Email Marketing Overview
Creating Email Campaigns
Managing and Uploading Lists
Reporting
Acquiring New Members
Email Marketing Overview
What is Permission Marketing?
Permission marketing is the direct interaction with your customer or prospect after you have received their permission to do so.
What is Double Opt-in?
Double opt-in is your protection against the sending of unsolicited email. If you use the VerticalResponse opt-in form feature, after a visitor registers at your site they will receive a confirmation email. By clicking on the confirmation email, your visitor has "double opted-in" which means they are the rightful owner of that email address and they would like to receive emails from you. In addition, only lists of opt-in email addresses can be uploaded manually into your secure VerticalResponse account.
Why Double Opt-in?
In the event that you send unsolicited mail or "SPAM", organizations as well as Internet Service Providers, may block any incoming mail sent from our email servers. Double Opt-in policies prevent these situations and also contribute to a clean list generation process.
What is "SPAM"?
"Spam" is the term for unsolicited email. When you "SPAM" someone you are sending email that they do not wish to receive or did not sign up for.
Why should I email my customers?
Customer retention is a top priority for any business. Most companies garner 80% of their revenue from just 20% of their customer base. Extending your reach to even a few more customers can lead to a significant boost in revenue as well as increased customer satisfaction. Providing your customers with information that they have specifically requested is key in any medium, but it is particularly beneficial with email. Email is FAST and INEXPENSIVE!
What is VerticalResponse, from VerticalResponse? Why should I use it?
VerticalResponse is a fast and easy web application that allows you to communicate with your customers and prospects through email. VerticalResponse provides you with the tools to:
- Register customers and prospects on your site and collect valuable profile information
- Create professional-looking email campaigns using our Email Wizard, or Graphical HTML Editor or your own HTML
- Send personalized offers and interest-based newsletters
- Measure your success with real-time reports
Who are the people behind VerticalResponse and VerticalResponse?
The expert professionals that power VerticalResponse have over 30 years of combined experience in the field of direct marketing, both online and offline. They possess an extensive background in the development of email campaigns offering both consumer and business products. In addition, they also have been extremely effective in selling advertising within "opt-in" email campaigns.
The VerticalResponse team has built SECURE databases capable of maintaining millions of records and has used their expertise to merge and clean multiple databases. They possess wide-ranging experience in the construction of complex e-commerce systems as well as being proficient in the design of web sites for both large and small corporations. In a nutshell...they understand the needs of businesses!
Does VerticalResponse have a Privacy Policy?
Yes, and a very strict one. Our user's privacy and data security is our number one priority. You can learn more about our policy here. VerticalResponse strictly prohibits the sending of unsolicited email, or "SPAM", through VerticalResponse.
How many messages can I send per month? What is the cost?
You can send as many emails as you like, whenever you like! It’s on a pay-as-you-go basis based on the size of your list so there are no monthly minimums. There are a variety of pricing levels to meet the needs of your company’s mailing schedule. For more information or to get a price quote simply go to our Pricing section.
When can I send out email?
Anytime you want! We deploy your email campaign from the time zone you specified when registering with VerticalResponse. Just schedule a date and time, launch your campaign, and your emails are queued for delivery. Depending on the size of your mailing, the entire process can take just minutes!
How do I set it up, how long does it take?
Just click on the “SIGN UP FREE” button on our website. We'll ask you a few simple questions and then automatically build and configure your profile. You can also choose to upload your company logo at that time or just add it at a later date.
How can I change my VerticalResponse username, password or account information?
Just log into your VerticalResponse account with your existing Username and Password. Within the Home tab, click on "Account". From here you can make any changes to your VerticalResponse account profile.
Can I demo the service before I actually have to purchase anything?
Yes! By signing up for a FREE VerticalResponse account on our website you can to take a “test drive” of our service right away. You will have all of the functionality of VerticalResponse at your fingertips and you’ll be able to create and send a test email campaign to yourself and to a seed list of 10 people. This is a great way to become familiar with our system before launching your first email campaign.
What are the costs associated with VerticalResponse?
The only costs associated with VerticalResponse relate to the number of emails that you would like to send. Purchasing "email credits" enables you to send emails to your opt-in list using VerticalResponse. For example, if your list size was 1,000 email addresses you would need to purchase 1,000 email credits to send your message out to these recipients.
How long do I have to use my "email credits"? Are there any restrictions or minimums to buy?
Email credits remain active in your account for one full year, credits not used within twelve months of purchase will expire. There are various pricing levels for you to choose from depending on the size of the list you have or how often you would like to mail. You can either "pay as you go" on a per campaign basis or you can "buy in bulk" and subtract from a total amount of credits as you mail. There are no minimums to purchase at this time.
Does VerticalResponse provide lists of opt-in email address for sale or rent?
No, this is not currently a part of the services that are offered with VerticalResponse. You will need to supply your own list of opt-in email addresses in order to use VerticalResponse.
Can I use VerticalResponse for rented lists?
No - The use of third-party email lists is prohibited within VerticalResponse. For more information please contact our Customer Support Center.
Creating Email Campaigns
How do I use VerticalResponse to create an email?
Within the Emails section of your account, click “New”. Just add your text into the designated fields and upload your images and logos and you’re on your way.
Do I need to know HTML in order to use VerticalResponse?
No, our system was designed so you can send out professional-looking emails without HTML experience. Since the HTML has already been constructed for you all you need to do is add your graphics and copy!
What are the steps in preparing an email campaign?
- Choose your border (or paste your own HTML)
- Write your copy
- Upload your graphics
- Repeat as necessary
Preview your email campaign, make revisions and send a test email to yourself or your seed list of up to 10 people. After that you are ready to choose your audience and schedule the launch your email campaign.
Can I use my own HTML document within VerticalResponse?
Yes, our advanced tool called "Freeform" allows you to copy and paste your HTML file directly into VerticalResponse. It's a great way to create and send an email campaign that matches the look & feel of your website or of your previous newsletters. You'll just need to have your images and graphics hosted on your webservers and make sure that your document does not exceed 30KB in file size.
Why don't I have browser navigation capabilities within VerticalResponse ("Back", "Forward", etc)?
VerticalResponse is an ASP (Application Service Provider), not a website, and thus navigation is not a necessary feature of the product. You will be prompted with commands such as "Continue", "Cancel" and “Submit” while working within VerticalResponse and these options will enable you to successfully create and edit your email.
- NOTE: By clicking "Continue" on any page within VerticalResponse, your work will automatically be saved and you'll be free to exit back to the Home tab.
What happens if my customers are unable to read HTML emails?
While most email readers today have the ability to open HTML emails, there are certain cases where people cannot or do not want to receive emails in this format. VerticalResponse has you covered for these instances because we send out your email campaigns in multi-part MIME, which means that 2 versions of your email are sent out: Graphical and Text. When you create your email with the Email Wizard the Text version is automatically generated for you to preview. When the email campaign is deployed, the appropriate version is pulled into your recipient’s inbox based on the type of email they can receive.
If I'm sending HTML, do I also need to format a text version?
The VerticalResponse Email Management does this for you! When you create your email with our Email Wizard the Text version is automatically generated for you to preview. When the email reaches your customer's inbox, the appropriate format is will be pulled into their inbox.
What if I need help preparing the email?
We have "hints" and "tips" located throughout the email construction process to guide you along the way. If you need some suggestions on what type of copy to include in your email, simply cut and paste the samples within VerticalResponse and tailor them to meet your needs.
I like the ease-of-use and functionality of the Wizard system but I'd like to have my company's "look & feel" incorporated into my email. Are there any options for people who want more of a customized look but might not know enough HTML to use the advanced feature (i.e. Freeform)?
Yes! VerticalResponse can create a customized email border for your company based on colors and characteristics that you choose. For more information on this special feature please contact our Customer Support Center for a consultation.
What type of copy works for a newsletter or an offer?
We've done some research for you! Look at our "suggestions" as we have listed some examples of copy that you can cut, paste, or modify for your announcement or offer.
Does the VerticalResponse system allow me to change the size, color and font type of my text? What about bold and italics?
Yes, Just click on any of the "Help" icons next to the copy boxes where text is entered. You will see a pop-up window that provides detailed instructions for making these changes within your email message.
Can I personalize my email?
Yes! You may customize your salutation, your subject line, or anywhere in the email that you like. Just use {FIRST_NAME} for your member's First Name and {LAST_NAME} for your member's Last Name. NOTE: Capitalization of the merge fields is required.
When sending an email through VerticalResponse will all my recipient's email addresses be displayed in the "To:" field?
No, VerticalResponse will deliver a personalized message to each one of your recipients and only their email address will appear in the "To:" field. Since VerticalResponse pulls your recipient's names from the list that you've uploaded, each person will get a message that is unique to them.
What size should the graphics be for my email or my sign up form?
It would be preferred if your logo was no larger than 600 pixels wide x 100 pixels tall. Your offer item graphics should not be larger than 150 pixels wide x 150 pixels tall. Please make sure that ALL of your graphics are in .jpg or .gif format, and it's best if the background colors are either white or transparent.
Can I upload attachments to be sent with my VerticalResponse emails?
No, VerticalResponse will not accept attachments of any kind. If you wish to include documents (.pdf, etc) you will need to host this on your website and include a link for people to click on where they can view the document. Sending attachments within your email marketing campaigns is not a recommended practice since people are often wary of opening these types of files when sent via email.
How can my member unsubscribe from my emails?
All emails sent through VerticalResponse have hard-coded unsubscribe details attached to the bottom of the message. Your recipient simply needs to scroll to the bottom of the email and click the "unsubscribe" link to access the web-based unsubscribe system or just reply to your message with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. They will immediately be flagged within your database and they will not be mailed again.
I've noticed that the unsubscribe link and the "Forward to A Friend" feature do not work when I send test emails...why is that?
The test emails are designed to provide an overall "look and feel" for the campaign you are building but certain functionality (i.e. unsubscribe link and F2AF) are not enabled until you launch a live campaign to an uploaded list. In addition, VerticalResponse does not process any replies that come in for the test emails that you send but this feature is activated when a live launch is deployed.
Managing and Uploading Lists
How do I upload my existing customer database into my VerticalResponse account?
To manually upload your list, click on “New” within the Lists section of your account. You’ll be walked through the process of naming this list and then you will browse for your file on your computer to upload it through the web interface.
VerticalResponse can only accept files that are in Text Tab Delimited (.txt) or Comma Separated Values (.csv) format. Need help converting your list to the proper format? We provide easy instructions for all of the major applications (MS Excel™, ACT!™, Palm™, GoldMine™, or MS Outlook™).
Why do I need to upload my data into my VerticalResponse account?
So VerticalResponse can attach your list to the outgoing campaign to send a personalized email message to each person on your list.
What type of data do I upload into VerticalResponse?
VerticalResponse can accept Text files that are either tab or comma delimited (detailed instructions on the site explain how to easily export your Excel™, ACT!™, Palm™, GoldMine™, or Outlook™ list).
Where does the data go?
Your data will be loaded into your account within VerticalResponse in a database that is on a highly secure server in a protected environment.
How secure is the data?
Data is protected in many ways. First, our physical database servers are locked in a secure facility that monitors them 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Secondly, all VerticalResponse servers are protected by secure firewall systems from the industry leader, Cisco Systems™.
Can anyone else use my data?
Absolutely NOT! The data is yours and only yours. You will have access to it 24/7 and it resides in a secure environment that only you can get to.
How do I get my member list out of VerticalResponse?
In the VerticalResponse Lists section of your account you will see all the lists that you have uploaded. Locate the list, click on "Download" and you will then be prompted to give a location as to where you would like the list to be downloaded to. After choosing your location click "OK" and your list will be downloaded to a Tab Delimited Text file (.txt) or a Comma Separated Values file (.csv).
How do I know which people have opted-in to my mailing list from the "Forward to a Friend" link?
Within your Mailing List Management section you will have a new list generated when a person has opted-in to your mailing list via Forward to a Friend. The list in will be named "F2AF - {CAMPAIGN NAME}" which corresponds to the name of the original campaign that was launched and it will show any new opt-in subscribers who want to receive your emails in the future.
Reporting
What types of reporting does VerticalResponse currently have?
With the VerticalResponse Campaign Reporting tool, you’ll have access your reporting anytime, anywhere! You can see exactly when your campaign was sent out, the total amount sent, the bounce rate, the unsubscribe rate and even the unique open rate for the HTML version of your email. The sent, bounce and unsubscribe data is further broken down by the top 5 domains you mailed to. The most impressive feature of the Campaign Reporting is the ability to provide click-through rates for the links contained within your email in real-time!
How can I tell who "opened" my email or "clicked" on a link?
When viewing the reporting screen for a sent campaign you will be able to download a copy of the "clickers" and/or "openers" for that campaign. You can save these files to your computer and then simply re-upload this data back into your account as a new list.
VerticalResponse used to show me a bar graph outlining the number of HTML/Text emails sent as compared to the number of AOL emails sent, what happened to that?
Since we're now sending Multi-Part MIME email to AOL users we have redesigned the reporting screen to display the different domains that you mailed to on a per campaign basis. We feel that this information is more useful than simply an "AOL vs. All Other Domains" comparison.
What happens to a bounced email?
When an email is sent to a remote server and we receive a response that there is "no account by that name" or "inbox full", we immediately flag the email as a bounce and will no longer attempt to deliver the message. In the case where the server appears to be down, VerticalResponse will attempt to send the email several times within the first 3 days after your campaign was launched. If the message is still not deliverable after this time we will flag this as "bounce" in your uploaded list. Since we are RFC 822 compliant, occurrences of "bounced" emails due to improperly formatted addresses should be minimal because these addresses will be identified during the upload process and they will not be added to your list.
How soon can I download my bounces and unsubscribes after I've mailed my campaign?
To obtain a list of the specific email address that bounced or unsubscribed from your VerticalResponse campaign you'll need to wait 24 hours after you've launched your email. For a list of recipients that bounced or unsubscribed from a specific email campaign hover over the "Actions" link to the right of the email campaign and click "Download list". To download all those who have clicked or unsubscribed from your account as a whole scroll down to the Mailing List Management section and click "Download Center".
Do I need to delete any unsubscribes or bounces from my list when I want to send another email campaign?
No, VerticalResponse handles these tasks for you. These email addresses will be "flagged" on your list within and will not be mailed again the next time you want to send a campaign.
When someone replies to the campaign that I send, where does that message go?
Any replies that are generated from your campaign actually come back to VerticalResponse first so we can process any unsubsribe requests. All non-unsubscribe replies are immediately forwarded back to either the support email address listed in your VerticalResponse profile or the the "reply-to" email address that you designated on the final step of your pre-launch process.
Can anyone else see my reports?
Absolutely NOT! Your reports are password protected so no one else can see them except you and anyone you have shared your login information with.
How often are the reports updated?
The reports are in REAL TIME. This means that what you view is exactly what is currently happening. Just click your refresh or reload button on your browser for an "up-to-the-second" report!
Acquiring New Members
What is a Web Opt-in Form?
A web opt-in form is a customized sign up form that enables you to collect information from the people who visit your web site. VerticalResponse provides you with a variety of data collection options such as Email Address, First Name, Last Name, City, State, etc. as well as offering you the ability to add up to 10 additional data fields. As soon as a visitor signs up on your form, their details are automatically transferred into your VerticalResponse account. As soon as they confirm their registration they will be “Double Opted-in” and you can begin sending them emails.
How can I add my logo into VerticalResponse for my web opt-in form?
It's easy - we will ask you where the file is on your computer during your Sign Up process and automatically upload it for you. Make sure it's in either .jpg or .gif format. You can also change your logo at any time by clicking the "Account" tab in the blue navigation bar and then clicking the "Profile" link.
How do I put the Web opt-in form on my site?
After you’ve created your form VerticalResponse will provide you with three different options for adding it to your website. Just copy and paste the HTML code we provide into your website code and the form will be live.
What types of information can I capture from my members who sign up?
First, select which demographic information you would like to receive from your members including First Name, Last Name, Email Address, City, State, Zip Code, and Country. You can even personalize additional information that you would like to capture from your visitors, up to 10 fields of customizable information!
How are my data and customer list handled?
We have stored and indexed your lists in a secure environment within your VerticalResponse account. Only you, and the people you share you login information with, will ever have access to your lists.
Where can I see who is signing up on my opt-in form?
Within the Lists section of your account, find the opt-in list you’ve created. Select "View List" to see the up-to-the-minute status of your member lists.
When my customers sign up on the opt-in form, will they receive an email?
Yes, they will immediately be sent a confirmation email asking them to validate their registration by clicking on the confirmation link. You’ll have the ability to customize this email to include your own text. This is part of our Double Opt-in procedure -- remember, VerticalResponse does not allow the sending of unsolicited email.
