I'm a huge
fan of SpamAssassin. I have many websites and all of my servers use
it. It cuts out about 80% of the crap heading to my inbox. And while
I do lose a few newsletters, it's worth it.
The problem
is too many indie businesses just don't get it. They think flashy is
the way to go, but more and more people realize as spam becomes ever
more rampant that if you want to contact your fans, you need to make
your newsletters accessbile first, flashy second.
How
do you do that?
Start by doing
away with HTML in emails.
That's
right. Ditch it. It's useless. I know one music biz website that actually
sends out HTML messages with graphics and all. And every edition gets
SpamAssassinated. HTML emails are marketing heaven. A marketer can track
which emails are opened and which not. They include javascript and cookies,
and of course, HTML is easy to slip a virus into.
So stop
using HTML newsletters. Remember the point of fan newsletters is communication.
If you don't effectively communicate with your fan base, then you're
wasting your time.
How do you know
if your newsletter is being Spam Assassinated?
For the
past year or so I've been using SiteBuildIt to optimize my websites
for the search engines. SiteBuildIt is program designed to help you
build a webpage that Effectively sells your product while helping you
to top the search engines.
Warning:
It's expensive. We're talking $299 a year. And yes, it's worth every
penny. SiteBuildIt offers some incredible services, but I DON'T suggest
you head over there and purchase the program.
Instead,
join their affiliate program. You will find out about ALL the great
services they offer, like their SpamChecker, and find out IF it's right
for you.
Here's
how it works:
