How to Avoid the Spam Folder with Transactional Emails

Transactional emails are messages sent in response to an action your customers take. They can be order receipts, password resets, shipping confirmations, and more. Because transactional emails are so important for keeping your customers informed and engaged, it’s critical that they avoid being caught in the spam filter. Here are some best practices for ensuring your transactional emails make it to the inbox every time.

    Use a consistent “from” name and email address.

If your transactional emails are coming from a different “from” name or email address each time, it’s going to be more difficult for recipients to recognize them as coming from a trusted source. This is one of the quickest ways to get tossed into the spam folder. To avoid this, use the same “from” name and email address for all of your transactional emails. Bonus points if you can use a “from” name that’s recognizable and associated with your brand (e.g., “[Brand] Support”).

    Use a consistent template.

Just like with your “from” name and address, using a consistent template for your transactional emails will help recipients recognize them and know they can be trusted. Your template doesn’t need to be complicated; in fact, simpler is often better when it comes to transactional emails. Just make sure it includes all of the necessary information in an easy-to-read format, and that it uses branding elements (like your logo) that recipients will recognize.

   Don’t use deceptive subject lines or content.

Your subject line should clearly and concisely describe what’s inside the email. Likewise, the body of your email should not contain any false or misleading information. Not only is this bad business practice, but it will also get you flagged as spam faster than you can say “unsubscribe.” So play it straight—your customers will appreciate it, and so will their inboxes.

Use a double opt-in for your transactional emails. This means that when a subscriber signs up for your service, they must confirm their email address before they start receiving transactional emails from you. This may seem like an extra step, but it’s worth it to make sure that your emails are going to people who actually want to receive them.

Keep your list clean. Sending transactional emails to unsubscribed or inactive users is a surefire way to end up in the spam folder. Make sure to remove inactive subscribers from your list regularly and only send transactional emails to people who have opted in to receive them.

Avoid using excessive exclamation points!!!!! Using too many exclamation points in your subject line is a red flag for spam filters. Stick to one or two exclamation points at most to avoid raising any flags.

Use a consistent format for your transactional emails. If you’re sending HTML emails, make sure that they’re formatted consistently across all platforms. Recipients should be able to tell at a glance that the email is from you and know what action they need to take, whether it’s clicking on a link or opening an attachment.

Conclusion:

Transactional emails are crucial for keeping your customers informed and engaged—but only if they actually make it to the inbox! By following these simple best practices, you can ensure that your transactional emails bypass the spam filter every time and make their way into the inboxes of your most important contacts.

 

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Marketing Skills Shortages in the Digital Age

There is no doubt that we are in the digital age and that this transformation is causing a skills gap in the marketing industry. According to Forbes, “62% of CEOs say they have difficulty filling vacancies because they can’t find workers with the necessary skills.” This skills gap is only getting worse as the marketing landscape becomes more complex and ever-changing. In fact, according to a recent study by Adecco, 72% of marketers believe the skills gap will have a negative impact on their ability to meet business goals.

The top three skill sets that are in demand are digital marketing, data analysis, and creative content writing. Let’s take a closer look at each of these skills and how you can make sure your business is not left behind.

In Demand Skills

Digital Marketing: With so many businesses moving online, it is no surprise that digital marketing skills are in high demand. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you need to make sure your website is optimized for search engines, that you are active on social media, and that you have a solid understanding of how to use digital marketing tools like Google Analytics. A good place to start if you are wanting to learn more about digital marketing is by taking an online course or attending a seminar.

Data Analysis: In order for businesses to make data-driven decisions, they need employees who are skilled in data analysis. Data analysts collect and analyze data that can then be used to improve marketing campaigns, assess customer behavior, and track sales trends. If you want to get into data analysis, you should have a strong foundation in math and statistics and be able to use Excel or other data visualization software.

Creative Content Writing: Creative content writing is another skill that is in high demand due to the increase in businesses moving online. If you can write compelling copy that grabs attention and drives conversions, you will be an asset to any company. In addition to being a strong writer, you should also understand SEO and how to write for different platforms (such as blog posts, social media posts, etc.). A great way to start honing your content writing skills is by starting a blog or working as a freelance writer.

How to Close the Marketing Skills Gap

The first step in closing the marketing skills gap is identifying which skills are most lacking within your organization. To do this, you’ll need to take a close look at your current marketing campaigns and compare them to your desired outcomes. Are you missing key deliverables? Are your campaigns falling flat? Once you’ve identified which skills are most needed, you can start taking steps to close the gap. Here are a few ideas:

Invest in Employee Training: One of the best ways to close the marketing skills gap is by investing in employee training. This can take many different forms, from on-the-job training to formal classroom instruction to online courses. There are a number of different ways to deliver training, so it’s important to find a method that works best for your team.

Hire Outside Help: If you don’t have the internal resources to close the marketing skills gap, hire outside help. This could mean bringing on a freelance marketer or working with a marketing agency that has expertise in the areas you’re lacking.

Rethink Your Hiring Process: Take a close look at your hiring process—are you hiring for attitude and trainability or solely for experience? Rethinking your hiring process can help you find employees who have the potential to close the marketing skills gap within your organization.

Identify and Grow

The digital age has brought about a skills gap in the marketing industry—but there is still time for businesses to catch up. By focusing on developing employees with digital marketing, data analysis, and creative content writing skillsets, companies can stay ahead of the curve and keep up with the competition. Do you have what it takes to bridge the marketing skills gap?

Apex IT’s marketing division, Apex Theorem, has Marketing Automation services that can identify gaps, train employees, or even supplement your team with experts that work within your budget. Reach out today for a free capability, maturity assessment to understand where your gaps are and how to improve them

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Universities are using Marketing Automation to Increase Engagement and Donations

It’s no secret that marketing automation is being used by a variety of industries to increase leads and conversions. But did you know that universities are now starting to use marketing automation platforms to increase engagement with prospects, student body, alumni, and potential donors?

Marketing automation platforms help university marketing departments manage their communications across a variety of channels (email, social media, web, etc.), automate repetitive tasks, and track the results of their campaigns. These features are especially beneficial for universities because they have a large number of constituents to communicate with on a regular basis. In addition, marketing automation can help universities segment their audiences and personalize their communications in a way that is not possible with traditional email or direct mail.

How Automation Helps Universities

There are a few ways in which marketing automation can help universities. First of all, it can help universities save time. When you’re trying to reach a large audience, manually sending emails or managing social media accounts can be very time-consuming. Marketing automation can help you automate those tasks so that you can focus your time on other things.

Another way in which marketing automation can help universities is by helping them target their audiences more effectively. With marketing automation, you can collect data about your target audience and use that data to create more effective marketing campaigns. For example, if you know that your target audience is interested in certain topics, you can create content that is tailored to their interests.

Finally, marketing automation can help increase the ROI of marketing campaigns. By automating marketing tasks, schools can free up budget that would otherwise be spent on manual tasks like emailing or lead generation. They can then use that budget to invest in other marketing tactics that will generate more leads and conversions.

Can Marketing Automation Save Universities?

In recent years, universities have been struggling to reach their target audiences. With so many choices and so much competition, it’s harder than ever for universities to stand out. One way that some universities are trying to reach their target audiences is through a more holistic digital marketing program creating a more personalized student life cycle by engaging with them from the time they were a prospect, through graduation, and beyond.

Many of schools we work with are using marketing automation with great success. Since adopting the platform, they have seen a significant increase in the number of donors to their annual fund. In addition, they have been able to engage with alumni more effectively, resulting in increased attendance at events and higher rates of volunteering. They’ve also started using their marketing automation platforms to remind students when registration is, what might be missing out of their applications, and even looked at increasing book sales based on classes a student is taken.

Transforming Communications

Universities are under pressure like never before to reach their target audiences. As marketing automation continues to grow in popularity, it’s becoming clear that there are very few industries that can’t benefit from its use. Universities are no exception. Marketing is using effective communications to engage someone and cause a reaction. Automating this process can help save time and money and allow Universities to focus on more engaging strategies. If your university isn’t already using marketing automation, now is the time to start! Consider making the investment by contacting Apex Theorem. Over the past 18 years we have helped hundreds of schools create strategies, processes and implemented technologies.

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How to Succeed with Omnichannel Marketing

Consumers today have more choices than ever before. They can purchase items in-store, online, or through a mobile app. They can browse potential purchases on their laptop, tablet, or smartphone. And they can research products and services through social media, online reviews, and word-of-mouth recommendations. With so many options available, it’s more important than ever for businesses to adopt an omnichannel marketing approach.

What is Omnichannel Marketing?

Omnichannel marketing is a strategy that uses multiple channels to reach and engage customers. The goal of omnichannel marketing is to provide a seamless customer experience, whether customers are interacting with your brand in-person, online, or through a mobile app.

To succeed with omnichannel marketing, businesses need to have a clear understanding of their target audience and what channels those consumers are using to make purchase decisions. They also need to ensure that all channels are properly integrated so that there is continuity between the various touchpoints—such as making sure that inventory levels are accurately reflected across all channels and that coupons can be redeemed both online and in-store.

Omnichannel vs. Multichannel Marketing

It’s important to understand the difference between omnichannel and multichannel marketing. Multichannel marketing is an approach that uses multiple channels to reach customers but doesn’t necessarily integrate those channels. For example, a business might use both email and social media to reach its customers but doesn’t do anything to ensure that those two channels work together.

On the other hand, omnichannel marketing takes an integrated approach, whereby all channels are connected and work together to provide a seamless customer experience. This might include something as simple as using the same branding across all channels or integrating your point-of-sale system with your online store.

Omnichannel marketing is a holistic advancement to marketing that takes into account the many different ways that customers interact with businesses. The goal of omnichannel marketing is to provide customers with a seamless experience no matter how they choose to interact with your business. There are several key benefits of adopting an omnichannel approach, so let’s break it down.

Benefits of Omnichannel Marketing

Increased Revenue and Sales: Studies have shown that businesses that adopt an omnichannel approach see significant increases in revenue compared to those who don’t. Omnichannel shoppers spend 4% more than single-channel shoppers.

Improved Customer Retention: Omnichannel marketing can also help improve customer retention rates by creating a more consistent and positive customer experience. Customers who interact with brands using multiple channels are 3 times more likely to be loyal to that brand.

Enhanced Customer Experience: When done correctly, omnichannel marketing can help you increase customer engagement by making it easier for customers to connect with your brand on their terms. 68% of customers say they would pay more for a better customer experience.

In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk about omnichannel marketing and how it can benefit businesses. However, there’s still a lot of confusion about what omnichannel marketing is and how to implement it in an organization’s everyday marketing program.

Omnichannel marketing provides businesses with the opportunity to reach and engage consumers through multiple channels. To succeed with omnichannel marketing, businesses need to have a clear understanding of their target audience and what channels those consumers are using to make purchase decisions—and they need to ensure that all channels are properly integrated so that there is continuity between the various touchpoints.

At Apex Theorem, we not only help businesses create a roadmap to having a successful Omnichannel marketing program, but we have the resources to implement it using today’s marketing automation platforms. Reach out to our team to find out how we can help your company build an omnichannel marketing program and effectively engage your target audience.

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