5 Things You NEED to Know About Your AOL 9.0 Subscribers

In Fall 2003, America Online (AOL) released its brand new AOL Version 9. (Have you noticed all the TV ads?) AOL estimates that up to 50% of their users were using the new version by the end of December 2003.

The biggest new feature with AOL 9 is its aggressive method of reducing unsolicited e-mail (sp^m) for its users. Basically, AOL wants users to customize their own inboxes and view or receive only the messages that they choose.

While the crackdown is a noble endeavor, it puts legitimate e-mail publishers in the crossfire -- people like us who have worked hard to ensure that everyone on our list has opted-in and given us permission to contact them repeatedly.

To make sure that your AOL subscribers are receiving YOUR e-mails, here are a few things you should know.

  • All Your Graphics Are Blocked by Default

    AOL has taken the drastic measure of blocking all graphics from being displayed in HTML e-mails, as well as deactivating the links for any new messages sent to an AOL 9 inbox. The system is also designed to "learn" what messages are repeatedly marked as sp^m, and they will eventually be sent to the junk folder automatically, once it maps the user's behavior.

    When an e-mail is received in AOL 9, users have to click a link at the top of each message to view any graphics within your e-mail ("Show Images & Enable Links"). If this action is not taken, images (e.g. pictures, logos) and links will not be displayed or enabled.


  • Your Open Rates Are Likely Affected

    If your e-mail publishing system uses "open tracking" to count how many people open your e-mails, you will start seeing lower numbers because the new AOL 9 also blocks open tracking tools by default. (Read on to learn how to improve your results.)


  • Ask Your Subs to Add You To Their Address Book

    At the top of each issue you send, remind those AOL folks to put you in their AOL address book. For example, "AOL 9 users: Please add Alexandria@EzineQueen.com to your address book so you'll be sure to receive every issue of our e-zine".

    Once a user puts you in her address book, all your future e-mails will automatically show images and functioning links. This will also allow the e-mail to be tracked properly as "opened" on your end.


  • Make Sure Your FROM Address is Consistent

    This shouldn't be a problem unless your list server/e-mail publishing program generates a different FROM address with each e-mail you send. For example, today I got an issue of an e-zine with this FROM address: 16863-return-90-86968736@lb.bcentral.com. But when I looked at the LAST issue of the same e-zine two weeks ago, the return address had some different numbers in there.

    This is BAD, because even if the AOL user adds you to her address book, every issue you send will be categorized as from a new sender. By having a consistent FROM address, you'll allow your AOL 9 subscribers to add your e-mail address into their address book, and all future e-mails you send will be easily received and tracked.

    NOTE: There is a difference between your actual FROM address and what some call the "from LABEL". My e-zine's actual FROM address is Alexandria@EzineQueen.com, but it's labeled as from "E-zine Queen".

    If you use Outlook or Eudora, you know what I mean. In your inbox list, you see all the from LABELS and not the actual e-mail addresses. For example, you see "John Smith" instead of jsmith2000@hotmail.com.

    AOL does NOT show its users your from label, it only shows your true FROM address. You can usually access and change these settings in your e-mail publishing program. If you're not sure how to do this, talk with your vendor.


  • Bottom Line: Never Rely on Images to Convey Your Message

    You can be sure that not all your AOL users will bother to put you in their address book, or understand how easy it is to do.

    So here's the bottom line: Have fun with graphics and images in your HTML e-zine, but never rely on them to get your message across. Once each issue is complete and ready to send, look at it and pretend all the graphics are gone. Can your readers still instantly recognize it's a publication? Do they see it's from you? Is it obvious to them this is what they signed up for? If not, be sure to add text at the top to make things crystal clear.

    I also recommend that if you don't have AOL yourself, get an account and put that e-mail address on your subscriber list. This will allow you to see how the new AOL 9 works and how your e-zine appears.

    • (c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/

    In The News:
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.businessstrata.com/Win/News-Archive/Marketing-News/%3FstoryId%3D1193%26title%3DEmail%2Bmarketing%2B%27can%2Bbe%2Ba%2Bkiller%2Bapp%2Bwhen%2Bused%2Bcleverly%27cid=0ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNGS7FJ_VuRANec7ywI6hQmMC7oMeQbEmail marketing/b #39;can be a killer app when used cleverly#39;/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBusiness Strata - Business News,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1An expert has claimed that bemail marketing/b can prove to be quot;a killer appquot; when used in a clever manner. However, Matthew Kelleher, commercial director at b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.digitalresponsemedia.com/news-1-email-marketing-news/search-email-marketing-should-be-combined-363.aspxcid=0ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNHqTYPvBUl9kUoC2OQiFZOiD4Je0ASearch, bemail marketing/b #39;should be combined#39;/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDigital Response Media,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Businesses would do well to combine their search and bemail marketing/b campaigns as the two channels are the most used by consumers. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.onestopclick.com/news/Email-marketing-%27will-avoid-social-networking%27_18820903.htmlcid=1256075666ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNFG6glWQqH7On5XI6WFDyUwDYOsCgbEmail marketing/b #39;will avoid social networking#39;/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fOne Stop Click,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Firms looking to take advantage of bemail marketing/b are likely to avoid social networking campaigns during the current uncertain economic climate as their b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/mailchimp-first-offer-iphone-yahoo/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B42E7FF7B-F1E3-49E1-A52A-872A6A58054E%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255246569ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNGGNAtwt61rYZD34oKmdSuIRmdV6gMailChimp First to Offer iPhone and Yahoo! Mobile Access for bEmail/b b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrOct 7, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The foundation of every product and service we develop is to make the bemail marketing/b experience easier for the user, and these mobile applications are yet b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20081009/FREE/810099993/1085/FREEcid=1256069498ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNHEJSzR06-mwekA-E9s5Mgp_2FttQbE-mail marketing/b secrets and lies/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBtoB Magazine,nbsp;NYnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Karen J. Bannan This week Forrester Research released a new report, “Benchmark Your bEmail/b Organization,” that details some surprising be-mail marketing/b b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.pr.com/press-release/110059cid=1256069498ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNFzLM-OCT-JeTNK7ugvCuv2Ni3VbwMarketingSherpa Releases 6th Edition of Benchmark Guide for bEmail/b b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrPR.com (press release)/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256069498hl=ennobrall 2 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.digitalresponsemedia.com/news-1-email-marketing-news/email-marketing-being-used-more-as-economy-slows-359.aspxcid=0ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNH2q75xQvOgEbkSulqtI0jyC8st3AbEmail marketing/b #39;being used more as economy slows#39;/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDigital Response Media,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Businesses are increasingly turning to bemail marketing/b as the economy continues to slow, according to a new report. MarketingSherpa#39;s 2009 bEmail Marketing/b b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/responsys-shares-the-secrets-to-better-response-rates-at-dma08,575376.shtmlcid=1256160611ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNFf9UH9HXdEnmlb5Cvbf2bpCF1mrgResponsys Shares the Secrets to Better Response Rates at DMA08/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fEarthtimes (press release),nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Mr. Pollard recently joined Responsys as senior strategic consultant where he guides Responsys clients in developing bemail marketing/b and lifecycle messaging b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/stevenpr-acquires-e-mail-marketing-firm/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BFD1D44B7-EA8A-4E83-9B02-3A16FD301043%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1254773569ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNE8hodfYTEI4n3nFDrGjTp7t9BXFwStevenPR Acquires bE-Mail Marketing/b Firm and 70 Million Opt-In bE/b b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrOct 6, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1StevenPR is helping businesses succeed with their be-mail marketing/b campaigns by collecting approved be-mail/b addresses for its growing database. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/site-search-seo-email-marketing/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BB8D4AD41-8DAB-4A12-9BA9-312A9812B832%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1254819602ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNHulMTJv7vd3htRbogfH1vsTnkdNgSite Search, SEO and bEmail Marketing/b Ranked Top Three E-Commerce b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrOct 6, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b search engine optimization (SEO) and bemail marketing/b as the most important e-commerce technologies helping to promote their online businesses, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081010/responsys-shares-the-secrets-to-better-response-rates-at-dma08.htmcid=0ei=0_LwSLzWBI_u6gOdoYmmBAusg=AFQjCNF8Df2UA9lRA7Btqef5cO1CehnELAResponsys Shares the Secrets to Better Response Rates at DMA08/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fInternational Business Times,nbsp;NYnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Mr. Pollard recently joined Responsys as senior strategic consultant wherehe guides Responsys clients in developing bemail marketing/b and lifecyclemessaging b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
    email marketing - Google News


    Wind Chimes and more...

    Windchimes for great gifts!

    Achieve Success With Your Own Money - Making Newsletter

    To be successful with a newsletter, you have to specialize... Read More

    What Good Is An AutoResponder?

    A term that confuses just about everyone is "autoresponder". When... Read More

    Using Internet Direct Mail To Increase Your Company?s Profits

    "I want to sell my company's products on the Web,... Read More

    What?s the Value of an E-mail Address?

    Although it may not be practical to put a dollar-sign... Read More

    10 Essential Steps to Developing a Successful E-Mail Marketing Campaign

    Developing and executing a successful e-mail marketing campaign is becoming... Read More

    One Great Way To Generate A Lot Of Cold Hard Cash From Your Opt-In Email List

    I bet you want to know what that one great... Read More

    Email Microtargeting

    Email marketing is undergoing rapid changes. Now, more than ever,... Read More

    How To Write E-mail Messages For Phenomenal Results

    Would you be interested in getting 10 times better results... Read More

    Autoresponders An Important Part Of Internet Marketing?

    Setting up and using email autoresponders on your site is... Read More

    Spam! Whats the Real Problem

    Most people now know the official definition of spam- Unsolicited... Read More

    Email Marketing 101 - What You Must Know Before Starting an Email Marketing Campaign

    Before you start an e-mail marketing campaign it is important... Read More

    10 Ways To Quadruple Your Sales with 232%

    1. When you make your first sale, you need to... Read More

    10 Netiquette New Years Resolutions

    Happy New Year! New attitude? New habits? How about 10... Read More

    All I Really Needed to Know About List Building I Learned From Stephen King!

    I have always been an avid reader of Stephen King's... Read More

    BlackList Monitor Gives Businesses Options to Ensure Opt-in Email Gets Through

    Email may be fast becoming the preferred means of business... Read More

    Signature Files: The Easy Way To Create More Business

    If you do business as an affiliate, then you're constantly... Read More

    Market Your Business through Newsletters

    Most business people on the web subscribe to at least... Read More

    Top 10 Business E-Mail Basics

    When it comes to your business e-mail communications, you need... Read More

    7 Key Items To Include In Your Email Signature File

    One of the most important and often overlooked methods of... Read More

    How to Build Your Mailing List

    1. USE POP-UPS Pop-ups are one of the most common... Read More

    Automatic Responder - The Secret of Super Affiliates Success

    Congratulations, you just made a sale!Congratulations, you just made a... Read More

    Lumpy Mail Gets Your Message Through

    When it comes to your gravy, lumps are bad. When... Read More

    Explode Your Sales By Building Your Own Opt-In List!

    ------------------------------------------------- Top 10 Ways to Quickly Build Your List -------------------------------------------------Have... Read More

    How To Build Your Greatest Opt-In List

    I get e-mails all the time from people on my... Read More

    Lost: 200 emails gone missing. Last seen on the 25.10.2003

    Sound familiar? Ever wondered what happens to those unopened emails... Read More