A/B split testing: A test in which a list is split into two parts and sent different creative, so that the sender can see which performs better.

Alt text: Text that appears in place of an image before it’s downloaded in the inbox. (This is the “description” when uploading an image in Emma.)

API (Application Programming Interface): An interface that allows communication between two different applications via software.

Bounce: An email message that doesn’t get delivered to a recipient's inbox. There are two types of bounces:

1. Soft bounce: An email sent to an active email address, but then is turned away before being delivered. Often, the problem is temporary -- the server is down or the recipient's mailbox is full. The email might be held at the recipient's server to be delivered later, or the sender's email program may attempt to deliver it again.
2. Hard bounce: An email sent to an invalid, closed or nonexistent email account (no connection is made to the recipient’s server).

Best practices: Guidelines for email marketers and designers to follow that will ensure the most effective results in an inbox.

CAN-SPAM: The U.S. law regulating commercial email -- requiring a truthful subject and from address, an opt out link and a physical mailing address.

Deliverability: An ESP's ability to deliver emails to various recipient servers.

Email client: The software recipients use to read email. (Example: Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, Outlook, MacMail, AOL, etc...)

Email marketing: The use of email for commercial messaging.

ESP (email service provider): A service that companies use for email marketing, allowing them to manage lists, create and send emails and then track the results. All of those services are hosted on the ESP's server. (Emma is an ESP.)

Filter: A software tool that categorizes, sorts or blocks incoming email. Filters may be applied at the recipient level, the email client level or by the ISP.

Footer: The area at the bottom of an email that contains information such as company or contact name and the sender's postal address. Below the footer is the preference panel.

Header: The image (or "banner") at the top of an email, usually containing branding.

HTML messages (Hyper Text Markup Language): Email message which contains any type of formatting other than text, including any images, logos and colors.

IP address (Internet Protocol address): A unique number assigned to each device connected to the internet.

ISP (internet service provider): A service that offers customers access to the internet. (Example: Comcast, Charter, AT&T, etc...)

Layout: The content area of a campaign, generally a mix of image placeholders and text boxes. (Read more about arranging your layout here.)

List hygiene: The process of examining and maintaining a list so that it complies with permission standards.

Manage preferences: Options provided by an ESP where audience members can update their personal information. (A recipient can click on the manage preferences link in the preference panel of an Emma email.)

Online version (public): The online version of the campaign which can be archived on your website or posted online. This is a public version, and any identifying info about the recipient + the preference panel are stripped out. This varies slightly from the webview. You can access the online version URL by clicking on the name of your mailing on the main response page, then clicking on the online version link in the left sidebar of the next page.

Permissions-based sending: Sending relevant content to targeted lists of people who have signed up to receive emails from a certain company or brand.

Personalization: Pulling individual recipient information into the body of an email automatically. (Example: Dear [member_name_first],) (Read more about personalization here.)

Plaintext email: An email message that includes only the text of an email’s content, excluding any type of formatting (images, font, or text color).

Pre-header: A few words about the email that appear above the header. Often, the pre-header provides a link to the online version of the email.

Preference panel: Content below the footer of the campaign that often includes the email address the recipient used to subscribe to mailings, a manage preferences link, an opt out link, signup link and 'powered by Emma' logo.

Preview pane: The screen in your email client that allows you to see the beginning of an email message without displaying the whole email.

Segment: The ability to target specific recipients based on specific member information. (You can segment your audience using Emma's search feature.)

Signup screen/form: The online form someone fills out when they want to start receiving email from a company or brand.

Social sharing: A function handled by an ESP that allows recipients to forward a campaign to the email inboxes of their friends, colleagues or anyone that might be interested in the campaign's content, or share the campaign directly on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn).

Spam: Any emails that come to a recipient’s inbox that they didn't sign up to receive. (Even if they have signed up to receive an email, those emails could end up in the spam folder, until they've added the sender's 'from address' to their address book or trusted sender's list.)

Stationery: The design that frames the content of an email, including the header, border and footer.

Subject line: Copy that identifies what an email message is about. It is often designed to entice the recipient into opening the message. (It's also the first thing the recipient sees in the inbox.)

Subscribe/opt in: The process of joining a mailing list, meaning an individual has agreed to receive emails from a particular company or sender.

Test group: An audience group in an Emma account that contains up to 10 email addresses for the purpose of testing email campaigns before they're sent. (Emma customers can deliver to this group at no charge.)

Trigger/auto-responder email: Messages sent automatically based on individual actions (like clicking on a link) or dates (like someone's birthday). (Read more about triggers here.)

Unsubscribe/opt out: The process of removing oneself from an email list, meaning the brand is no longer legally allowed to send that individual emails. A person can opt out at any time by clicking the opt-out link at the bottom of an Emma campaign.

Webview (private): The online version of an email, which a person can access by clicking on the 'see it online' link at the top of a campaign in their inbox. This varies slightly from the online version (public).

Whitelist: Adding an ESP's domain (such as Emma's domain, e2ma.net) to a customer's server which allows email messages to be delivered regardless of spam filters. (Read more about whitelisting here.)

• Glossary