JangoMail In Progress: On Track With Jack

Showing posts with label On Track With Jack. Show all posts

Thursday, June 26, 2014

On Track With Jack: Test Personalization With a Test List

The sun is shining out here in Dayton, Ohio and next week is the Fourth of July! Before the fireworks, picnics, and barbecues kickoff make sure your email marketing has a personal touch. Customers respond better to messages that are tailored specifically to them.

With JangoMail you can easily personalize your messages beyond a first and last name. You can send personalized:

Subject Lines
Messages
From Email Address
From Display Name
Reply-To Address
CC Address
BCC Address
Attachments

Today, my tip is on testing personalization:

Test Personalization With a Test List

In order for a successful test, you must send to a list. Personalization will not work by just clicking the “Send a Test” button and sending a preview. When we test our campaigns, I have a special “Jack” test list I’ve created with a few of my own personal email addresses.

When I’m ready to preview my campaign I send to my “Jack” test list first. Again, I’m going through the same steps that I normally would when sending a campaign, but just sending to my test list and no others. Always double check your lists before you hit Send to make sure you’re only sending to your test list. Once you've received your message and everything looks good, you’re ready to officially send to your active customer lists or database.

To recap: Customers respond better to messages that are personalized. Make sure you test your personalization with a test list in JangoMail.

If you need a refresher on how to create a new list like a “Jack” test list, take a look at the list section in our Quick Stat Guide. For a step-by-step guide on how to incorporate personalization in your emails, check out our documentation.

Have questions? Ask. Dial 1-888-465-2646 or drop us a line here.

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

Jack the Jangolope is our JangoMail mascot. Each week, look for Jack's emails for marketing advice, trends, and quick tips on how to grow your email marketing plan to the fullest! Hop into email marketing each week with Jack's helpful tips!

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

We want to hear from you. Remember, at JangoMail it's your email, your way. Have a topic you would like Jack to cover? Email us at marketing@jangomemail.com with the subject line: On Track With Jack. Follow Jack on Facebook

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Friday, May 30, 2014

On Track With Jack: The Importance of Plain Text

While sum-sum-summertime is here, don’t take a vacation from your email marketing! There are a ton of great business opportunities to take advantage of - market them all with JangoMail. Most recently, we’ve spent a lot of time focusing on deliverability, and I have something else to add into the mix this week:

Always generate a plain text version of your email.

Each time you send out a new email, you should include a plain text version. While most email clients support HTML messages nowadays, there are still some platforms and devices that cannot display HTML. Additionally, there are a few folks out there that prefer to block HTML emails. When you send plain text with HTML, you ensure that your recipient can see your email, no matter what.

Need another reason? Spam filters check for plain text because spammers do not include it. A lot of messages without it go straight into the junk folder. Please note that the spam filter also checks for a balance of HTML to plain text so you want to make sure you have an even amount of both.

At JangoMail, we make it easy. Once you have the HTML portion of your email finalized click on the second tab in the editor labeled “Plain Text”. You have two options here: you can “Generate now based on HTML message” or “Generate automatically at send time”.

If you want to edit any portion of the plain text, click the first link. I prefer this option, especially for newsletters because I like to remove any duplicate links, for example.

Choose the second option if you want your plain text to be identical to your HTML message and it will be created when your message sends. The system will generate the latest version right before your message is processed.

To recap: Make sure that you always include a plain text version. With JangoMail, you can easily create plain text to ensure your message delivers.

Have questions? Ask. Dial 1-888-465-2646 or drop us a line here.

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Thursday, April 17, 2014

On Track With Jack: Welcome Newbees and Deliverability Buzz

Finally, spring is here! With the warm weather comes a swarm of newbees, new free trial users that is. Over the last month or so, we've had the most sign-ups to date, and today we're going to review what you need to do to get started with JangoMail.

Existing users, you can benefit from this post too. Use it as a checklist to ensure you have everything in place with your account. These steps will also help with deliverability. Check out these five simple steps to get started:

Get started in 5 Simple Steps:

	Step 1: Activate your account. Note: Your Full-Featured Free Trial Account is valid for 30 days.
	Step 2: Send from an email address at your company's domain. If you do not have a domain, read this article.
	Step 3: Set up SPF. An SPF record tells recipient servers that your JangoMail account has permission to send messages as your company.
	Step 4: Set up DKIM. Messages with DKIM signatures prove that your From Address is legitimate.
	Step 5: Set up Custom Tracking. A custom tracking domain adds another level of authenticity to your messages if you want to track opens or clicks.

So, what's all the buzz about deliverability? Deliverability has been a serious issue lately, not just with JangoMail, but everywhere with any ESP. In an effort to prevent spam, email clients have upped their security measures. They have gotten so strict that sometimes messages from a trusted sender falls into spam until it's added to a safe sender list.

What can you do? In addition to following the above steps, your first message should be a welcome email announcing that you've switched providers. If you're not a new user, send a just checking in message. Encourage your subscribers to do the same. Why? Once you're on their safe sender or white list, your message will stay out of spam.

In our emails, you may have noticed the link up top: Add Our Address to Your Safe Sender List. In addition to your welcome/checking in email, create your own link that will be placed at the top of all your messages moving forward. Write up a new blog post or landing page on your site that includes these steps. If you're concerned that your users never check their Spam Folder, post a guide on your website and social media networks. It will work well near your opt-in form and confirmation page.

In JangoMail, use our Delivery Optimizer, Spam Score Checker, and Delivery Health Check. Read this step by step guide on our Delivery Optimizer. View the Spam Score Checker with any broadcast message you send, and if a specific email address still isn't receiving your message, check it with the Delivery Health Check tool beside the Delivery Optimizer on the Reports page.

Think you have all your bases covered? Create and send your first email.

To recap: Follow the above steps to make sure your account is set up to properly deliver your email messages. Send a welcome email encouraging subscribers to add you to their safe sender/white list.

Still have questions? Ask. Dial 1-888-465-2646 or drop us a line here.

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Thursday, March 13, 2014

On Track With Jack: Mobile Best Practices

I hate to break it to all of my admirers out there, but I’m in a serious relationship with my smartphone. She’s the first thing I see in the morning, and the last thing I see when I go to sleep. Day in and day out, I check my email, catch up on the news, and connect with friends on social media. And, I know I’m not alone.

In a recent survey completed by Acxiom...

91.4% of respondents said they use their smartphone to check personal email. - Acxiom "Email Marketing and Mobile Devices: A Survey of Consumer Habits and Perceptions"(2013).

So, what does that mean for email marketing? It means that more and more people are reading email on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Here’s my tip, well question, of the week: Are your emails mobile friendly?

Here are a few pointers to get you started on the mobile track:

Clear and concise content is key. While content always needs to be compelling, cut it down so readers can skim and scroll. Space is limited on mobile, so don’t weigh down your message with too much information. Short clear paragraphs and bullet points are ideal.
Scale down your design. The dimensions of the email should also be reduced since mobile screens are a lot smaller. We recommend keeping it between 320-550px wide. Note: Check out our new mobile Smart Templates under the mobile tab.
Use larger text. Fonts should be larger than those in traditional emails. Keep body text at a minimum of 14px and headlines at 22px.
Larger images and spacing. Touch screens are here to stay! Instead of clicking, people will touch. Balance your design with well-spaced images and icons to accommodate fat, I mean healthy, finger errors.
Alt text is a must. Include alt text on your graphics for a responsive design. Note: Image blocking will occur by default, a prompt will display urging users to display messages, similar to desktop. The only mobile OS that does not block images by default is iOs.
Short and sweet subject lines. Long subject lines get cut off, but shorter ones between 24-31 characters work best. Tell your readers what’s inside!
Call on your new Call To Action (CTA). What do you want your readers to do after they receive your message? Include a call to action, but do not use ‘Click Here’. Mobile users cannot click, however, they can tap and swipe.
CTA + Buttons = High CTR (Click-through rate). Make your CTA stand out with a big button. Link out to your website or landing page for more information. Buttons should be at least 44 pixels and should be centered or left aligned.
Include links. Unsubscribe, Forward to a Friend, Subscribe, and Social Media links are still a must. Be sure to also keep any View as Webpage link just in case your readers want to view your message in a browser.
Preview, preview, preview. Take a look at the different mobile previews in JangoMail to see how your subscribers will view your message on their mobile device or tablet. Select different Mobile Clients to test your message.

To recap: With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets, make sure your emails are mobile-friendly. Check out our Mobile Templates to get started!

With those steps in mind, you are on your way to mobile-friendly messages, and for me, my relationship with my smartphone has never been stronger. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact a JangoMail expert today at 1-855-709-4099.

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Friday, February 07, 2014

On Track With Jack: EasyPromos Review

Looking to expand your Facebook reach with a contest? There's an app for that…actually there are a ton of apps for that, but out of all of them EasyPromos is at the top of my list.

Let's back up a second. In August Facebook updated their Page Terms, allowing users to run contests on business pages, however, there are still restrictions. Apps make it easier. They allow you to collect data on all the fans that enter, including email. Additionally, apps meet all of the Facebook standards, so you don't have to keep up with their ever-changing guidelines.

My tip for the week: If you are running a Facebook contest use an app like EasyPromos.

Recently, we ran a Facebook contest for JangoMail and our sister company, JangoSMTP. Contests are great because you can grow your likes in a short amount of time and we did just that with EasyPromos.

EasyPromos offers three different levels to their app. I've never had to use anything more than the Basic level. You can use it for sweepstakes and direct prizes, photo contests, text contests, coupons and discounts, and instant win contests. The first promo is free per page and anything after that is only $15.

The Basic level is geared toward pages that have less than 5,000 fans. It is very easy to set up and monitor. You'll enjoy their statistic and winner tools, as well as their impeccable customer service.

Whatever Facebook contest you do, connect your email efforts back to it - again, it's important to keep any new relationships going after the contest. To build your subscriber list, include a link to your opt-in form or require an email address to enter. Place a disclaimer in the contest terms that clearly states fans are signing up to also receive email notifications from you.

To recap: Broaden your marketing efforts with a Facebook contest, but drive your traffic back to your business with email. Third-party apps like EasyPromos are affordable and easy-to-use. For more information visit their website: www.easypromosapp.com.

We're here to help! Whether it's a mobile or social app give us a call at 1-855-709-4099 and ask one of our experts. Chances are they've already used it and would be happy to tell you what we think. Have an app you'd like me to review? Email me at marketing@jangomemail.com.

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

On Track With Jack: Recurring Messages

Jangolopes - Are you ready for some football?

As you prepare for the big game this weekend, make sure you have your recurring messages set up so you can enjoy yourself.

Set up and Edit Recurring Messages

Let me back up first…If you don't know about this feature, make sure you check it out! Recurring emails are email messages that are automatically sent based on user defined settings.

You can schedule recurring messages to automate any emails you routinely send your subscribers. This is perfect for any welcome, thank you, billing, appointment, service, and any other notification emails.

With JangoMail, it's easy to set up recurring messages and now you can easily edit them after they are scheduled, just in case you need to make any updates.

Here's how you can get started:

1. Create a new message and save it.
Note: Double check that "Get Fresh Data" is selected on the schedule tab. This allows the system to automatically send to new subscribers each time a recurring message is sent.
2. Navigate to the Settings tab and click on Recurring Messages under Sending and Receiving.

3. Enter in your preferences to Add a Schedule and press SAVE.

To Edit a Recurring Message:

1. Locate the message you wish to change and click the pencil icon to edit.
a. You can adjust your schedule here if needed.
2. To edit the email content click the pencil icon next to Message to recur.

3. The editor will open in a new window.
4. Make your changes and Save.

To Recap: Take time to set up your recurring messages! Now you can easily edit any messages after they are scheduled.

Enjoy the game, and, as always, if you don't see what you need just ask! After all, it's your email, your way!

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Friday, January 24, 2014

On Track With Jack: It's Time to turn off EditLive

Hi JangoMail Users!

It's always hard to say goodbye, but it's time to bid adieu to a special friend. We've had our ups and downs, but lately there have been mostly downs. Sometimes you just know when it's time for someone to retire. With mixed emotions (but mostly excitement), I give you my tip for the week:

Turn off EditLive and Switch to Our TinyMCE(v3) Editor

EditLive works with Java, which for a very long time has caused lots of headaches for you and our support team. While browsers and Java update with the times, EditLive does not. In the past, these updates caused problems, but now we've finally hit a point where the latest Java update has caused EditLive to stop all together.

Luckily we have another editor that works great! The Advanced editor doesn't need Java and therefore doesn't error out like EditLive does.

As a reminder, here are a few benefits of using our Advanced editor:

If you can't resist copying from Word, use the new "Paste from Word" button. NOTE: We do NOT recommend creating any emails using Word. Copy/paste text using Notepad or a Simple Text Editor instead.

You do not have to wait for Java to load, and there are no error messages.
Agencies: You can also lock content by restricting subaccounts from editing certain parts of an email. (This is more of an advanced tip: When using EditLive, in the HTML, you would tag an item as conenteditable="false". Now you can do that here too, add class="readonly".)

To verify that you are using our TinyMCE(v3) editor, follow these steps:

Click Settings.
Select Authoring to expand section.
In the last option, Preferred HTML Editor, check to see if TinyMCE is listed.
If not, click the pencil icon to edit.

Select TinyMCE.

Press Save.

Are you still using the old user interface? Here's some directions on how to switch there:

Click Settings.
Visit the Send E-Mail Page link.
Choose TinyMCE for the HTML Editor.
Click the Save Changes button.

If you haven't used our Advanced Editor before and have questions, our support team is here to help you transition.

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Thursday, January 09, 2014

On Track With Jack: Email Over Snail Mail

Hi Jangolopes!

Brrrrr...I thought the Ice Age was long gone, but I'm not sure after this week. Hibernation sounds pretty good right now, but with postage going up at the end of the month, there are so many emails to send! Turn the heat up on the polar vortex and read my tip of the week:

Choose email over snail mail.

At the end of the month, first-class stamps will cost 49 cents - a figure that has caused many businesses to ramp up their email efforts instead of spending extra money on postage. I encourage you to do the same, especially since email is more effective regardless of the cost of stamps. Here's why:

Speed: Email is really fast, like lightning fast, and your message is delivered to your subscriber within minutes. You can reach anyone from around the world instantly.

Convenience: You can send any message at the touch of a button, 24/7. You can schedule messages ahead of time and set up Autoresponders when you're away. Additionally, email is convenient for subscribers. They can easily respond and take your message wherever they go - on their phone, computer, or tablet.

Privacy and Security: You can send and receive different types of messages in a secure setting to people who want to hear from you. Their information is securely stored and kept private.

Sharing Capabilities: Share different types of emails easily with friends and family. What did we do before Forward to a Friend links and Social Share buttons?

Deliverability and Analytics: Monitor all your efforts through reporting to shape your future campaigns. In a short period of time you can: confirm the status of your message and view the clicks, bounces, and open rates. You can also work with segmented lists to target your audience.

To recap: Choose email over snail mail. The JangoMail team is standing by to help you incorporate more email into your business plan. We have all the tools and special features to make you successful in reaching more subscribers.

Has it been awhile since you logged in? You may have noticed our new user interface and Smart Templates. We're only a phone call away and support is free! Get in touch with our live call center at 1-855-709-4099 and ask for a demo.

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

On Track With Jack: Happy New Year

Today is New Year's Eve, which means 2013 is almost over. I have a confession, I tend to get a little emotional as I sit back and reflect on the year, but nothing that a little bubbly won't cure.

Top 10 JangoMail Blogs of 2013

10. Reconsider Email Attachments
9. No Joke: Email Marketing Grows
Business Like Nothing Else
8. New JangoMail Smart Template
Designs, Menu, and Editing Tips!
7. The Twelve Days of JangoMail
6. Our New "On Track With Jack" Series
5. Gene Marks: Best Sales Reports
4. Introducing…Our NEW User Interface
3. Are You Heading Straight to Spam?
2. Getting The Full Benefit of vBulletin?
1. When Good Emails Render Bad

As I sip on my sparkling grape juice, I think back to the
early days at JangoMail, when we were just starting out. Since then, we have grown into a leading email marketing system with over 200,000 users around the world.

In the past year, JangoMail has significantly expanded. We have a lot to celebrate as we look back at our many accomplishments. Here are a few 2013 highlights, we've…

Tripled our staff to take on the expansion
Opened our office headquarters and Call Center in Dayton, Ohio
Launched our new Smart Templates
Added security with our new Backup Data Center
Partnered with Gene Marks
Started On Track With Jack, our new educational series, with yours truly
Received a 5 Star Rating Awarded on ResellerRatings

JangoMail is getting better every day, and 2014 will be no different. Our team is not only bright, but driven to provide you with the best quality email marketing service out there.

Here's what we have in the works for this year, we're…

Upgrading to TinyMCE4 and making a "Super Editor" that encompasses all features of our current editors (TinyMCE and EditLive)
Installing new social share buttons for Pinterest, Linkedin, Instagram and Google+
Creating a signup widget for WordPress
Expanding our reach to local businesses in Dayton
Exhibiting and attending trade shows and conferences across the country to reach current and prospective customers

...and much, much more! Don't see what you need? Just ask. We're always open to new ways to stay on top.

To recap: Take time and reflect on your year, from a business standpoint, and plan ahead for 2014. Identify what email campaigns worked and what didn't. Incorporate your successes into your new marketing plan for the year.

I want to wish you all a very happy New Year, one that is full of email marketing success. Thank you for your business in 2013.

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

On Track With Jack: Incorporate Strong Visuals

Hi JangoMail Users!

As a cartoon, people trust me. I have an adorable smile, kind eyes, listening ears, and impeccable leather-jacket fashion sense. Moreover, I'm a strong visual for JangoMail. It's like that old saying: a picture is worth a thousand words. I am worth a thousand words…plus these additional six words in my tip of the week:

Incorporate strong visuals into your email.

Broadcast emails must be visually appealing, but don't overdo it. Have you ever received an email and couldn't concentrate because of the design? Not only did it hurt your eyes, but it was so distracting you couldn't remember anything else about the email.

In an effort to build a strong brand, you must work on your credibility. Well thought out designs that are professional, yet aesthetically pleasing, will prompt subscribers to take action.

Readers respond better to visuals than just plain text. Here's a side by side comparison of what this email would look like without any visuals:

Which one do you like?

I don't know about you, but the first one makes me want to hop back into bed. How boring. The second one, however, looks great. That photo up top is pretty darn cute. Who is that guy?

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you design your next email:

Stay consistent. All marketing materials including your email, website, business cards, social media, and any signage, should complement each other. Use the same logo and incorporate matching colors throughout each design.

Less is more. Visuals are great, but you do not want to take away from your message; you want to add to it. Not every inch of your email has to be covered.

Make smart use of photos and graphics. Balance your design with visuals, and make them interactive by linking them to your website or promo page. Frame graphics around your call to action.

Socialize. People love to share photos on social networks like Facebook. Use our social media buttons to include links in your campaign.

Use our new templates. We have 150 eye-catching designs that you can customize. Check out our blog for more template details and editing tips!

Test. Before sending a message, run a Preview and Delivery Test in JangoMail.

To recap: Put yourself in the shoes of your readers and rethink the design of your email. Create a professional brand your audience will recognize and trust. Use our Smart Templates to get started on your new look!

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Monday, December 09, 2013

On Track With Jack: Use our TinyMCE (v3) Editor

Hi JangoMail Users!

I don’t know about you, but I’m still recovering from Thanksgiving. All of those carrots can be quite filling! Before I go down another rabbit hole, let’s take a look at my tip for the week:

Use Our TinyMCE(v3) Editor

Over the development of JangoMail we’ve offered three different editors: Simple, EditLive, and TinyMCE, which is the most advanced and easiest to use. We encourage all of our users to take advantage of this great tool.

Users have always enjoyed our quick image insertion, social media and email links, as well as all of the formatting options. Recently, the JangoMail team has incorporated some EditLive features into our latest version of our Advanced editor, and we will be phasing out EditLive this winter. Here are a few benefits of using the TinyMCE(v3) Editor:

If you can't resist pasting copy from Word, use the new "Paste from Word" button. NOTE: We do NOT recommend creating any emails using Word. Copy/paste text using Notepad or a Simple Text Editor instead.
You do not have to wait for JAVA to load, and there are no error messages.
You can also lock content by restricting subaccounts from editing certain parts of an email.

This is more of an advanced tip: When using EditLive, in the HTML, you would tag an item as conenteditable="false". Now you can do that in TinyMCE too, add class="readonly".

To verify that you are using our TinyMCE(v3) Editor, follow these steps:

Click Settings.
Select Authoring to expand section.
In the last option, Preferred HTML Editor, check to see if TinyMCE is listed.
If not, click the pencil icon to edit.
Select TinyMCE.
Press Save.

To recap: Double check that you are using our TinyMCE(v3) Editor and make sure you switch over as soon as you can. We will be phasing out EditLive this winter.

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Friday, November 22, 2013

On Track With Jack: Email Deliverability

Happy early Thanksgiving JangoMail Users!

Can you believe it? Thanksgiving is next week, which also means that you are going to start sending your holiday emails. Before you add the final touches, take a look at my tip, well question, of the week:

Are you a Safe Sender?

In this day and age, post Pilgrim and Squanto times, email clients have become quite good at upping their security measures, which can affect your email deliverability and send your messages straight to spam.

It's important to make sure you are a Safe Sender, and encouraging your recipients to create a Safe Sender, or White List, will ensure deliverability.

To start, I would recommend sending an email with step-by-step instructions on how to create a Safe Sender List, and remove emails from spam. Step-by-step guides with screenshots work best. If you're concerned that your users never check their Spam Folder, post a guide on your website and social media networks. They work well near your opt-in form and confirmation page.

In JangoMail, you can determine which email client your subscribers use most and shape your instructions around those providers.

In our case, Outlook ranks high and Gmail is king. Here are the steps we suggest:

Microsoft Outlook 2010 / 2013

To remove from the Junk Folder:
1. Check your Junk Folder
2. Click on the email message to highlight it
3. Go to the Home tab
4. Select the arrow on the Junk drop-down menu
5. Choose Never Block Sender's Domain

To create a Safe Sender List:
1. Under the Home tab go to the Junk drop-down menu and click on Junk Email Options
2. In the new window click the Safe Senders tab
3. Click the Add button and enter in the desired email address
4. Click OK

Gmail

To remove from the Spam Folder:
1. Go to the Spam Folder
2. Locate message from us
3. Select the message
4. Click the "Not Spam" button

To create a Safe Sender List:
1. Enter JangoMail in the search bar
2. Click arrow in the right of the search bar to filter
3. Click Create filter link at the bottom right
4. Select Never send it to Spam
5. Click the “Also apply…” box to apply to similar messages
6. Choose the blue Create button

To recap: Make sure you are a Safe Sender before your next email campaign. Send an instructional email to your subscribers to show them how to add you to their Safe Sender / White List.

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

Subscribe to On Track With Jack