Are Spam Filters Crippling Ezines?
The growing use of software to filter incoming email to an ISP has added an unanswerable question: How many subscribers receive your ezine? For several years now, I've ignored subscriber list totals. The data is fuzzy when you look at numbers held, numbers not delivered, and so forth. I track only the number of successful deliveries. However, this number is now much less meaningful.
Many (most?) ISPs have installed email filters to block spam and that other stuff I can't mention for fear of being blocked. If those filters bounced back to the mailing service, the addresses could be eliminated. Most are only trashed into the big black hole of cyberspace. So there's no telling how many don't get through.
Some are bounced back to me personally. Unfortunately, no email address is provided, so I can't remove it from my list. I get a particular hoot out of this, when they've blocked my newsletter, calling it spam. I wonder what they're calling the stuff they send to me.
Moral Irresponsibility In Action
Such software is a great example of irresponsibility in action. And the lack of ethics and morality of which we see far too much. The 'gods' (programmers?) have decreed we're at the mercy of computer algorithms which are primitive at best.
Analyzing the meaning of a statement in English with a computer is still in its infancy, even though many powerful minds have been working at it for many years. Current software assumes related problems have been resolved, which is absurd.
Here's What Has Happened To Me
Beginning in November in 2001, I began to notice a fall off in responses to "STAT News." Both to ads, and comments emailed to me. I didn't pay much attention at first, for things like this fluctuate.
But I did check seriously in December. Definitely down in both areas. During January and February, I was pretty much out of things due to some heavy surgery. I didn't really get back up to speed until March. By then, the downtrend in the response rate over November last year was very noticeable. Certainly in excess of 15% by any measure.
Blocking Software To The Rescue?
By March, it was also clear spam blocking software was the current rage. I believe this accounts for the drop in response I have seen. Here's why.
Email response to the newsletter dropped by the same percentage as ad response. I track ad response accurately with software. So the only place for error in making this statement is in misjudging email response. My answer to that was to check trash and count. The percentages were almost identical, although there's not enough data to be certain.
If only ad response had dropped off, I'd have decided I needed new ads. But when both dropped by the same percentage, I had to charge it off to the spam filters.
An Up Close And Personal Experience
My ISP installed a filtering package along about April of this year. I was "automatically" enrolled. This meant I got to visit the site and look at the blocked mail. Much more time consuming than doing so in my mailing program. Curious, however, I let it run for a time.
Surprise! Over a 9 day period, I found almost 30 messages from acquaintances, friends, peers, visitors, and subscribers blocked. Beyond notifying them that it happened, I was completely unable to say why. My hunch was, and remains, inadequate computing routines. Or inadequate programmers creating them.
When I'd had enough, I turned the filters off. Guess I should be thankful I had that option. Shoot, some folks that mean a lot to me, only write a couple times a year. And I sure don't want to miss these messages.
Another List
I maintain a mailing list of people to whom I send my articles each week. In one mailing, about half a dozen were sent back to me from AOL. Reason: Invalid DNS pointers. Gee. I wonder how visitors are reaching my site.
As mentioned, most of the mail filtered out is simply trashed. So there's no way to get a handle on this problem. I'd willingly delete email addresses, if they were returned to me. But if these packages wanted to play fair, they'd bounce to my mail list server. But being fair is not their objective.
Alternatives
Many have decided to send only a brief message that points to a URL for an HTML version of the ezine. This won't work for all subscribers. Many don't want to move from handling email to jump onto the Web. Page views will demonstrate wether or not this is so for you.
Another plan is to refer to an autoresponder for a copy of the current issue. I don't see how this helps, for the content mailed will have to get through the same filter your newsletter would have faced directly.
Further, both ideas fail when the filtering catches something in the headers it doesn't like. As with AOL claiming my DNS pointers were flawed. Or a blacklisted IP address. How to beat such happenings is totally beyond me.
A Possible Maybe
I know many don't like attachments, but here's a thought. Send a message which has no content. Just identify the newsletter in the subject field by name. (It has been suggested we use our full name in the From field, but I've been doing this routinely.)
Let the message contain only the URL to your HTML version. And include a .TXT version as an attachment. A click will load it to an editor on most systems. Again, though, if the "obscene" content is in the header, the message won't go through.
My Plan
I see no better alternative than to continue to grow my list and mail to it. I'll simply have to factor in a number for those arbitrarily trashed. If those into this kind of thing come up with a number, my hunch is that it will be about 25%.
When I adjust my email and ad response by 25%, the numbers agree with those in pervious years. Not fact, of course. But suggestive.
Whatever this number proves to be, I'll live with it. And seek to be content with the percentage delivered.
Coping With Spam Filters
If you haven't yet heard about the chaos that Spam Filters are currently causing for publishers, then I am about to tell you EVERYTHING you'll need to know on this subject. Many of our fellow publishers disregard the fact that Spam Filters DO in fact exist. For some reason just do NOT want to face the fact that, they are DESTROYING their businesses.
I write a column on Spam for DEMC small business ezine, so I do consider myself to be well educated on this subject. If you have any questions about what I am about to tell you, feel free to contact me at: (http://www.OptinFrenzy.com)
Now let's begin.
Spam Filters are EVERYWHERE online whether we like it or not they are. And they are becoming more dominant in all aspects of the internet, through ISP's, webhosts and the chances are, one person in three is using some type of a filtering device. They are inexpensive to purchase and so it makes it fairly EASY for the average "Joe" to buy one.
And chances are that your ISP or web host probably uses them and you are NOT even aware of it. Personally, I do advise that you contact them to ask them about it and ask them to REMOVE them from your account immediately. Now, here is why I suggest that you do this, Spam Filters are NOT 100% fool proof, in fact they have a tendency to block out your LEGITIMATE email. Anyone who tells YOU otherwise is in some serious DENIAL.
I've personally taken the time to test almost EVERY Spam Filtering program that there is currently available online. And what I saw was absolutely mortifying to say the least. I ran over 100 different types of emails and newsletters all through each system and 9 times out of ten, it resulted in being marked as spam. Needless to say, by the end of the day I was NOT impressed with my discovery.
Most of these programs are designed to target newsletters specifically, because they have the words "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" black marked. Meaning, that any peices of email that contain those two words are "marked" as being "SPAM". This is especially predominant in Spam Killer which is now owned by McAfee. They also LURE publishers into what they refer to as being "Spam Traps" (which they do openly admit -right on their web site), so they can create more filters DAILY based on ezine/email content. And YES, I did say DAILY!
Now that I've probably scared the wits out of you, here are a few things that you can do and they will require a bit of added work on your part.
1.) Make your ezine available in 3 different forms, if it at all possible. Email it directly to your subscribers, put it on an autoresponder and make it available online. My good friend jL Scott (owner of iCop) does this and it covers all of the bases to ENSURE your readers get your ezine. It'll also give you an idea of HOW many people actually read your ezine.
2.) Ask your readers, IF they have had ANY problems in receiving your ezine. If they have, start keeping a log of these instances, if your ezine has been marked as being spam through their email client ask them for a copy of it for your records. You MAY want to TRY contacting their ISP and try talking to them about it, ensure that YOU maintain your "professionalism" in doing so, as this could create problems for your subscriber. Advise ALL of your subscribers to contact their ISP's and ask them if they are in fact using filters on their email.
3.) Keep financial loss records that you've encountered because of Spam Filters. And remember everything is of a monetary value including your ezine.
Although there is no fool proof method of avoiding Spam Filters, there is currently a pending law suit against the creators of these programs. So if you do have a case or have proof that you have been filtered, falsely accused etc. I recommend that you go and file a report asap at: (http://www.e-crucible.org)
How to Build Spam-Free Email Campaigns
In the current Internet market, many people are confused as to how they can use email to build their online businesses, while consumers are fighting off the evils of spam email. As a result, we are tackling this most important issue today.
The ideal way to use email to develop your business is by creating a double opt-in list on either YahooGroups, Topica.com, SmartGroups.com or FreeLists.org.
I have dozens of these lists in existence myself. Basically each opt-in list provides a specific talking point or advertising point that people are interested in. (Examples: I have a dozen lists for free-reprint articles, 2 lists for ezine ad swaps, 2 small lists talking about online business, one for computer help. I also have a couple for advertising ezines to the public. I have tried safe-lists but the hosting companies keep deleting those.)
Additionally, I have at times past had up to 5 ezines, but right now only one. Each of the five ezines were on various topics --- including computer software, online marketing and general entertainment --- and all were double opt-in.
Each of the hosting companies allow you to place an ad in each mailing delivered to your group. With YahooGroups, you can only place one ad at the bottom of the email. With Topica, you can place your ads top and bottom. I cannot tell you much about FreeLists.org since I just learned about them this past weekend.
The trick to any opt-in list is providing something based on a niche interest. Provided your list delivers something of value to the subscribers, the people will sign up to receive them.
With the ezine, you would try to provide some type of valuable information of interest to your target market. By consistently providing valuable information to your readers, you will be building the relationships with people who will likely buy from you in the future.
Let me say one thing here. Do not let an ezine distract you from your real purpose. Any ezine you develop is a tool to help you grow your business. Don't fall into the common trap of starting an ezine to promote your business and then thinking later that your ezine is your business.
There are in fact several large mailing companies out there with clean, double opt-in mailing lists for ads, but I must emphasize care when selecting one of these companies. If the mailing company cannot promise that their list is double opt-in, leave them be. Be sure to also get references and check those references. There are a lot of scammers out there sending spam to millions of harvested addresses and then trying to convince you that their mailings are safe. Buyer beware.
Double opt-in means that I as a subscriber request the mailing then I receive a verification email from the mailing list telling me that I must follow certain steps to verify my intentions to subscribe. Double opt-in is literally a method of getting someone to agree twice to receive future email.
Single opt-in lists can be and are often abused by their owners or the public-at-large. So avoid single opt-in lists at all costs. Even the appearance of Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE/Spam) can be deadly for your business.
Ezine advertising is a great method of building business, but this too is very risky depending on your type of business. Knowing where to place your ads is always the greatest challenge. Some ezines are great and some are dogs. Some are expensive and some are inexpensive. Determining the strength of your ad copy is tantamount to your success before spending a single dime on advertising in ezines.
There are ezines offering free ads, but they are not worth much to your advertising bottom line. Most of these ezines don't have a solid buyers base to them at all. Rather, they are mostly comprised of sellers who were searching for the freebie advertisements. Just the same, you can use these to test your ads before taking your money to the paid ezines. This is just one of hundreds of ways to test your ads before purchasing expensive ad space.
Other ways to test your ads is to place them in classified ad websites, in safe-lists, in general advertising or niche mailing lists. You could run them in low-cost ezines. You can also set them up as independent doorway pages which are submitted to search engines.
There are also FFA pages that can be used for testing, but I generally recommend against FFA pages because the return is so very, vary low by the nature of how FFA pages are operated and used. In my mind, FFA pages simply are not worth the time or money that you invest in them.
Sites like (http://SubmitAds.net) permit you to place your ads in their directory and then send your message to people who will place their advertisements through your replicated SubmitAds website. If you were adventurous, SubmitAds actually sports a nice pay program to enable you to send email to everyone in their network at the intervals you decide. You may even earn a few additional dollars by participating in their program.
No matter what approach you take to place and test your advertising and ad copy, you should be running some type of tracking to determine the effectiveness of your advertising in circulation. Without some method of tracking being employed, your test results are based only upon guess work. In the real world of business, guess work just does not cut it. You need to know precisely what is working for you and what is not working for you.
There is no better way to determine what works and what does not than to employ some type of ad tracking software. There are a few companies employing such services, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, and each with very different pricing structures.
Shop around and see which ad tracking software is best for you and then use it to make a realistic determination as to what is working and what is not. Test your ads and your advertising mediums and track the results produced by each. And when the day is done, move forward with what has proven successful and then discard the rest.
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