Titan
03-07-2005, 11:35 AM
We all want e-mail marketing to continue working for our business. E-mail marketing can be a powerful tool. But for some, the cures sound terrible. First there was blacklisting and content filtering. Next, rules and regulations like affirmative consent. Now its e-mail authentication and oh no, accreditation and reputation.
Some people have suggested, we need to abandon e-mail altogether and move to RSS. Yes, marketing through RSS is quickly coming of age. But, guess what? Email remains a potent tool in the marketer's arsenal and will continue. Used properly, it is a very powerful and intimate way of delivering your message.
As to the cures like e-mail filters, blacklisting, white listing, bulk folders, this is spam buttons and all the rest, pretty soon your eyes just start to glaze over, or you get frustrated as heck and say enough. Well, you have a choice. You can fight them, or get ahead of the curve and take control. How you ask?
How To Get Ready
Did you know that we are about to have a grand e-mail experiment involving e-mail authentication, network security and all that jazz pretty soon?
Want to learn how to turn all this around and make e-mail work for you? Don't know what I am going on about? And why should I care you ask? Well, e-mail marketing is part of your business. You want it to work. So, grab a seat and stay a while. I have a story to tell.
Security Is The Mantra
You may recall that MARID, the working group set up by the IETF almost a year ago to establish a standard for sender authentication using DNS was shut down last fall because people could not agree on the correct approach.
Okay, engineers like to talk in acronyms. No, I am not one, but since this saga involves how engineers solve problems, we get to talk their lingo.
IETF stands for the Internet Engineering Task Force. Engineers like to work in task forces to solve problems.
The IETF is the group which sets up task forces to develop protocols to solve network related problems to allow the Internet to run smoothly.
DNS or Domain Name Service is the protocol which tells computers how to use the numbers assigned to computers connected to the Internet. DNS is a very sophisticated way of rapidly sorting and finding information.
I have provided references for the acronyms I use in this article in the footnotes at the bottom. They are numbered for ease of reference. To start, there is MARID [1], IETF [2] and DNS [3]. For now, just keep reading to understand what is going on. Then you can come back and read the footnotes.
SPF And Sender ID, Where Art Thou?
When the working group was shut down, the IESG, which oversees the operations of the IETF decided to invite the SPF and Sender ID proponents to make individual submissions for consideration as experimental proposals.
IESG [4] is the Internet Engineering Security Group. You have to check the work product of the task force to make sure it is secure and works. SPF [5] and Sender ID [6] are the acronyms for two of the proposals involving e-mail authentication being considered for approval as standards last year by the MARID working group.
As part of the review process, the IESG decided to refer SPF and Sender ID to a technical directorate for a focused review, before making a decision on whether to grant experimental status to either proposal.
This directorate was put together in January and they have completed their initial review. Based on the directorate's input, in the middle of February the IESG completed its initial evaluation of the two proposals.
Subject to certain minor points being changed, the SPF draft is ready to go forward to last call. This is an open call for public comment and barring any major outcry means that SPF likely will move ahead as an experimental proposal.
Do We Want SPF?
As an aside, do you use solicited bulk e-mail to market your business. Then you may not like this proposal.
Why? The SPF draft protocol states use of SPF can solve the problem of unwanted e-mail. Hold on. The problem is unsolicited bulk e-mail or lack of consent, e-mail forgery and deception, along with miss-directed bounce notices.
It also fails to provide for any mechanism which distinguishes between the good and bad guys. Furthermore, it may place excessive load on the DNS system, the Internet's backbone and breaks e-mail forwarding. But, hey, I digress. Let’s not pre-judge the experiment before it starts.
What About Sender ID?
As to Sender ID, for now the IESG has decided not to let this proposal proceed at this time. This does not mean that Sender ID is dead, but much more work is required.
Well, it is a Microsoft backed proposal, using a hacked concept. Okay, let’s be good.
The Grand Experiment
So what? Sometime this spring, you will likely see the IESG announce its approval of SPF as an experimental proposal. As to Sender ID? We will just have to wait and see, but likely it will make it through the gate.
What does this mean? You might call it the grand experiment. The push will be on to evaluate the benefits if any of using SPF, to determine whether this should become a formal standard for e-mail authentication.
The significance? We will have real world data to sort out whether SPF or Sender ID (should it be given the go ahead) is the better approach. This will allow the engineering "gurus" who run the Internet to decide which experimental proposal, if any should be re-considered as a formal standard.
How will this benefit e-mail?
A valid and workable scheme for e-mail authentication is required to move ahead with changing how e-mail works and so help to bring the spam plague under control.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Secure Your Network
At the same time, some of you may remember that last June, the Anti Spam Technology Alliance, made up of America Online, British Telecom, EarthLink, Comcast, Microsoft and Yahoo! published a policy paper [7] on how to deal with the worst forms of network abuse and so attack the problem from its roots. The root problem? Stopping unsolicited bulk e-mail from being sent by securing networks from abuse.
Up until now, most of the big ISPs have been relying on spam filters and black lists, while some have been knowingly harboring spam gangs.[8] Talk about lunacy. Passing out fire extinguishers to the consumer, while selling gasoline to the arsonists.
And who gets hurt the most? You and I.
The significance of the policy paper? Stop fueling the fire. AOL, applying what it preaches, has seen a huge drop in its incoming spam server load over the last 9 months, while dramatically cutting down on the spam that AOL’s servers emit into the Internet. Other large consumer ISPs are beginning to follow suit.
What Does All This Mean For E-mail Marketers?
The recommendations included that bulk e-mailers start working with accreditation services.
Why? So that ISPs could readily check on the bulk e-mailers practices and determine how to treat their e-mail. Also, since e-mail abuse is a cost for ISPs, it is more economical to resolve delivery issues with "known" persons.
The point? I am not advocating paying to have your e-mail delivered. What I am telling you is that whether you use an email service provider or do your own bulk e-mailings, you will want to consider working with an accreditation service.
(Yes, I administer such a service, so I have a vested self-interest. [9])
Accreditation, Accreditation
The benefit? If the accreditation service you decide to work with is recognized as having a good reputation, it means that ISPs, block list operators, open source and 3rd party commercial filtering firms can readily check your listed e-mailing practices.
If you are honest, the information you provide is truthful and you remain faithful to your stipulated promises, this will aid you in getting your e-mail delivered.
But, since the world is not perfect and stuff happens, depending on the service you use, you will have access to the needed resources to quickly resolve delivery problems.
Changing The E-mail Channel
Oh yes, the channel for e-mail is going to be changed from port 25 to port 587, requiring SMTP authentication.
A quick explanation. A port is a channel which allows a computer to "talk" with another computer. Each port is given a different number. By convention, port 25 is the channel used between computers to send and receive e-mail.
Port 587 is the channel used to send and receive e-mail when an individual provides authentication. This is done when the mail server (a computer, with a special software program for sending and receiving e-mail) requires authentication before the sender can use that mail server to send e-mail to the intended recipient.
SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. This is the basic protocol used to send and receive e-mail between computers. SMTP authentication is an extension to this protocol designed to cover e-mail sent by authenticated senders.[10]
Guess what? Send unsolicited bulk e-mail. Not accredited as a sender of solicited bulk e-mail. Don't have a good reputation. You will likely be relegated to Port 25 for sending your e-mail. Oh yes, port 25 will still be available to send and receive e-mail between mail servers, but this channel will be overrun with spam, phishing attacks, viruses and worms.
I appreciate that some folks may not like this and say what happened to the free and easy way. Well, sorry fans, but those who support, practice and carry out the sending of unsolicited bulk e-mail spoiled the common green for all of us. And this is the result.
What About CSV?
And what about Certified Server Validation (CSV)? Ah yes, the sleeper candidate. For those who are interested, it is open for testing.
But ... wait ... where do you find the information you ask?
Talk to your friendly e-mail geek. He or she should know all about it, as the security guys and gals really like this proposal [11]. How come? Well, think about it.
Unlike SPF and Sender ID, which spammer is going to want to validate their server, so taking responsibility for the spam they spew into the net?
How To Get Ready
Okay, enough ... The bottom line? You want to get ready for the grand experiment in e-mail, because it's coming to a town near you.
How? Here are four tips:
Make The New Rules Work For You.
Oh yes, the fine points can seem complicated. But think of it this way. How do you like to be treated? With respect and integrity.
Understand people are tired of being bombarded, so they have locked the door. Well, you want people to unlock the door for you.
That's why it can make sense for example to ask the person to confirm being on your list and get their name, so you know who you are speaking with.
Marketers need to tell the ISPs, block list operators and all the rest, hey no problem, glad to work with you. Why? So you can get in the door.
But be firm and instead of being dragged kicking and screaming, lead the parade and take control.
When subscribers let you in, don't abuse the trust. Woo the customer. Entertain. Have fun. Provide value. Use emotion. Build a following.
All the basics you learned when you started marketing. The principles never really change. Oh yes, don't be afraid of a little controversy and do a little tease sometimes, because sex and controversy continue to sell.
Budget And Plan To Work With An Accreditation Service
The benefit? If you sign up with the right one, the process will aid you in getting your messages delivered and so help boost the return you receive from your email campaigns.
How? The initial process may seem daunting, but it will show up any deficiencies in your practices. Need help in publishing an SPF record? How do I deal with Sender-ID? What about CSV? And what is this DomainKeys stuff.
Does the service aid you in getting beneficial treatment? Are you white listed with AOL? Know how to manage a scomp file?
Another benefit to look for? Done properly, accreditation is like insurance. When problems arise, you have coverage.
Okay, I can hear you saying, sounds great, but how much? Well some folks are going to want the basic plan, because they just need accreditation and basic coverage.
Other people may want some of the extras, including beneficial treatment. Your choice.
Continue to build your mailing list
There are lots of different ways. One approach? Generate quality traffic to your web site, while working on your conversion rates.
Yes, but how? We keep seeing new products coming on to the market, promising to provide "the answer." Guess what? The "new" techniques are really variations on the basic themes.
Sure, they can help, but don't lose sight of the basics. How do people find a web site? Using a search engine is the number one source.
Now, I can hear you groan, okay I know this, but how the heck do I get good spots? The direct approach is to pick key words you want to target and then create focused pages.
Nothing new, but ask yourself this question, how many focused pages did you create and submit to the search engines this month?
Learn, understand and start to use RSS
No, it won't replace e-mail as a medium, but as the Internet divides into different communities, depending on your products and services, you will need different channels to reach the broadest possible audience. Or use RSS to reach special audiences that don't want e-mail.
A word of warning. Right now there is a lot of hoopla surrounding RSS and blogging. Well, guess what? It is just another medium of communication. Don't get over whelmed and besides, for those of us who are techno challenged, plug 'n play RSS and blogging is available at a fair price. Just take the plunge, one step at a time.
Also, creating one or more focused live feeds for your web pages can help with the quest for quality traffic.
Some people have suggested, we need to abandon e-mail altogether and move to RSS. Yes, marketing through RSS is quickly coming of age. But, guess what? Email remains a potent tool in the marketer's arsenal and will continue. Used properly, it is a very powerful and intimate way of delivering your message.
As to the cures like e-mail filters, blacklisting, white listing, bulk folders, this is spam buttons and all the rest, pretty soon your eyes just start to glaze over, or you get frustrated as heck and say enough. Well, you have a choice. You can fight them, or get ahead of the curve and take control. How you ask?
How To Get Ready
Did you know that we are about to have a grand e-mail experiment involving e-mail authentication, network security and all that jazz pretty soon?
Want to learn how to turn all this around and make e-mail work for you? Don't know what I am going on about? And why should I care you ask? Well, e-mail marketing is part of your business. You want it to work. So, grab a seat and stay a while. I have a story to tell.
Security Is The Mantra
You may recall that MARID, the working group set up by the IETF almost a year ago to establish a standard for sender authentication using DNS was shut down last fall because people could not agree on the correct approach.
Okay, engineers like to talk in acronyms. No, I am not one, but since this saga involves how engineers solve problems, we get to talk their lingo.
IETF stands for the Internet Engineering Task Force. Engineers like to work in task forces to solve problems.
The IETF is the group which sets up task forces to develop protocols to solve network related problems to allow the Internet to run smoothly.
DNS or Domain Name Service is the protocol which tells computers how to use the numbers assigned to computers connected to the Internet. DNS is a very sophisticated way of rapidly sorting and finding information.
I have provided references for the acronyms I use in this article in the footnotes at the bottom. They are numbered for ease of reference. To start, there is MARID [1], IETF [2] and DNS [3]. For now, just keep reading to understand what is going on. Then you can come back and read the footnotes.
SPF And Sender ID, Where Art Thou?
When the working group was shut down, the IESG, which oversees the operations of the IETF decided to invite the SPF and Sender ID proponents to make individual submissions for consideration as experimental proposals.
IESG [4] is the Internet Engineering Security Group. You have to check the work product of the task force to make sure it is secure and works. SPF [5] and Sender ID [6] are the acronyms for two of the proposals involving e-mail authentication being considered for approval as standards last year by the MARID working group.
As part of the review process, the IESG decided to refer SPF and Sender ID to a technical directorate for a focused review, before making a decision on whether to grant experimental status to either proposal.
This directorate was put together in January and they have completed their initial review. Based on the directorate's input, in the middle of February the IESG completed its initial evaluation of the two proposals.
Subject to certain minor points being changed, the SPF draft is ready to go forward to last call. This is an open call for public comment and barring any major outcry means that SPF likely will move ahead as an experimental proposal.
Do We Want SPF?
As an aside, do you use solicited bulk e-mail to market your business. Then you may not like this proposal.
Why? The SPF draft protocol states use of SPF can solve the problem of unwanted e-mail. Hold on. The problem is unsolicited bulk e-mail or lack of consent, e-mail forgery and deception, along with miss-directed bounce notices.
It also fails to provide for any mechanism which distinguishes between the good and bad guys. Furthermore, it may place excessive load on the DNS system, the Internet's backbone and breaks e-mail forwarding. But, hey, I digress. Let’s not pre-judge the experiment before it starts.
What About Sender ID?
As to Sender ID, for now the IESG has decided not to let this proposal proceed at this time. This does not mean that Sender ID is dead, but much more work is required.
Well, it is a Microsoft backed proposal, using a hacked concept. Okay, let’s be good.
The Grand Experiment
So what? Sometime this spring, you will likely see the IESG announce its approval of SPF as an experimental proposal. As to Sender ID? We will just have to wait and see, but likely it will make it through the gate.
What does this mean? You might call it the grand experiment. The push will be on to evaluate the benefits if any of using SPF, to determine whether this should become a formal standard for e-mail authentication.
The significance? We will have real world data to sort out whether SPF or Sender ID (should it be given the go ahead) is the better approach. This will allow the engineering "gurus" who run the Internet to decide which experimental proposal, if any should be re-considered as a formal standard.
How will this benefit e-mail?
A valid and workable scheme for e-mail authentication is required to move ahead with changing how e-mail works and so help to bring the spam plague under control.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Secure Your Network
At the same time, some of you may remember that last June, the Anti Spam Technology Alliance, made up of America Online, British Telecom, EarthLink, Comcast, Microsoft and Yahoo! published a policy paper [7] on how to deal with the worst forms of network abuse and so attack the problem from its roots. The root problem? Stopping unsolicited bulk e-mail from being sent by securing networks from abuse.
Up until now, most of the big ISPs have been relying on spam filters and black lists, while some have been knowingly harboring spam gangs.[8] Talk about lunacy. Passing out fire extinguishers to the consumer, while selling gasoline to the arsonists.
And who gets hurt the most? You and I.
The significance of the policy paper? Stop fueling the fire. AOL, applying what it preaches, has seen a huge drop in its incoming spam server load over the last 9 months, while dramatically cutting down on the spam that AOL’s servers emit into the Internet. Other large consumer ISPs are beginning to follow suit.
What Does All This Mean For E-mail Marketers?
The recommendations included that bulk e-mailers start working with accreditation services.
Why? So that ISPs could readily check on the bulk e-mailers practices and determine how to treat their e-mail. Also, since e-mail abuse is a cost for ISPs, it is more economical to resolve delivery issues with "known" persons.
The point? I am not advocating paying to have your e-mail delivered. What I am telling you is that whether you use an email service provider or do your own bulk e-mailings, you will want to consider working with an accreditation service.
(Yes, I administer such a service, so I have a vested self-interest. [9])
Accreditation, Accreditation
The benefit? If the accreditation service you decide to work with is recognized as having a good reputation, it means that ISPs, block list operators, open source and 3rd party commercial filtering firms can readily check your listed e-mailing practices.
If you are honest, the information you provide is truthful and you remain faithful to your stipulated promises, this will aid you in getting your e-mail delivered.
But, since the world is not perfect and stuff happens, depending on the service you use, you will have access to the needed resources to quickly resolve delivery problems.
Changing The E-mail Channel
Oh yes, the channel for e-mail is going to be changed from port 25 to port 587, requiring SMTP authentication.
A quick explanation. A port is a channel which allows a computer to "talk" with another computer. Each port is given a different number. By convention, port 25 is the channel used between computers to send and receive e-mail.
Port 587 is the channel used to send and receive e-mail when an individual provides authentication. This is done when the mail server (a computer, with a special software program for sending and receiving e-mail) requires authentication before the sender can use that mail server to send e-mail to the intended recipient.
SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. This is the basic protocol used to send and receive e-mail between computers. SMTP authentication is an extension to this protocol designed to cover e-mail sent by authenticated senders.[10]
Guess what? Send unsolicited bulk e-mail. Not accredited as a sender of solicited bulk e-mail. Don't have a good reputation. You will likely be relegated to Port 25 for sending your e-mail. Oh yes, port 25 will still be available to send and receive e-mail between mail servers, but this channel will be overrun with spam, phishing attacks, viruses and worms.
I appreciate that some folks may not like this and say what happened to the free and easy way. Well, sorry fans, but those who support, practice and carry out the sending of unsolicited bulk e-mail spoiled the common green for all of us. And this is the result.
What About CSV?
And what about Certified Server Validation (CSV)? Ah yes, the sleeper candidate. For those who are interested, it is open for testing.
But ... wait ... where do you find the information you ask?
Talk to your friendly e-mail geek. He or she should know all about it, as the security guys and gals really like this proposal [11]. How come? Well, think about it.
Unlike SPF and Sender ID, which spammer is going to want to validate their server, so taking responsibility for the spam they spew into the net?
How To Get Ready
Okay, enough ... The bottom line? You want to get ready for the grand experiment in e-mail, because it's coming to a town near you.
How? Here are four tips:
Make The New Rules Work For You.
Oh yes, the fine points can seem complicated. But think of it this way. How do you like to be treated? With respect and integrity.
Understand people are tired of being bombarded, so they have locked the door. Well, you want people to unlock the door for you.
That's why it can make sense for example to ask the person to confirm being on your list and get their name, so you know who you are speaking with.
Marketers need to tell the ISPs, block list operators and all the rest, hey no problem, glad to work with you. Why? So you can get in the door.
But be firm and instead of being dragged kicking and screaming, lead the parade and take control.
When subscribers let you in, don't abuse the trust. Woo the customer. Entertain. Have fun. Provide value. Use emotion. Build a following.
All the basics you learned when you started marketing. The principles never really change. Oh yes, don't be afraid of a little controversy and do a little tease sometimes, because sex and controversy continue to sell.
Budget And Plan To Work With An Accreditation Service
The benefit? If you sign up with the right one, the process will aid you in getting your messages delivered and so help boost the return you receive from your email campaigns.
How? The initial process may seem daunting, but it will show up any deficiencies in your practices. Need help in publishing an SPF record? How do I deal with Sender-ID? What about CSV? And what is this DomainKeys stuff.
Does the service aid you in getting beneficial treatment? Are you white listed with AOL? Know how to manage a scomp file?
Another benefit to look for? Done properly, accreditation is like insurance. When problems arise, you have coverage.
Okay, I can hear you saying, sounds great, but how much? Well some folks are going to want the basic plan, because they just need accreditation and basic coverage.
Other people may want some of the extras, including beneficial treatment. Your choice.
Continue to build your mailing list
There are lots of different ways. One approach? Generate quality traffic to your web site, while working on your conversion rates.
Yes, but how? We keep seeing new products coming on to the market, promising to provide "the answer." Guess what? The "new" techniques are really variations on the basic themes.
Sure, they can help, but don't lose sight of the basics. How do people find a web site? Using a search engine is the number one source.
Now, I can hear you groan, okay I know this, but how the heck do I get good spots? The direct approach is to pick key words you want to target and then create focused pages.
Nothing new, but ask yourself this question, how many focused pages did you create and submit to the search engines this month?
Learn, understand and start to use RSS
No, it won't replace e-mail as a medium, but as the Internet divides into different communities, depending on your products and services, you will need different channels to reach the broadest possible audience. Or use RSS to reach special audiences that don't want e-mail.
A word of warning. Right now there is a lot of hoopla surrounding RSS and blogging. Well, guess what? It is just another medium of communication. Don't get over whelmed and besides, for those of us who are techno challenged, plug 'n play RSS and blogging is available at a fair price. Just take the plunge, one step at a time.
Also, creating one or more focused live feeds for your web pages can help with the quest for quality traffic.