A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M (click to view N-Z)
A/B Split Test: A method of email testing where two equal segments of an email list are sent two different versions of an email to gauge response to certain variables. Commonly used for testing the response of recipients (in the form of open rates) to different subject lines. Back to top
Above-the-fold: The top part of an email or web page that can be seen without scrolling. This is generally more desirable placement because of its visibility. Back to top
API: Application Programming Interface that allows an outside system to have a well defined protocol by which they can access another system's functionality. Valuable to email marketers for performing such tasks as list management through their Email Service Provider's interface. Back to top
Append: The practice in which a marketer leverages offline data to match profiles with users and contact via e-mail. Back to top
Auditor: Third party to verify subscriber membership. Back to top
Below-the-fold: Refers to the area of a web page or email that is not visible until the mouse or arrow keys are used to scroll father down the page. Back to top
Blacklist: List of IP addresses that are being used by or belong to organizations or individuals that have been identified as sending SPAM. Blacklists are often used by organizations and Internet Service Providers as part of their filtering process to block all incoming mail from a particular IP address (or block of addresses). Back to top
CAN-SPAM: A law, which became effective January 1, 2004, that establishes provisions for those who send email with primary purpose of advertising or promoting a commercial product or service. Back to top
Click-through: When a reader takes action and clicks on a link. Back to top
Click Through Rate: The number of times all links in an email were clicked compared to the total list size, represented as a percentage. To determine the click-through rate, divide the number of responses (clicks) by the number of emails sent (multiply this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). Back to top
Click To Open Rate: The number of times all links in an email were clicked compared to the number of people who opened the email, represented as a percentage. To determine the click-to-open-rate, divide the number of responses (clicks) by the number of emails opened (multiply this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). Back to top
Conversion Rate: The number of recipients that completed a desired action as a result of an email message compared to the total list size, represented as a percentage. To determine the conversion rate, divide the number of recipients who completed the desired action by the number of emails sent (multiply this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). Back to top
Creative (Email Marketing): Terminology used for copy and content of an email. Email creative can be in many different formats including HTML, text, images, etc. Back to top
Demographics: Data about the size and characteristics of an audience. Back to top
Domain Keys: Email authentication system designed to verify the DNS domain of an email sender and the message integrity. Back to top
Double Opt-in Email Marketing: The process of collecting permission to email users whereby a submitted email address is not immediately added to a mailing list. Instead, an email is sent to the submitted address asking the user to take additional action to confirm that they do want to receive email communications from the marketer. If the user does nothing, the submitted address is not sent email communications. The user will only be sent email communications if they respond to the confirmation email. Back to top
Email Authentication: Practice of validating that an email sender is legitimate to cut down on spam and phishing scams. Back to top
Email Client: A computer program used to send, receive and manage a user?s email. Includes programs such as Outlook, as well as ?webmail? programs such as Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail. Back to top
Email Frequency: The intervals at which email marketing efforts are repeated: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc. Back to top
Email Header: The portion of an email containing basic information such as the sender?s address, the recipient?s address, the subject line and the date sent. Also contained in the header (though not always readily accessible) is more detailed information about the entire path the email traveled between the sender and recipient. Back to top
Email List Manager: Controller of email list or database entity. Back to top
Email Marketing Campaign: Coordinated email marketing messages delivered at intervals with a specific objective or goal. Back to top
Email Newsletter: An email message sent out to a group of subscribers with relevant information on a topic. Often used to capture Web site visitor's email addresses, they can also be used to keep in touch with existing customers, or simply as a means of distributing new product information. Back to top
Email Service Provider (ESP): Service that provides clients with platform from which to create and deploy email messages, as well as the ability to access reporting tools. Depth of service and sophistication of systems vary depending on the ESP. Back to top
Email Spoofing: Altering certain elements of an email to disguise or misidentify the origin of the message. This is an illegal technique commonly used when sending SPAM. Back to top
Forward: An email function allowing subscribers to relay a previously received message in full to another email address (or addresses). This is convenient in that the entire email is passed along without the need to create a new message or do any cut/paste work. Back to top
From Name: The name by which the sender of an email is known. Back to top
From address: The email address from which an email is sent. Back to top
Geo Segmentation: The ability to target email recipients by geographic region such as city, state, country and postal code. Back to top
Hard Bounce: An email address that is rejected by the receiving server for a permanant reason (example: "email address does not exist"). Hard bounces are not vaild email addresses and should be removed from lists. Back to top
HTML-based Email: An email comprised of HTML code. Essentially, an HTML-based email is the equivalent of emailing a web page, complete with colors, graphics, and other visually appealing methods of delivering content. Back to top
Image Suppression/Image Blocking: A default setting in many Email Clients (and an available option on almost all), image suppression allows recipients to view emails with no images displayed. Only text and HTML-coded colors will display when emails are viewed with images blocked. Recipients do this to cut down on the amount of advertisements displayed in the emails they view, and to make emails load onto their screen in the least amount of time required. Emails viewed with images blocked are not counted as an Open because the invisible tracking images used to determine the emails? Open Rate is blocked as well. Back to top
List Segmentation: Breaking a list into smaller pieces for the purpose of targeting recipients with specific characteristics or demographics. Back to top
Multi-part Email: An email that is sent with different versions - usually html, text and AOL. The recipient's email client settings determine which version is delivered to that inbox. Back to top
Multivariate Testing: A form of email testing where testing software is used to display emails containing variations to several different elements. These emails are displayed with different combinations of the elements to different users. The data can then be viewed to see which combinations and elements had the greatest impact on performance. Back to top
A
A/B Split Test: A method of email testing where two equal segments of an email list are sent two different versions of an email to gauge response to certain variables. Commonly used for testing the response of recipients (in the form of open rates) to different subject lines. Back to top
Above-the-fold: The top part of an email or web page that can be seen without scrolling. This is generally more desirable placement because of its visibility. Back to top
API: Application Programming Interface that allows an outside system to have a well defined protocol by which they can access another system's functionality. Valuable to email marketers for performing such tasks as list management through their Email Service Provider's interface. Back to top
Append: The practice in which a marketer leverages offline data to match profiles with users and contact via e-mail. Back to top
Auditor: Third party to verify subscriber membership. Back to top
B
Below-the-fold: Refers to the area of a web page or email that is not visible until the mouse or arrow keys are used to scroll father down the page. Back to top
Blacklist: List of IP addresses that are being used by or belong to organizations or individuals that have been identified as sending SPAM. Blacklists are often used by organizations and Internet Service Providers as part of their filtering process to block all incoming mail from a particular IP address (or block of addresses). Back to top
C
CAN-SPAM: A law, which became effective January 1, 2004, that establishes provisions for those who send email with primary purpose of advertising or promoting a commercial product or service. Back to top
Click-through: When a reader takes action and clicks on a link. Back to top
Click Through Rate: The number of times all links in an email were clicked compared to the total list size, represented as a percentage. To determine the click-through rate, divide the number of responses (clicks) by the number of emails sent (multiply this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). Back to top
Click To Open Rate: The number of times all links in an email were clicked compared to the number of people who opened the email, represented as a percentage. To determine the click-to-open-rate, divide the number of responses (clicks) by the number of emails opened (multiply this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). Back to top
Conversion Rate: The number of recipients that completed a desired action as a result of an email message compared to the total list size, represented as a percentage. To determine the conversion rate, divide the number of recipients who completed the desired action by the number of emails sent (multiply this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). Back to top
Creative (Email Marketing): Terminology used for copy and content of an email. Email creative can be in many different formats including HTML, text, images, etc. Back to top
D
Demographics: Data about the size and characteristics of an audience. Back to top
Domain Keys: Email authentication system designed to verify the DNS domain of an email sender and the message integrity. Back to top
Double Opt-in Email Marketing: The process of collecting permission to email users whereby a submitted email address is not immediately added to a mailing list. Instead, an email is sent to the submitted address asking the user to take additional action to confirm that they do want to receive email communications from the marketer. If the user does nothing, the submitted address is not sent email communications. The user will only be sent email communications if they respond to the confirmation email. Back to top
E
Email Authentication: Practice of validating that an email sender is legitimate to cut down on spam and phishing scams. Back to top
Email Client: A computer program used to send, receive and manage a user?s email. Includes programs such as Outlook, as well as ?webmail? programs such as Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail. Back to top
Email Frequency: The intervals at which email marketing efforts are repeated: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc. Back to top
Email Header: The portion of an email containing basic information such as the sender?s address, the recipient?s address, the subject line and the date sent. Also contained in the header (though not always readily accessible) is more detailed information about the entire path the email traveled between the sender and recipient. Back to top
Email List Manager: Controller of email list or database entity. Back to top
Email Marketing Campaign: Coordinated email marketing messages delivered at intervals with a specific objective or goal. Back to top
Email Newsletter: An email message sent out to a group of subscribers with relevant information on a topic. Often used to capture Web site visitor's email addresses, they can also be used to keep in touch with existing customers, or simply as a means of distributing new product information. Back to top
Email Service Provider (ESP): Service that provides clients with platform from which to create and deploy email messages, as well as the ability to access reporting tools. Depth of service and sophistication of systems vary depending on the ESP. Back to top
Email Spoofing: Altering certain elements of an email to disguise or misidentify the origin of the message. This is an illegal technique commonly used when sending SPAM. Back to top
F
Forward: An email function allowing subscribers to relay a previously received message in full to another email address (or addresses). This is convenient in that the entire email is passed along without the need to create a new message or do any cut/paste work. Back to top
From Name: The name by which the sender of an email is known. Back to top
From address: The email address from which an email is sent. Back to top
G
Geo Segmentation: The ability to target email recipients by geographic region such as city, state, country and postal code. Back to top
H
Hard Bounce: An email address that is rejected by the receiving server for a permanant reason (example: "email address does not exist"). Hard bounces are not vaild email addresses and should be removed from lists. Back to top
HTML-based Email: An email comprised of HTML code. Essentially, an HTML-based email is the equivalent of emailing a web page, complete with colors, graphics, and other visually appealing methods of delivering content. Back to top
I
Image Suppression/Image Blocking: A default setting in many Email Clients (and an available option on almost all), image suppression allows recipients to view emails with no images displayed. Only text and HTML-coded colors will display when emails are viewed with images blocked. Recipients do this to cut down on the amount of advertisements displayed in the emails they view, and to make emails load onto their screen in the least amount of time required. Emails viewed with images blocked are not counted as an Open because the invisible tracking images used to determine the emails? Open Rate is blocked as well. Back to top
J
K
L
List Segmentation: Breaking a list into smaller pieces for the purpose of targeting recipients with specific characteristics or demographics. Back to top
M
Multi-part Email: An email that is sent with different versions - usually html, text and AOL. The recipient's email client settings determine which version is delivered to that inbox. Back to top
Multivariate Testing: A form of email testing where testing software is used to display emails containing variations to several different elements. These emails are displayed with different combinations of the elements to different users. The data can then be viewed to see which combinations and elements had the greatest impact on performance. Back to top