the number of ‘clicks’ (links opened inside the email) by the number of people who opened the email. CTR’s can be broken into total (all clicks), or unique (the number of individuals that clicked).
Deduplication (deduping): Describes the process by which two or more identical entries are removed from a list/data set. Also known as merge or purge.
Delivered email: Those messages in an email campaign that were successfully delivered into client’s inboxes. Essentially, the number of emails sent, minus the number of bounces and invalid messages.
Delivery monitoring or tracking: The process by which delivery rates by campaign and ISP are measured. May also track the amount and type of emails tagged and/or blocked by server and client filters.
Demographic: Describes a statistical characteristic within a human population (such as sex, age, post code or income) that is used to segment data for specific targeted campaigns.
Denial-of-service attack (DOS): An organized effort to disrupt an email or Web service by sending large amounts of messages, thereby overloading it and shutting it down, until such time as the messages stop.
Deploy: To send the email campaign live to the database.
Dictionary attack: Describes a spamming procedure that involves the bombardment of a mail server with huge numbers of alphabetically generated email addresses in the hope that some addresses will be correct and will be forwarded to the corresponding in-boxes.
Domain: A specifier indentifier for a computer or a group of computers on the Internet. Domain names appear as a component of a Web site's URL (or internet address) and correspond to the Internet Protocol (IP) numbers computers use to find each other across the web. Domains always have two or more 'sections', separated by "dots", and are the portion of an email address to the right of the @ sign.
DNS or Domain Name System: A system that enables computer networks to locate Internet domain names and translate them into IP addresses.
Double opt-in: Once a new subscriber has filled in their details on a form, a double opt-in functionality would require them to complete an additional action in order to confirm their inclusion/registration. An example would see them clicking on a link mailed to their in-box after their initial registration, that would then transfer them to a confirmation page.
Dynamic content: Online newsletter or email content that varies from one recipient to the next. The dynamic content is predetermined, according to preferences the recipient sets when opting in to messages from a sender/providing their details at time of subscription. Dynamic content can reflect past purchases, current interests or where the recipient lives.
Email delivery rates: Reports on the percentage of email messages that are delivered into in-boxes as intended. They are compiled from seed list-based monitoring services and SMTP log files.
Email address: Comprises of a unique username (before the @) and a domain name (after the @).
Email client or just 'client': A term denoting the type of software recipients ‘use’ to read email, such as Outlook Express, Gmail, Yahoo, or Lotus Notes.
Email Domain: Aka Domain. The portion of an email address that appears after the @ sign.
Email filter: A software tool that categorises, sorts and/or blocks incoming email, based either on the sender, the email header message content, or a combination of all three. Filters may be applied specifically at the recipient's level, by the email client, by the ISP, or all together.
Email Friendly Name: Also known as ‘display name’ or ‘from name’. Typically, the name or title that appears to the left of, or in place of, the email address when it arrives into a person’s inbox.
Email Prefix: The part of the email address that appears to the left of the @ sign.
Email vendor: Term given to a company that sends bulk (volume) email on behalf of their clients. Also email service provider (ESP).
ESP: An Email Service Provider is a company that sends and manages email campaigns for other companies as a hosted service. See details of XYZdirects ESP here
Event triggered email: Messages that are re-programmed to send automatically as and when a certain event occurs, or by a date itself. Eg; birthday or anniversary.
False-negative: When spam filtering devices fail to detect spam, and allow it to be delivered.
Firewall: Describes a program or set of programs specifically designed to restrict unauthorized users or messages from accessing a private network. A firewall typically has rules or protocols that either allow or prohibit external users or messages. In email, a firewall can be programmed to recognise and forbid certain users or domains that it suspects of spamming, hacking or forging.
Font: All characters associated with one style and size of type. For example, all the characters associated with 12 point Arial constitute a font.
Footer: Information contained in the area at the bottom or foot of an email message or newsletter. This information typically does not change from one edition to the next, and usually includes contact information, an unsubscribe functionality, and in the case of a commercial mailing, why and how the recipient received the message. Some software programs can be set to place this information automatically.
Format: The way in which an email is built to appear in the recipient’s inbox. Commercial mailings are usually sent in both HTML and plain-text versions, with the most appropriate format delivered relative to the recipients in-box settings. See HTML and Plain-text listings for more information.
Forward (also Forward to a Friend): A term describing the process whereby email recipients send a message on to other people they know, either because they think their friends will be interested in the message or because there is an incentive for themselves to forward the message. Forwarding can be done using the recipient’s own email client or by providing the recipient with a forwarding mechanic. This typically involves clicking on a link to an online registration page where the recipient fills in their name and email address, the name/email address of the person they want the email to be forwarded to, and (optionally) a brief email message explaining the reason for the forward. Contact XYZdirect for details of how to implement a forward to a friend
Frequency: Describes how often email marketing campaigns are sent out to any given list: daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc.
From: The name that appears in the email recipient's inbox, showing who the email has been sent from. It is chosen by the sender and may be a personal name, a brand name, an email address, a blank space, or alpha-numeric gobbledegook.
Full service provider: An email vendor that also provides strategic consulting and creative services and support, in addition to deploying messages for a client. See XYZdirects Full Service option
Greylisting: A term describing the process by which mail that is suspected of being spam is routed to a bulk folder, as determined by a receiving ISP.
Hard bounce: A hard bounce describes the permanent non-delivery of an e-mail message, because it was sent to a non-existent address, or an address that is now obsolete. A soft bounce is the temporary non-delivery of an e-mail, because it may have been sent to a mailbox that happened to be full at the time of delivery, or because a server was unavailable (offline). Resending the same mail to the same address, which was classified as a soft bounce, at a later date may therefore be successful.
Harvesting: An illegal process that sees specially built programmes trawl the Internet for email addresses, which are then added to databases in preparation for spamming.
Header: The first part of an email message that contains information such as the subject, origin and destination email addresses, as well as the route the email takes, and its priority.
Headline: Relates to the opening line of text at the top of an email that greets recipients on opening the message. The purpose of a headline is to quickly and simply highlight the reason for the email, and to encourage the recipient to read further into the message.
House List: The term describing a permissioned list of customer data that a company has compiled itself. A house list is a valuable asset, and can be used effectively to market, cross sell and up-sell to customers over a period of time.
HTML message: Whereas plain text emails contain only basic type messages, an HTML message can contain graphic images, logos, text variables, and colors. Type within an HTML message may be formatted to appear as bold, italics, and in different sizes. Not all clients accept/display HTML messages.
Hygiene: The process of updating a database where incorrect or outdated data is corrected or deleted. Also known as List Hygiene.
IMAP: Internet Message Access Protocol - a standard protocol for accessing email from a server.
Impression: Describes a single view, of a single email or web page, by a single user. The term is used to calculate advertising rates.
IP addresses: Internet Protocol addresses. The specific, numeric, identification number that refers to a single machine or group of machines on the Internet.
Incentive: Used to encourage people to ‘take action’. Normally a prize or reward, incentives can also be discounts, bonuses, free shipping, bundled pricing, etc.
Internet Service Provider (ISP): Organisation that provides companies or households with access to the internet through connectivity services.
Jargon: Describes a term, phrase or word used in-house or within a particular industry, that is unique to that particular line of business or area of knowledge, and is not generally known to the public at large. Avoid the use of jargon in general correspondence is recommended.
Landing Page: Refers to the page on a website where a visitor is directed to, and arrives at (this may or may not be the home page). In regards to an email campaign, the landing page is the page to which the email directs the prospect via a link. A landing page must satisfy all the requirements pertaining to a home page.
Layout: Refers to the design and arrangement of elements in a digital communication, placed in such a way as to maximise the use of screen ‘real estate’ within the prospect's email client. Layout of an email must take into account the fact that only a small portion of the content will appear in the visible window ("above the fold"), and further reading requires the prospect to scroll down.
Lead: A prospect whose actions have provided insights sufficient to qualify the prospect as a lead who is now actively engaged in the buying decision for a product or service.
Links: Text links, hyperlinks, graphics or images which, when clicked or when pasted into the browser, direct the prospect to another online location. To be most effective in motivating action, links must be obvious to the visitor or recipient.
List: The list of email addresses to which you intend to send the message.
List fatigue: A condition producing diminishing returns from a mailing list whose members are sent too many offers, or too many of the same offers, in too short a period of time.
List hygiene: The process of maintaining a list so that hard bounces, invalid and unsubscribed names are removed from mailings.
List rental: The process in which a publisher or advertiser pays a list owner to send its messages to that list. To comply with the Privacy Act this usually involves the list owner sending the message's on the advertiser's behalf.
Load Time: The length of time it takes for a page to open completely in the browser window. This is influenced by how the HTML is coded and where the images within the message are hosted.
Mailing list: A set of email addresses selected to receive a specific email message.
mailto: Coding which makes an email address in either a text or HTML email clickable. When the link is clicked, it opens the user's email client and inserts the email address in the “To” field of a blank message.
Nth Sampling: To acquire unbiased test results Nth sampling is often used as it generates a highly random sample from a list. To generate this sample the approach creates a subset of the master list based on selecting every Nth record from within the list. For example, if one is doing fifth-testing, every fifth person on the list is sent the email.
Open: An opened email is an indication that the recipient of the message has interacted with the message by “opening” the message. "Opened" messages include HTML emails that have been viewed in a preview pane or fully opened in the email client, as long as images have been enabled. Opens are generally tracked by inserting a small clear image (pixel) in an HTML message. When a message is opened and images are enabled, the image calls the server and the message is then counted as an open. Text messages cannot be tracked as opened because they cannot include images.
Open rate: The number of HTML message recipients who opened your email, usually as a percentage of the total number of emails sent. The open rate is considered a key metric for judging an email campaign's success.
Open relay: SMTP email server that allows the third-party relay of email messages through the SMTP "port" on a server (port 25).
Open proxy: Software that exists on a server that allows the third-party relay of e-mail messages through ports other than port 25.
Opt-in: The decision by an individual to actively join a list and in so doing agreeing to receive communications from the business source. Double opt in (or Confirmed opt in) refers to the validation of an opt in by sending an email to the email address which is opting in and only adding them to the master list once they have confirmed receipt of the email which validates their email address and confirms their wish to opt in.
Opt-out: Process of requesting to be removed from a email list from a business source or unsubscribing if the recipient is already on a mailing list.
Pass-along: An email recipient who got your message via forwarding from a subscriber. (Some emails offer "forward to a friend" in the creative, but the vast majority of pass-alongs happen using email clients) Also known as viral, forward to a friend, or referral.
Percent Bounced Back: The number of emails that were returned as undeliverable divided by the total number of emails sent, multiplied by 100.
Percent Opened: The number of emails opened divided by the total number of emails sent, multiplied by 100.
Percent Removes/Unsubscribes: The number of requests for opt-out or removal/unsubscribe divided by the total number of emails sent, multiplied by 100.
Permission: The concept of a user providing “permission:” to a 3rd party to communicate with them about agreed subject matters. Opt in is regularly considered to be the act of providing permission.
Personalisation: The practice of populating information about the recipient into the message. In its simplest form this would include firstname, so commencing the message “Dear #Firstname#. At the next level the message could include details of previous purchases or correspondence.
Phishing: (Pronounced 'fishing') The act of forging emails that claim to be from a legitimate sender, such as a bank, for the purpose of identity theft or robbery. Phishing emails usually link to a replica of a legitimate web page that tries to trick users into submitting personal or financial information or passwords.
Plain text: Text in an email message that includes no formatting code. See HTML.
POP: Post Office Protocol, which an email client uses to send to or receive messages from an email server.
Preferences: Options a list member can select when opting in to receive messages. Preferences could include selecting the specific type of information they wish to receive by topic and the frequency with which they which to receive these. The more preferences a user can specify, the more likely you'll send relevant email.
Preview Pane: The window in an email client that allows the user to scan message content without actually clicking on the message. See Open Rate.
Privacy policy: A clear description of how your company uses the email addresses and other information it gathers via opt-in requests for newsletters, company information or third-party offers or other functions. If you rent, sell or exchange your list to anyone outside your company, or if you add email addresses to opt-out messages, you should state so in the privacy policy. State laws may also compel you to explain your privacy policy, where to put the policy statement so people will see it and even in form the policy should be displayed. See our privacy policy here
Recipient: The entity that handles the receipt of the email and delivery to the end recipient, usually identified by the domain at the end of the email address of the recipient in the ‘To’ line.
Referral: An email message that has been forwarded on from an original recipient to another person.
Registration: The process where someone not only opts in to your email program but provides some additional information, such as name, address, demographic data or other relevant information, usually by using a Web form.
Rental list: A list of prospects, or a targeted group of recipients who have opted-in to receive information from 3rd parties. Using permission-based rental lists, marketers can send e-mail messages to audiences targeted by interest category, profession and demographic information. Costs to send a solus messages to these 3rd parry lists range from $150-$500 per thousand records sent
Reply-to: The email address to which messages are sent from users who click “reply” in their email clients. This address may differ from the “from” address which can be an automated or unmonitored email address used only to send messages to a distribution list. Your “Reply-to” email address should always be a monitored address, as recipients have a tendency to use this process to unsubscribe from messages.
Reverse DNS: The process in which an IP address is matched correctly to a domain name, instead of a domain name being matched to an IP address. Reverse DNS is a method for catching spammers who use invalid IP addresses. If a spam filter or program can't match the IP address to the domain name, it can reject the email.
Rich Media: A category of web technologies that utilize streaming video, audio and other static or animated files to create an advanced media experience for viewing content.
Seed list: A list of email addresses that is included in every email campaign to monitor delivery of the messages.
Segment: The ability to split a list into sub sets relative to attributes held against the records, such as gender, age, open history or location.
Sender-ID: An authentication standard proposed by Microsoft, that compares an email sender's "From" address to the IP address authorized to send email from that domain.
Sender Policy Framework (also SPF): A protocol used to eliminate email forgeries. A line of code called an SPF record is placed in a sender’s Domain Name Server information. The incoming mail server can verify a sender by reading the SPF record before allowing a message through.
Sent emails: Number of email names deployed in a single broadcast
SPF: SPF (Sender Policy Framework) compares an email sender's actual IP address to a list of IP addresses authorized to send mail from that domain. This list is published in the domain's DNS record.
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a server-to-server protocol used to transfer email between computers.
SMTP log file: A file showing all conversations back and forth between servers during the email send and receive process.
Soft bounce: Email sent to an active (live) email address but which is rejected before being delivered. Often, the problem is temporary -- the server is down or the recipient's mailbox is over quota. The email might be held at the recipient's server and delivered later, or the sender's email program may attempt to deliver it again.
Spam: Widely-used slang reference to unsolicited commercial email messages.
Spam-trap address: An email address that is set up specifically to catch people who are harvesting addresses or using directory attacks to send unsolicited email. Used by Brightmail, ISPs and many in the anti-spam community.
Spoofing: Forged email addresses that hide the origin of a spam or virus message. Used to trick people into opening an email because they believe it has come from a legitimate source.
Subject Line: The title of the email communication. This is the first content of the communication recipients will see when they access their email. Along with the from address this is a critical influencer on the open rate. Our tests indicate that the from address should be less than 50 characters and focus on a single minded proposition.
Subscribe: The process of joining a mailing list, either through an email command, by filling out a Web form, or offline by filling out a form.
Subscriber: The person who has requested to join a mailing list.
Suppression list: A list of email addresses kept by a single organization that should not be mailed to any longer.
Targeting: Sending the right message to the right recipient at the right time.
Teaser: A message, or part of a message, designed to arouse curiosity and interest, but without revealing too much detail in itself. You can use appropriate teaser copy in the subject line to encourage prospects or customers to read the email.
Test: A necessary step before sending an email campaign or newsletter. Many email clients permit you to send a test email before sending a regular email newsletter or solo mailing, in which you would send one copy of the message to an in-house email address and then review it for formatting or copy errors or improperly formatted links.
Text email: Plain message with words only, no colors, graphics, fonts or pictures; can be received by anyone who has email.
Throttling: The practice of regulating how many email message a broadcaster sends to one ISP or mail server at a time. Some ISPs bounce email if it receives too many messages from one sending address at a time.
Tracking: Collecting and evaluating the statistics from which one can measure the effectiveness of an email or an email campaign.
UCE: Unsolicited commercial email. The term normally given to commercial email sent without the recipient's permission. Those accused of sending UCE can run into trouble, ranging from impolite responses through loss of Internet access accounts to destruction of reputations and infrastructure.
Unique Recipients: The number of unique individuals that received an email from a forwarder or referrer.
Unsubscribe: To remove oneself from an email list, either via an emailed command to the list server or by filling in a Web form. Also opt-out.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): The Web address for a page, always beginning with http:// (or https:// for a secure page) and followed by www. (or variations, although some URLs are set up not to include this information) and the domain name.
Verification: A program that determines an email came from the sender listed in the return path or Internet headers; designed to stop email from forged senders.
Verified opt-in: Formerly known as double opt-in. Requires secondary confirmation from an email address to confirm intended registration to receive email.
Viral Design: Elements and functions included in a communication that encourage and allow recipients to pass the offer along to others, thereby leveraging the marketing effort ("tell a friend," "please forward," etc.).
Webmail (also Web mail): Any of several Web-based email clients where clients have to go to a Web site to access or download email instead of using a desktop application. Some examples are Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail.
Whitelist: A list of trusted IP addresses and domains that allows all mail from these addresses to be delivered, bypassing spam filters.