This is a beast of a piece. It might be one of the few times that “Definitive Guide” actually means The Definitive Guide. You’re gonna want to go ahead and bookmark this thing right now.

Let’s get right into it.

Email deliverability is a huge deal. Even if you’re following email best practices, your company emails might be landing in the Promotions folder, the Other folder, or even the Spam folder. If you’ve really screwed up, your emails might even be blacklisted by certain domains.

Sooo…how do you make sure your emails are getting into your subscribers’ inboxes? Glad you asked ’cause SendX has the answers.

Let’s start by talking about SPAM.

Spam filters always err on the side of Spam. So if you’re just starting to send emails from your new IP address, they’re gonna land in spam until the filters trust you. That’s why using email sending software is crucial.

But even using MailChimp, or other software, isn’t a guarantee of success. Here are a few things that can really hurt your deliverability:

• A high number of bounces. This usually indicates that you bought a list or are using a really out of date list.
• SPAM complaints. Even if 0.3% of your subscribers are reporting you as spam, you’re done.
• Subscriber Engagement. Gmail and other mailbox providers carefully watch how people engage with your emails. Consistently low open rates and low click rates mean you’re more likely to land in spam. That’s why you gotta prune your list regularly. Get rid of unengaged subscribers.

Beyond that, your email content can really hurt deliverability. Make sure that:

• Your emails aren’t just single large images.
• Your HTML markup is free of syntax errors.
• You’re sending plain-text versions of your emails.
• Your emails are optimized for mobile
• You’re not using URL shorteners for any links. None.
• You’re using different sender email addresses based on the type of email.

We’ve truly barely scratched the surface on this topic. Dive in to learn a TON more, like why you gotta authenticate your emails.

Social Media Personas are a fictional representation of the ideal customer. It’s a brilliant way to get into the minds of your target market, and yet not a lot of marketers actually take the time to create them. Weird.

But we kinda get it. Personnas take dedication and time when done right. Both are hard to come by for us marketers. Am I right? The end game though makes it oh so worth it.

Sproutsocial is delivering the how-tos on buyer persona so you can get started in the most efficient way.

Why does it matter?

First, better your content strategy. Denny’s TW and IG feeds resonates really well with millennials from the meme-heavy content. Their FB page, on the other hand, leans toward traditional content. hint hint – the older crowd.

Second, you’ll be able to get granular with an audience for ads. Facebook offers insanely detailed targeting options. Take advantage of them.

Third, it pays to tap into niche markets. Why blindly chase the entire crowd when you can talk to the select few who will mostly want to hear what you have to say.

What does it look like?

There isn’t a one size fits all format. Just know the more detailed you get the better. This is where things go astray because people tend not to dive deep enough. Think full on biography with demographics, motivations, and personality traits.

Check out these blank templates from Xtensio

How to define it?

• Get demographics from social data
• Fully understand on-site behaviors from Google Analytics
• Ask all of the questions whether it’s through surveys, polls, or a social post.

Take action!

You built your persona. Now, what do you do?

• Have fun with segmentation. Social sprout says, “Segmenting your audience by persona can influence everything from your content calendar to your ad strategy.”
• Adapt your brand voice. We love this tip. Talk to your customers the way they talk.
• Tweak your content strategy. Are you producing content that speaks to your personas’ motivations and frustrations?

The bottom line – Social Media Personas will help you uncover a more meaningful social strategy.

Mike Rowe has a buttery smooth voice made for TV and radio. Seriously, we could listen to the guy talk about anything.

Well today, we’re putting that to the test as Mike Rowe talks us through his prostate exam.

Yup, this is really happening. Mike teamed up with Zero Cancer, an organization committed to ending prostate cancer. Together, they filmed a simple PSA that features Mike…getting a prostate exam.

During his exam, Mike talks about the importance of getting checked regularly. Not gonna lie, this ad was way less awkward and we paid way more attention than we expected.

And don’t worry, this one is surprisingly safe for work.