Strategic Email Marketing is Incomplete Without a Quality Email Verifier!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Email marketing has always been a very influential platform. Lately, marketers have become more creative in using email marketing for uplifting the brand. It is no more only a promotional platform, rather emails are used to build a strong brand, customer loyalty, and content marketing. Retail site Goop, for example, covers a range of stories on health, lifestyle, food, etc. Goop is able to synergies audience interests with informative content pieces and connects them with relevant products. Such content pieces are circulated in the form of a newsletter which in turn promote sales. Content mapping strategy has worked extremely well for Goop.

Another amazing example is that of Amazon. This retail giant uses the power of recommendation to generate higher sales. The recommendation engine of Amazon has helped them to come up with an amazing email marketing strategy. The retail giant studies the browsing history, purchase history and other details of the users to come up with a list of product recommendations. Such a form of creative email marketing strategy is exceptionally helpful in business growth and adds value to the brand since you are providing consideration to customer wants.

But all the above-discussed strategies are working only when the brands are able to reach the right user. High-quality data help the brands to enhance brand positioning, generate higher sales, cut down cost as well as create a good customer experience.

What makes the email database of poor quality?

The database quality is hampered basically due to 4 major reasons:

1. Channels used for data collection- Businesses uses multiple channels for data collection. On average 3-4 channels are used to collect data including lead forms, point of sale, etc. The research report shows that 15-40% of the data collected from POS have the worst quality. Even if 10% of the data so collected is invalid, it can do a lot of damage to a company that has data in millions.

2. Manual Error- Human error is another big reason that leads to poor database quality. Human error is unavoidable. Data shows that 60% of businesses accept that human error is the biggest roadblock for them especially when it comes to database collection. A small space or missing character will make a huge difference in the case of an email address. 20% of the email addresses collected manually are invalid as reported by most of the organizations.

3. Third-party Data- 24% of the companies buy third-party data for promotional campaigns. Such third-party data run a higher risk of invalid data. Without validation check when an email campaign is shot using such bulk databases, the probability of getting a high percentage of undeliverable is pretty good. In such cases, hard bounces and spam rates are huge which impacts your sender reputation. Not only will your campaign result gets hampered but it is also the brand image that is at stake. The email service providers or popularly known as ESPs block the domains which are marked as spam. When your email lands in spam folder, your brand does not come up well off.

4. Periodical decay- the time factor is also a reason leading to the decay of email databases over a period of time. Even if you have ensured that your database is authentic and valid, you have to run your database for a periodic validation check to ensure that you filter out the dead email ids. Around 2% of the emails in database degrades every month. Such decay results due to various reasons like the user changed job, abandoned old email or server blocking promotional mails and so on.

What should I expect from an Email Verifier or Email Validation tool?

Although some level of control can be maintained you cannot ensure that the complete database is clean. A certain percentage of spams are acceptable and are experienced across industries. The ESPs would blacklist a sender when the spam rate goes beyond the acceptable count. You should pay attention to the email campaign report. In case you notice a gradual increase in your bounce rate you should run your database through a validation check.

Email verifier addresses the following issues:

1. Identifies invalid, junk and dead email ids from the data pool
2. High bounce rates due to the invalid data count
3. Email communication to a large percentage of invalid email ids lead to Poor Sender Reputation
4. Your emails do not land in the inbox of the user
5. Overall campaign performance is bad and does not fetch desired results

How to use an Email validation tool to ensure quality data collection?

1. API Integration- Email validation tools provide API integration facility. This helps in immediate email validations. Such API integrations are extremely useful when you are collecting leads via POS or Lead Forms. In both cases, if the user/ customer fills in a wrong or invalid email address, they can be immediately notified to key in a valid email address for further processing.

2. ESP Integration- Email service provider integrations can help you to validate your database instantaneously before taking an email campaign live. You can directly send the data uploaded in your ESP to the email verification tool to verify the data instantly. There is no hassle of downloading and re-uploading the verified data back to the ESP. You can directly export the verified data to your ESP and take campaign live using the same.

3. CRM Integration- Integration of CRM with Email verifier helps you to in formulating a well-structured email workflow without worrying about being the spam or bounce issues. Incorporation of email verifier inn such email workflow ensures data hygiene.

4. Third-party data Validation- The quality of the email addresses bought from a third party should always be checked before putting into use. Unverified data when used for promotional campaigns, will not give desired results. Moreover, you will expose yourself to various risks from poor sender reputation to domain blacklisting.

5. Periodic Validation- Engaging your customers is a smart way to do brand recall activity as well as it contributes towards easy conversions. Once in 3-4 months, you should run the database through a validation process to eliminate email ids which have decayed over the due course.

Email verifying tool can contribute in a crucial way towards the success of your email marketing initiatives. A tool like Clearout processes the email addresses using 20 plus validation checks to ensure the email id belong to a real person.

Email marketing is an integral part of effective marketing communication and strategy. It is a very impactful platform that helps businesses to generate new revenue opportunities. Businesses attribute the platform for the effectiveness of marketing communication but solely strategy will not suffice. Data plays a very important role in the success of email marketing. A very well framed strategy also fails if the data used is of bad quality.




Author Bio:

Author Name: Supriya Sarkar

Supriya Sarkar is a digital marketing consultant with a digital experience of over 6 years. The dynamic characteristics of the marketing industry due to technological advancement has always kept her amazed. She likes to be a lifelong student observing the world with awe and continuous zest to learn. She has worked on portfolio companies helping them in various digital activities including email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, performance, and growth marketing.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/supriyasarkar2007/

Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Supriya-Sarkar-25

MARINA Directs Additional 4 Shipping Companies to Serve Iloilo – Guimaras Route

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has directed additional (4) shipping companies to serve the Iloilo – Guimaras route pending the investigation on the capsizing of three (3) motorbancas at said route Saturday, effective immediately.

Through a letter directive pursuant to Section 12 of Presidential Decree No. 474 issued yesterday, 05 August 2019, Montenegro Shipping Lines Incorporated and Tri-Star Megalink Corporation shall deploy one (1) Roll-on / Roll-off vessel each, while Ocean Fast Ferries Incorporated and 2GO Group Incorporated shall deploy one (1) fastcraft each to address the current passenger traffic at the Iloilo – Guimaras route.

This is in addition to the directive given to FF Cruz Shipping Corporation to increase their schedule of voyage frequency from one to two round trips per hour in the said route by deploying two (2) RoRo vessels.

Yesterday, 05 August 2019, the MARINA has suspended operations of all passenger motorbancas operating the Iloilo – Guimaras route, while the agency conducts a thorough safety standards assessment and evaluation in relation to the full implementation of MARINA Circular 2016-02 or the “Revised Rules on the Phase Out of Wooden-Hulled Ships Carrying Passengers in Domestic Shipping”.

The temporary suspension will remain until such time the MARINA has ensured that all safety concerns of motorbancas are properly addressed. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shall enforce the advisory on the temporary suspension, until further notice.

The MARINA continues to remind operators to ensure maritime safety at all times by observing the latest weather forecast, conducting proper risk assessment, and applying control measures, as needed.

Should Students Be Sent to the Next Grade Even If They Have Not Passed the Current One?

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Not all children master a curriculum equally well. If a student fails to elaborate course materials, absorb necessary information volume and receives bad marks, a school administration may decide on grade retention, which means that a learner has to spend one more year before entering the next academic stage.

This uneasy decision that should be taken after analyzing evidence of student’s inability to cope with educational responsibilities. Moms and dads usually feel upset, try to convince a teacher that one has made a wrong conclusion about their kid. That is why it is important for educators to present disappointing news in the softest form possible and not pour it on parents’ heads at a parent-teacher conference.

Experts from Pro-Papers have prepared this article to inform you about causes, advantages, disadvantages, and alternatives of grade retention.

What are the reasons to retain a student?

Many factors can lead a teacher to this step. In most cases, the thing is in a child’s low development level. Although students learning in one class usually have the same age (+/- 1 year), some of them may be less mature than peers. It is difficult for them to work at a common pace, undertake academic duties and perform assignments prescribed by a curriculum. Professors believe that it is better to give such kids more time to get accustomed to school life. After a lengthy adaptation period, they have every chance to reach a development level appropriate to their grade.

One more popular reason for retention is poor academic performance. But it is very important to determine factors causing underachievement before leaving a learner for the second year. If teachers’ mistakes will not be corrected, a person will just lose precious time in vain. If used unreasonably, as a cure for everything, grade retention can bring more harm than benefits.

Sometimes, educators retain students who are not motivated to learn. But this is the wrong approach. It seems that teachers prefer to get rid of a child rather than seek ways to interest one, improve their qualifications and apply new methods. Unfortunately, many kids suffer because of their mentors’ unprofessionalism.

Bad behavior also may stimulate retention decision. Some students are way too active, cannot sit calmly and silently at lessons, concentrate on learning material, which is associated with immaturity. Such situations are usually observed in younger grades.

Grade retention pros

Teachers insist on this measure because it helps young people to catch up, not feel like losers in their class and avoid lowering self-esteem. Kids begin to excel once appearing in a grade appropriate to their developmental level. Younger students who find it difficult to adapt to school life enjoy familiarity and stability, cease to be shy, become more confident, participate in class activities and discussions. Retention is especially effective if educators place an emphasis on the most problematic areas, help children to eliminate knowledge gaps and conduct work on errors.

Grade retention cons

As was said above, the decision about extending a grade for one more year may be rather painful, which is explained by some downsides. Research shows that there are many students who were retained and eventually leave school before graduation. It seems to them that they waste time in vain and it is even not worth trying to excel in studies if a curriculum turned out to be way too complex. In the teenage period, such young people prefer low-paid work to ineffective learning. Even though they may acquire good practical skills at their first jobs, further career advancement is impossible without basic education.

Grade retention can prevent normal socialization, especially if a student spent several years in a peer group and loses the possibility to learn together with one’s friends. It may be challenging to get accustomed to new people, make a good impression and deserve high social status in a class. If a learner is not very sociable, such changes may cause depression and lowering self-esteem.

Retained students are usually physically bigger than other kids, which sometimes becomes a reason for self-confidence and arrogance. If classmates talk about such person’s low intelligence, one may apply physical force, develop aggressive behavior style and turn into a bully.

Alternatives

Retention is useful for far not all students, in far not all situations. Professors should not sacrifice students’ time without substantial reasons. Serious counseling work should be conducted to understand why educational failure turned into a steady trend, whether staying in the same grade for one more year is the only way out, what alternatives may be used to save learner’s time.

It is important to warn young people about retention threat, give them some options for avoiding it. There are cases when educators do not pay due attention to student’s results during a school year, do not make any attempts to help one catch up, blame this person for laziness and irresponsibility.

More caring teachers notice learners’ weaknesses at early stages, develop individual curricula placing emphasis on tricky disciplines and topics, prescribe objectives that should be achieved to move to the next grade. Professors receive regular reports, provide guidance and assistance if there are some challenges.

Some educational institutions invite persons facing retention threat to attend summer school, work more profoundly on material they failed to absorb while studying a course with other students.