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5 Ways to Improve your Email Database
May 25, 2011
© 2011 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.2
Featured Speakers
Brad Wyman, Strategic Account Manager, Experian QAS
Christine Dunkley, Product Manager, Experian QAS
Michelle Kavalchuk, Marketing Programs Specialist, Experian QAS
© 2011 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.3
Agenda
The growing importance of email
Current challenges business are facing today
5 ways to improve your email database
Case studies
Overview of QAS Email Services
Q&A
© 2011 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.4
The Growing Importance of Email
90 trillion emails sent annually
1.4 billion email users
Preferred communication method
Inexpensive channel for direct marketers
$43.62 ROI for every dollar spent
Email allows for consistent interactive and effective communication
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Current Challenges Businesses are Facing
Sources of „bad‟ emails include
3rd party sources (purchased lists, etc.)
Information captured at point of entry
Web forms, ecommerce checkout
Syntax and domain errors
Soft bounces vs. hard bounces
Complaints and spam traps
ISPs are becoming more strict
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Impacts of Bad Email Addresses
Impacts customer communication efforts
Lost marketing opportunities
Bad emails affect your ISP reputation and inbox placement
Emails sent to Spam folder
High bounce rates
Emails never reach the intended recipient
Spam traps
Sender shut down by large ISP‟s
Ultimately, lost revenue opportunities
© 2011 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.7
5 Ways to Improve your Email Database
1. Diagnose your email database
2. Attack the bad emails already in your database
3. Validate new emails before they enter your database
4. Improve your reputation with ISPs
5. Perform append services periodically
© 2011 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.8
TIP 1: Diagnose your email database
Capture rate
Penetration rate
Bounce rate
Complaint rate
Spam trap hits
Existing invalid emails
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TIP 2: Attack the bad emails already in your database
More than 50% of flagged bad emails are due to minor syntax errors within the email address that can be fixed
Identify and correct invalid characters
► Example 1: cavendish2gmail.com = [email protected]
► Example 2: jpommers @ yahoo com = [email protected]
► Example 3: [email protected] = [email protected]
► Example 4: [email protected] = [email protected]
► Example 5: “Smith, Joe” <[email protected]> = [email protected]
Quickest and easiest way to increase your marketable email database
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TIP 3: Validate new emails before they enter your database
Catch and correct syntax errors
► Ensure proper standardization and conformity to internet standards
Confirm email domains work
► It exists, its active, and can accept mail
Verify mailboxes exist
► Invalid mailboxes account for over 70% of undeliverable emails
Suppress spam traps and risky email addresses
► Role based accounts = [email protected]
► Fake emails = [email protected]
► Malicious emails = [email protected]
► Do not mail list
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TIP 4: Improve your reputation with ISPs
Major ISPs actively screen and filter incoming mail for their users and rely on individual mailers “reputation” to determine emails they will let through
Reputation determined by
► Bounce rate
► Complaint rate
► Spam trap hits
77% of delivery problems were based on sender reputation
Each ISP has their own set of metrics
Sending too many bad emails will flag the sender as “spam”
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TIP 4: Continued… Improve your reputation with ISPs
Implementing a comprehensive validation prior to emails being sent will
► Immediately reduce bounce rate by 50-70%
► Reduce complaints and spam trap hits
► ISPs increase inbox delivery
► Reduced mailing costs from your email service provider (ESP)
► Higher conversion rate on email leads captured
► Avoid blacklisting
► Never get shut down by ISPs
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TIP 5: Perform append services periodically
eAppend
► Use name and address in your database to append valid email
► Immediately increase email penetration rates
Email Change of Address (ECOA)
► Best for previously performing email that hasn‟t been opened in 6 months or suddenly bounces
► People change emails frequently for many reasons
► Leverage ECOA to find your loyal customer‟s new email
© 2011 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.14
5 Ways to Improve your Email Database
1. Diagnose your email database
2. Attack the bad emails already in your database
3. Validate new emails before they enter your database
4. Improve your reputation with ISPs
5. Perform append services periodically
© 2011 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.15
Case Study: Multi-Chanel Retailer
Women‟s apparel and accessories chain
► 1,000+ stores in US
► Online, catalog business
Email Problems
► High bounce rates
► Deliverability issues
► Missed opportunities to connect with opt-in subscribers
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Multi-Channel Retailer
Solution
► QAS Express Nightly Processing
● Pre-process for newly captured emails from all sources
● Suppress malicious emails
Results
► 9% increase in deliverable addresses
► Cleaner files led to better inbox placement
► Incremental opens, clicks, transactions
► 15% increase in revenue per campaign
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Case Study: Cabela’s
About Cabela‟s
► “World‟s Foremost Outfitter”
► 29 Stores, catalog business, online
► Ranked #40 in Internet Retailer Top 500
Email problems
► Experienced a large number of bad emails collected in stores, online and in call centers
► Wanted to ensure all opt-in subscribers received emails
► All email bounces were treated the same
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Case Study: Cabela’s
Solution
► Email batch cleansing service
► Cross-checked with existing database
► Ping determines if an email is a “good” address
Results
► Reached ROI on service in 2 weeks
► Bad emails were recovered, tested, and added back into the database
► “Very easy, definitely worth the time and money”
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QAS Email Services
Real time service
► Hosted web service
► Interacts with front end users to correct email
Email Express Processing
► Run an automated correction/validation nightly batch service on newly acquired emails
Bureau services
► Email cleanse and correction
► ECOA
► Email Append
© 2011 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.20
Please visit www.qas.com
for more information.