We talk a lot about email intelligence at Return Path. With email being such a data-driven channel, it could be easy to assume that having “intelligence” simple refers to having more data. However, as an email marketer, you probably know that more data isn’t always better. If the data you have doesn’t provide you with meaningful insights about how to adjust your strategy, then what good is having more of it? What email intelligence really refers to is having access to data that will provide you...

On Tuesday, I presented a Return Path-sponsored webinar hosted by the EEC called “The Email Metrics You Can’t Live Without.” If you’d like to access the presentation, you can visit SlideShare, or email me for a PDF.

With more data about email being available than ever before, a seemingly endless array of metrics to track to gauge performance, and a real-time stream of customer behavioral metrics to marry-up with data from other channels, it’s very easy to reach analysis paralysis before you even...

If your business is seasonal, back-to-school time and the pre-holiday months of late summer and early autumn are likely major tipping points for driving revenue and ensuring you end the calendar year on a high note. More than ever, this is the time that marketers, especially those with a retail and/or e-commerce business, need to harness all the tools they have at their disposal and implement smart email program decisions.

After all, the bottom line isn’t graded on a curve and there’s no such...

I recently welcomed a new consultant to the Professional Services team, and since we’re in the midst of her onboarding process, it struck me that many of the practices Return Path uses to hire, train and retain employees are very similar to best practices we recommend email marketers use for acquiring subscribers and driving program success.

A shared goal applies in both instances: mutual satisfaction. Return Path is committed to putting people first and creating a high-performance culture, which...

There is a great book that managers at Return Path are encouraged to read called “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni. The basic premise is that there are five contributing factors that prevent teams from working well together. They are:

1. 
   
   
2. Absence of Trust
   
3. Fear of Conflict
   
4. Lack of Commitment
   
5. Avoidance of Accountability
   
6. Inattention to Results

Considering the nature of my job, I often find similarities between the methodologies, best practices and frameworks for business success and those...