When doing some research on email marketing software, it is important to know some buzz words, key words, and things to consider so that you are properly informed. As a small business owner, you can greatly benefit from email marketing, as it helps you stay in contact with your current and potential clients. It is an important service that can greatly increase sales. Therefore, it is imperative to be informed before choosing your email marketing solution.

The following is a glossary of email marketing buzz words that you might come across, and what they mean to you and your business.

Deliverability:

This term refers to the success of your campaigns being delivered to your subscribers. Think of it as deliver-ability. That is, how frequently do the emails you send actually land in your readers' inboxes? The deliverability of a system is dependent upon the relationship that your email marketing software service provider has with the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The top ranked email marketing software will have set up communications with all the ISPs, which enhances the deliverability of your emails.

I.P. Address:

This is an identification number that gets assigned to your computer. When accessing web-pages and browsers, or sending out email, the computer you are using has an IP address associated with it. It can seen as your "passport" to the Internet. For email marketing, an IP address gets assigned a reputation based on the content of your current emails and the previous emails you have sent out. If you receive many spam complaints, or a large percentage of bounce-back numbers, this has an effect on the reputation of your IP address (similar to the effect that bringing drugs over the border and getting caught would have on your passport). The ISPs have the authority to shut off your internet service or disallow you to send email on mass (blacklisting) if your IP address has received too many spam complaints. The top-ranked email marketing software solutions provide whitelisting, so that your IP address is trusted by the policing ISPs.

Whitelisting (or White Listing):

This is a status that the top ranked email marketing companies have been granted by ISPs around the world. White listing comes as a result of an email marketing software company's positive reputation and ongoing relationship with the ISPs. Email marketing software providers must have a long standing relationship and a track record proven performance.

Blacklisting:

This is basically the opposite of white listing. An IP address can get blacklisted by the ISP providers when the owner of this IP address sends out too many spam messages. The ISP providers have 'spam bots', or robots that determine whether or not you are sending out spam. Spam status is determined by your content, the response from people who receive the email, and the bounces that are associated with the account. Blacklisting means that the ISP blocks you from being able to send out emails, which means that your email marketing campaigns will not be delivered or will land in people's junk mail box.

Feedback Loops:

The best email marketing software companies have feedback loops in place in order to increase the reputation of their IP addresses. This is an ongoing communication process that occurs between the IP address owner and the ISP, detailing how a spam complaint has been dealt with, or ensuring that a reader who has reported a complaint has been removed from the associated mailing list.

Make sure that you know what you are looking for in an email marketing software, so that your campaigns will be as successful as they can be. Always look for the email marketing software companies that give you the best possible chances to get your email into the inbox of you subscribers.