FROM nobody@example.com – Why do some senders neglect the basics of email marketing?

I get so excited when I see clever email marketing or even simple relevant email marketing. There are so many great examples from companies getting it right. Unfortunately there are just as many companies getting it wrong – and I’m referring to the basics of email marketing: the FROM name and from and reply addresses.

Why is it so important to get right? In email marketing terms, these are the elements that help make that visit into the customer’s inbox a worthy one or one that will result in a quick exit via the delete button.

FROM name

Customers open emails from brands they know. Just recently the DMA sent out an email that came from an individual instead of the organisation. The uproar from the email community at this basic error was palpable.

Nobody wants to receive an email from someone they don’t know. There is enough spam going around without having to guess who the email is from. Stick to your brand name, as customers have become accustomed to recognising a brand and opening the associated emails.

Take note: The FROM name is important for all emails. Far too often, automated emails are completely forgotten and as       you can see from the example below, will quite easily get lost in the crowd of email with the same non-branded FROM     names.

 

Reply address

Emails may be sent in bulk, but are often perceived to be a two-way communication channel. The recipient may want to respond by simply clicking reply. Far too often though reply addresses don’t work or they are unmanned, leaving a frustrated customer on the other end.

Nothing quite says ‘we don’t care about you’ as much as not responding to customer replies and making it difficult for them to reply to your email. This may lead to them unsubscribing or worse, hitting the junk-mail button.

Many customers will use the reply option as a means to unsubscribe – let them. It’s better than having them mark your email as junk-mail.

Take note: Allowing customers to reply is great for customer service and fantastic for deliverability. When customers     reply  to emails, it registers as engagement at some webmail providers like Yahoo! Gmail and Hotmail. If your     engagement is high, your inbox penetration will also be higher.

FROM address

Not enough time is spent thinking about the FROM address. Considering that this address is often displayed in email clients, it should be higher up on the priority list.

The FROM address is the email address that is displayed next to the FROM name in email clients. I have included three examples from my Gmail account, however most other email clients treat the appearance of the FROM address in a similar way.



So, when you haven’t tested that pesky automated email and it comes from nobody@example.com, or a long FROM address via another address displays next to your brand, that personal interaction with the customer goes flying out the door.

Take note: When the FROM address mimics the reply and the FROM name hasn’t been set up correctly, you are also in      a situation where that email address will display in the FROM area. See the example below. It really screams ‘we just      don’t care’ - doesn’t it?

Don’t assume anything – check your basics!

Take time to get the basics right, as they will impact campaigns and the experience the customer has with your brand in their inbox. Test every email leaving the organisation – including those automated emails everyone just assumes are right.

If you would like to get it right with email, then get in touch with one of our email marketing experts..

Mia Papanicolaou
striata.com