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Glossary of Email Marketing
A/B Testing
Also known as split testing, it’s the process of sending two variations of an email to a small segment of your audience to see which version performs better. This can be used to test subject lines, email content, images, CTA buttons, and more.Automation
The use of software to send emails automatically, based on triggers or schedules you set. This can include welcome emails, transactional emails, or any email sent in response to a subscriber's specific actions.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of your emails that were not delivered to the recipient's inbox. Bounces are classified as either "hard" (permanent issues, like a non-existent email address) or "soft" (temporary issues, like a full inbox).Call to Action (CTA)
A button or link placed in your email that encourages the recipient to take a specific action, such as visiting a website, making a purchase, or subscribing to a service.Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of email recipients who clicked on one or more links contained in an email. This metric helps measure the effectiveness of your email content and CTAs.
Conversion Rate
The percentage of email recipients who completed a desired action after clicking on a link within an email, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.Deliverability
The ability of your emails to reach the recipient’s inbox without being marked as spam or getting blocked by email providers.Double Opt-In
A two-step process where a user subscribes to an email list and then must confirm their subscription, usually by clicking a link in a confirmation email. This method ensures higher quality lists by verifying the subscriber's intent.Email List Segmentation
The practice of dividing your email subscribers into smaller segments based on specified criteria, such as demographics, purchase history, or engagement level, to send more targeted and relevant content.Open Rate
The percentage of email recipients who open a given email. This metric is used to gauge the initial appeal of your email, often through its subject line.Personalization
The practice of tailoring emails to individual recipients based on personal data, such as their name, preferences, or past behavior, to increase relevance and engagement.Spam
Unsolicited email, often sent in bulk. Email marketing campaigns must comply with laws like the CAN-SPAM Act to avoid being classified as spam.Subject Line
The title of the email, visible to the recipient before they open the email. The subject line's effectiveness can significantly impact the email's open rate.Unsubscribe Rate
The percentage of recipients who opt-out of your email list after receiving an email. This metric can help gauge the overall satisfaction and relevance of your emails to your audience.CAN-SPAM Act
A law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.Churn Rate
The rate at which subscribers leave your email list over time, either by unsubscribing or through email addresses becoming inactive or invalid.
Domain Reputation
The reputation of your email sending domain, as assessed by ISPs. A good domain reputation helps your emails reach the inbox, while a poor one can lead to being blacklisted or marked as spam.Engagement Rate
A broader metric that measures the level of interaction subscribers have with your emails, often including opens, clicks, forwards, and social shares. It's an indicator of how compelling and relevant your content is to your audience.GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
A regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy in the European Union and the European Economic Area. It also addresses the transfer of personal data outside the EU and EEA areas.Hard Bounce
An email that has been returned to the sender because the recipient's address is invalid or no longer exists. Hard bounces negatively affect your sender reputation.Lead Nurturing
The process of developing relationships with buyers at every stage of the sales funnel, and through every step of the buyer's journey. It focuses on marketing and communication efforts on listening to the needs of prospects, and providing the information and answers they need.List Fatigue
A decline in engagement from an email list over time, often due to over-mailing or under-segmenting, which can lead to higher unsubscribe rates and lower overall activity.Multivariate Testing
An advanced form of A/B testing where multiple variables are tested simultaneously to determine how changes in those variables affect the email's performance.Opt-In
The action a user takes when they actively agree to receive emails from a sender. Double opt-in refers to a process where the user must confirm their subscription, typically by clicking a link in a confirmation email.Preheader Text
The snippet of text that appears in the inbox after the email subject line. Preheader text provides a preview of the email content and can influence whether an email is opened.Re-engagement Campaign
A campaign aimed at reactivating subscribers who haven't interacted with your emails over a set period. These campaigns often include special offers or messages to entice subscribers back.Sender Policy Framework (SPF)
An email authentication method used to prevent spammers from sending messages on behalf of your domain. It verifies that the sending server has permission to send emails on behalf of the domain.Soft Bounce
An email that reaches the recipient's mail server but is returned undelivered before it gets to the inbox, usually due to a temporary issue like a full mailbox or a server problem.Whitelist
A list of approved and safe senders. Being on a recipient's whitelist greatly increases the chances that your emails will reach their inbox.Behavioral Email
Targeting Sending emails based on the actions a subscriber takes, such as visiting a specific page on your website, abandoning a shopping cart, or interacting with a previous email. This technique allows for highly personalized and timely communication.Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR)
A metric that measures the effectiveness of the email content itself, calculated by dividing the number of unique clicks by the number of unique opens. It provides insight into how engaging your email content is to those who opened the email.Email Deliverability Audit
A comprehensive review of your email program to identify and rectify issues affecting your ability to reach subscribers' inboxes. This can include analyzing sender reputation, authentication, list quality, and content to improve overall deliverability.Email Header and Footer
The header of an email typically includes the sender's name and subject line, while the footer contains legal information like the company address, unsubscribe link, and privacy policy. Both elements are crucial for brand recognition and compliance with email regulations.IP Warming
A practice similar to domain warming, where a new IP address gradually increases its volume of sent emails to build a positive sending reputation. This is particularly important for high-volume senders moving to a new email service provider or starting with a dedicated IP address.List Hygiene
The process of keeping an email list clean by regularly removing inactive, bounced, and unsubscribed email addresses. Good list hygiene helps maintain high deliverability rates and engagement.Lookalike Audience Targeting
Creating a new audience segment that shares characteristics with your best existing customers, using data analytics or AI. This technique can be used to expand your reach to potential subscribers likely to be interested in your content or offers.Post-Click Tracking
The process of tracking subscriber actions after they click a link in your email. This can include which pages they visit, how long they stay on your site, and whether they convert. Post-click tracking provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of your email campaigns in driving desired actions.Responsive Email Design
Designing email templates that automatically adjust their layout and content to fit the screen size on which they are viewed, ensuring an optimal reading experience across all devices.Sender Score
A reputation rating from 0 to 100 for every outgoing mail server IP address. Mail servers use the sender score to determine whether your emails should be considered spam. The score is calculated based on your sending habits, spam complaints, and bounce rates.Transactional Emails
Automated emails sent to an individual recipient following a transaction or specific action, such as purchase confirmations, shipping notifications, and password resets. These emails are essential for providing customers with timely and relevant information.Email Warm-up
A process of gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from a new email domain or IP address over time to build a positive reputation with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and avoid being marked as spam.Sender Reputation
A score assigned to an email sender based on the quality of their sending habits, including factors like email volume, frequency, engagement rates, and spam complaints. A good sender reputation helps ensure emails reach the inbox.Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Companies that provide individuals and organizations access to the Internet and email services. ISPs have spam filters and algorithms to block or flag unwanted emails, making them a crucial factor in email deliverability.IP Address (Internet Protocol Address)
A unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. In email marketing, the sender’s IP address can affect deliverability based on its reputation.Domain Reputation
Similar to IP reputation, but associated with the domain from which an email is sent. A domain's reputation can influence email deliverability independently of the IP address reputation.Blacklist
A list used by email providers to block emails from domains or IP addresses that have been reported or identified as sources of spam. Being on a blacklist can severely impact email deliverability.Engagement Rate
A measure of how recipients interact with your emails, including opens, clicks, replies, and forwards. High engagement rates can positively influence your sender reputation.Bounce Rate
The percentage of sent emails that could not be delivered to the recipient's inbox. Bounces can be "hard" (permanent issues, like a non-existent email address) or "soft" (temporary issues, like a full mailbox).Feedback Loop
A mechanism offered by some ISPs that notifies senders when recipients mark their emails as spam. This feedback can be used to improve email practices and reduce spam complaints.Throttling
The practice of intentionally limiting the number of emails sent over a certain period to avoid triggering spam filters and to manage the load on email servers.Double Opt-In
A method of email subscription that requires new subscribers to confirm their email address by clicking a link in a confirmation email. This ensures that subscribers genuinely want to receive emails and helps maintain a clean email list.Authentication Protocols
Techniques used to verify the sender's identity, helping to protect against phishing and spoofing. Common protocols include SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance).SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
The standard protocol used for sending emails across the internet. It facilitates the transmission of email messages between servers. SMTP Server A server that uses SMTP to send, receive, and relay outgoing emails. It acts as a postal service for email, determining how and where emails should be sent.
Sending Limits
Restrictions placed by an email provider on the number of emails that can be sent from an SMTP server within a certain timeframe. These limits can vary depending on the provider and are often gradually increased during the warm-up process.Deliverability
The ability of an email to successfully reach the recipient’s inbox without being filtered out as spam or rejected by the server. High deliverability rates are crucial for effective email marketing.IP Warm-up
A related process where a new IP address is gradually introduced to sending emails to build a positive sending reputation. Similar principles apply to both IP and SMTP warm-up.Reputation Score
A score assigned to an SMTP server based on the quality of its email sending practices. Factors influencing this score include the rate of bounced emails, the frequency of emails marked as spam, and engagement metrics like open and click-through rates.Volume Scaling
The practice of gradually increasing the number of emails sent through an SMTP server over time. Starting with low volumes allows ISPs to recognize and trust the new server without flagging it for suspicious activity.Email Throttling
Intentionally slowing down the rate at which emails are sent to avoid overwhelming recipients’ servers and to stay within sending limits. Throttling is a common practice during the SMTP warm-up phase.Bounce Management The process of handling emails that are returned as undeliverable (bounced). Effective bounce management involves removing invalid addresses from mailing lists and adjusting sending practices to reduce future bounces.