Tim Roe

Tim has over 20 years direct marketing experience, both on client and agency side. Since 2003 he has focused on the online environment, first in PPC and since 2004 in email marketing, first with e-rm, and then Redeye International.

Tim has helped many client companies improve their online segmentation strategy, leading to improved deliverability and ultimately increasing the effectiveness of the email channel.
Tim’s current focus is the development and use of online engagement segmentation to optimise and improve clients ROI from email.

Tim’s experience covers a number of vertical markets; clients include Interflora, Bourne Leisure, Monarch Airlines, Hotel Chocolat, Kwik Fit Insurance, Npower, Scottish Widows and William Hill.

How to get your emails into the Hotmail inbox. Step one: welcome new subscribers

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog on how the new Microsoft WSRD data was impacting email marketing. For webmail accounts managed by Microsoft, WSRD data is increasing effecting whether your email goes to junk, or into the inbox.

These accounts relate to quite a high percentage of some retailers' email lists (50%+) so how Microsoft treats your mail can have a large impact on the revenue you make from email.

In order to ensure your emails stay in the inbox, this post takes you through developing the customer relationship and increasing user engagement through producing a welcome/nursery programme.

by Tim Roe 08 May 2013 10:38am 1 comment

How to be a spammer: five golden rules

Disclaimer: I have been instructed by our marketing department, that I must put a disclaimer before this blog, just in case someone takes what I am saying seriously and actually follows this advice.

I and the company I work for (RedEye), accept no responsibility for damages caused by anyone following the advice below. The actions below would not even be carried out by specially trained professionals, so should certainly not be tried at home!

You have been warned....

“Spam” is like a dirty word in the world of email marketing. No credible email marketer wants to be associated with it. However, there has been some talk lately insinuating email marketers are not sending enough emails and suggesting that if they send more, they’ll make more money.

I’ve even seen some theoretical figures quoted that suggest if you send to your list twice as many times, you could make twice as much money!

Apparently, email marketers are worried about over mailing their lists, upsetting their customers and being accused of being spammers. The problem is that while this line of thinking is going to upset many an email marketer, it’s also admittedly a bit of a temptation.

When the chips are down and the CEO is breathing down your neck for more sales, the thought of more emails equals more money starts to look rather appealing.

So, for anyone considering the spam approach, I’ve pulled together some tongue in cheek rules on how to be a spammer in the modern email world.

by Tim Roe 05 April 2013 14:39pm 4 comments

Hotmail WLSRD. Email marketers, be afraid, be very afraid!!

Nothing stands still in the world of email marketing. The only constant is change, and some of the new stuff to rear its head is certainly going to be changing how things happen in future.

That said, some of this “new” stuff isn’t really new at all and has actually been around for a while now, just keeping a low profile.

One such development is Windows Live Sender Reputation Data.

The system that enables recipients to vote for whether certain emails are junk or not has been around for years so why is it so important now, and for those email marketers that have never heard of it, why should they bother about it at all?

by Tim Roe 06 March 2013 12:03pm 9 comments

Permission email marketing, it’s what we do isn’t it?

The question of permission and customers rights regarding marketing material is one that has privacy evangelists and marketers head to head. Many forms of direct marketing can be seen by the recipients as intrusive and disturbing and this has led to a bit of a backlash.

In some cases, this has spawned legislation (as in TPS in the UK) and in others, poor publicity via the national media and threats of further control from politicians.

But, out of all of the different direct marketing channels, email seems to be the quietest when it comes to public outrage.

by Tim Roe 11 February 2013 10:18am 0 comments

Is engagement email marketing finally here?

How engaged with your brand are the majority of your database contacts? This fundamental question should determine how your entire emarketing communications strategy is structured.

Until recently, email marketers have been under huge commercial pressure internally to continue doing the same 'load and blast' mass email marketing they've always done.

However, for some, response rates are waning as consumers become fussier about the marketing messages they consume. The advent of the intelligent inbox (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo) means ISPs are working hard to ensure only the most wanted email is at the top of the pile.

ISPs are helping recipients to prioritise their inboxes, helping them to de-prioritise or block email that they no longer want. Google priority inbox, for example, prioritises your email automatically based on what you respond to; so encouraging response is now critical to your ongoing relationship with customers.

Without proper targeting, your emails can be seen as spam, becoming de-prioritised or blocked by the recipients, encouraging customer disengagement.

by Tim Roe 25 June 2012 11:22am 0 comments

How will the new “cookie” tracking regulations affect email?

The new e-Privacy Directive which came into force last May has spurred some exciting dialogue in the online marketing world. The Directive has been called many things (some not so polite) but one of the few certainties about it, is its confusing and unclear language.

The ICO, in an attempt to turn it into something people can work with, has produced a number of guidance documents to help online marketers. This has mostly (and unsurprisingly) been written with websites in mind, although it has become clear that the Directive could affect other types of online activity as well.

Email marketing is one of those “other types” and plays a key part in the marketing efforts of most online marketers and e-commerce businesses. The questions most online marketers are now asking; how will email be affected and how can we work towards complying with the regulations?

by Tim Roe 17 May 2012 10:47am 3 comments

Is time running out for email append?

What do you do if you have a large volume of your customer database which has no email address alongside it, or has an email address that is no longer valid?

You obviously want to find up to date email addresses for these customers and the most popular (cheap) way of doing this, is to use an email append service.

This seemingly innocent process has taken a bit of flack recently, first being soundly thrashed by the Messaging Anti Abuse Working Group (MAAWG for short) and then very publically pilloried by Experian Cheetahmail.

So what has caused this to happen? And what should you consider before embarking on an email append project?

by Tim Roe 03 May 2012 12:32pm 5 comments

Four ways managing frequency can make money from email in 2012

An important question on the mind of the modern email marketer is: 'how often can I send marketing emails to my list?'

It’s not surprising really; online sales hit record highs this Christmas and New Year, email is now a core revenue-driving channel and is proving to be very important.

So how do you manage that fine balance between short term revenue and longer term list value, to make the most of the sales potential now and protect the value of your list for the future?

In this post I will set out the key elements to consider when deciding who to send to and how often.

by Tim Roe 09 January 2012 15:46pm 3 comments

A five point checklist for Christmas email campaigns

Now that summer has retreated into autumn, the focus of many email marketing departments turns to Christmas and the early part of next year.

There have been some interesting changes in the market over the last twelve months and during this key planning period it is important to take stock.

Here are five key pointers to allow you to run a quick health check on your current email campaigns and help you define your KPI’s ensuring your Christmas and New Year campaigns are a success!

by Tim Roe 24 October 2011 09:51am 0 comments

Hotmail declares war on newsletters

A recent Hotmail blog that announced changes to the way they handle mail, and as the world's largest email provider, these changes are significant for anyone in the email marketing business.

After declaring that it has reduced true spam to about 3%, Hotmail has set its sights on the Bacn (email you wanted, but not right now or never again).

So what are the changes and how will they affect email marketing in the lead up to Christmas?

by Tim Roe 07 October 2011 09:34am 8 comments