Karissa Bell says, “Google is previewing a new version of Google Contacts that aims to simplify the service — by combining users’ Gmail and Google+ connections in one place. The new Google Contacts, a service usually accessed on desktop browsers, will make it easier for people to find connections and keep contact information up to date, Google says. SEE ALSO: 5 Google Inbox features that will make email suck less To create this more streamlined experience, contact information will be synced across Google+ and Gmail. Google Contacts will automatically pull in information from your contacts’... [...]

Lisa Furgison says, “Service-based businesses like computer repair shops, staffing agencies, cleaning services, marketing companies, e-commerce businesses and a whole host of others use email marketing to promote their business. While many service-based businesses embrace the power of email marketing, it’s safe to say the way you utilize email is much different than the big box stores at the mall. To help service-based businesses use email marketing to its fullest, we’ve created this guide that’s chock-full of information and tips to maximize every email you send. We’ll cover why your... [...]

Sujan Patel says, “Did you know that there’s a form of marketing that returns $44.25 for every $1 spent? I’d ask you to guess what it is, but if you’ve read the title of this article, it’s probably pretty clear that the answer is email marketing. Far from being “dead,” email marketing still has one of the highest engagement rates and returns on investment of any marketing strategy. The key, for any company, is standing out from the crowd. One way to determine whether your email marketing efforts are effective is to track your email open rates. There are plenty of mistakes companies... [...]

Dwight Sholes says, “Planning to start sending email to subscribers in countries outside the U.S.?  Here are twelve tips to make sure you are successful. Language:  Establish at the outset the language that you will be using to address your audience.  Will you be sending English-language emails to your international audience, or addressing subscribers in their local language?  This decision varies by country, region and audience.  For example, in some countries you must use the local language for all emails while in other markets local subscribers are accustomed to receiving email in... [...]

Aleksandr Peterson says, “As marketing automation gains popularity many companies are expanding their use of email campaigns. Spammers, unfortunately, are also expanding their use of spam. In 2013, spam comprised an estimated 84 percent of all email traffic. As a result, email providers and readers have raised the standards for what content makes it into the inbox and stays there. Even if you aren’t trying to send spam (which we’ll assume you aren’t), many of your targeted messages could be filtered out of inboxes before prospects get a first impression. In addition to choosing... [...]

The biggest marketing companies around use email: Staples, Kroger, Walmart, Sears and many others use email to sell their products. They know something about email that you may think is no longer true. They know email still works. That’s why they spend thousands of dollars every month sending attractive emails to their customers and their opt-in leads. To prove this point, Joe Lavery cites a high-powered consultant’s report, “”A new study from McKinsey cites email’s dominance over Facebook and Twitter, saying email is nearly 40 times better than Facebook and Twitter at acquiring... [...]

Selena Blue says, “If you haven’t noticed, #SherpaEmail has taken over Twitter. Well, maybe not in a break-the-Internet scale of Kim Kardashian, but your marketing peers have been tweeting their hearts out with all the good information they’ve learned at MarketingSherpa Email Summit 2015. With Day 2 of Summit underway, we wanted to share some key nuggets your peers found valuable on Day 1. (I might have smuggled a few of my own in too.) Check out some key takeaways from each of yesterday’s insightful sessions. Humanizing Your Email Program: How to transcend the digital revolution by using... [...]

Kathy McGovern says, “We’ve all seen ‘em. Emails that are so ugly, you ask yourself, “What were they thinking?” Nobody wants to send an ugly email, but it happens. To avoid major email eyesores, here’s a list of flaws or faux pas you should avoid when creating your emails. 1. An email template that isn’t mobile-friendly Sending an email that doesn’t render properly on a smartphone or tablet can be a waste of time for both the sender, as well as the reader. It’s frustrating for a reader to shift from vertical to horizontal while simultaneously pinching the screen to zoom in. After... [...]

Dela Quist says, “Since the inception of email as a marketing medium, it’s been thought of as a bottom-of-the-funnel marketing tool – driving conversions and purchases using data gathered from previous emails and other channels. As a result, email marketers have been laser-focused on sending the right message to the right person at the right time. However, this has created a dominant way of thinking that views email marketing as a staccato series of singular events. It’s not wrong, but that approach doesn’t allow email marketers to fully realize email’s potential through the rest... [...]

Sam Hollis says, “Managing an email campaign is easier said than done. Sure, using an email service provider definitely makes it easier to create and send emails to subscribers. But there are a number of different things you have to do to ensure you’re delivering emails people love. If you don’t, you could end up sending out the most dreaded email message of them all: Spam. *Cue the spooky music* If you stick to email best practices, however, you can be more confident that you’re sending emails people want to check out. And when that happens, you’ll be well on your way to growing and... [...]