Customer Care Request Form Confirmation Email

I've sent a request to customer care via a form on a website. Seconds later I've been checking my email and I found this:

This is an epic fail, isn't it?

And here's why:

• Sender isn't recognizable. If I would check my inbox minutes or hours after request submission I'm likely to not understand where it's coming from.
• There's no request ID or something similar that will allow me to check its status later.

• Actually there's no content at all!

Finally I Understood Why Email Designs Frequently Are So Bad

Finally I've got a feeling of what happens when a company is sending out an email campaign with a poor design. At least it should be one of the most important cases.

I've been reading through web designers CVs lately. A lot of CVs as I'm looking for an email designer for a top 3 Russian cell phone operator. And I see a situation when web design is being done by designers with a printed design experience.

At first they're starting doing things for web - and it's a mistake #1 as they don't fully understand that media. And at some point some person asks such a designer to create a mockup for an email campaign. But email as a channel is different even comparing to web design! And here we go - the designer who totally doesn't understand email marketing is guiding the way email are going to look like.

iOS Mail is going to support List Unsubscribe method

Read more here: http://www.spamresource.com/2016/06/apple-ios-10-to-support-list-unsubscribe.html?m=1

DMARC, SPF and DKIM aren't what you expect them to be

I've been blogging recently about wrong picture of DMARC nature and abilities supported by DMARC-based solutions.

Here's a nice new post on the web regarding REAL goal of DMARC, SPF and DKIM technologies: https://www.spamtacular.com/2016/03/08/drafted-for-the-wrong-fight/

DMARC stops scam? No, it's scam itself

I was always sure that DMARC, advertised as a scam/phishing preventing solution, is a kind of scam itself. It's misleading for email marketers.

It's pretty straightforward - a scammer isn't really tied to the real sending domain of a company. Let's say there's a company.com sending domain which identity I'd like to spoof. If I was a spammer I would be aware that:

- top mailbox providers are likely to filter out or land into Spam all the mail which isn't authenticated the same way as original emails coming from it

- most of email users see and care only about visible part of from email but not the real from address

So what's the reason for me to use "Company Name <noreply@company.com>"? I would rather go with "Company Name <noreply@c0mpany.com>".

And as soon as I'm not using the original domain name DMARC policy of company.com becomes useless.

Couple years ago I had sales calls with a Agari and Return Path representatives in regard of their DMARC-based solutions. The only question I've asked them was "What's the point in your product if a spammer can easily avoid any DMARC-based defense?". I've got no real answer.

Today I've found the proof that I was right. Return Path whitepaper states DMARC is protecting brands from only 30% of email-borne attacks.

How To Waste Email Subject Line Opportunities

My bank started monthly email digest lately. As an email professional I'm carefully reading all their email. The last one was pretty appealing - up to 10% cash back on gas stations, discount on tickets to electronic music festival etc. Much effort spent on proposed opportunity, design and so on.

But the subject line was the worst possible - just "Our News In Short". What an opportunity wasted!

One Step Forward, One Step Back

I've been already blogging about not successful email marketing segmentation approach of French parking company Neoparking. In March they've sent me 2 more emails with a 5 days difference.

The first one gave me a hope they're going to make things better - the email was in English. But few days later I've got another email in French again. Come on guys, you almost did it!