I’m excited to continue the Email Snob Interview series today by talking with email with Chris Donald, Partner and VP of Sales and Marketing at The Inbox Group.

ScottWritesEverything: Chris, thanks for jumping into the fray.

Chris Donald: Scott, thank you for this opportunity to be included in the interview series. The Email Snob Interviews have always been one of my favorite posts to read. You rock as always!

SWE: Thanks, I appreciate that. All right, let’s get started. I’d love to know how you got your start in email marketing.

CD: I started in email marketing back in 1996 while promoting a couple of travel websites I had created (KeyWest.com and FloridaKeys.com).

The idea was to keep people up to date on the news from Key West and extend offers and discounts for lodging (especially the Bed and Breakfast accommodations), watersports, restaurants, and nightlife on the island. People could subscribe to our newsletter and, even back then, choose what type of offers they were interested in. We also included local stories like where the locals drink and dine. It was hugely successful and created great interaction with readers as well as drove traffic to the sites.

After selling those websites, I started eNews Builder in 2000 with a partner. I honed my skills in email marketing over the next 9 years while working with Fortune 500 companies and many large non-profit and political groups.

In September of 2009, I started with the Inbox Group, and that’s where I am now.

SWE: Given your deep involvement in the industry, what would be your recommendations for someone who’s looking to get involved in the “conversations” of the industry?

CD: The funny thing is I’ve always been an under-the-radar guy up until about a year ago. But given that, here’s what I’d suggest:

• Find a few blogs that pique your interest and offer your viewpoint in the comments.
• Or better yet, start your own blog and write about what you think is important in the email marketing industry.
• If you’re not on Twitter, sign up and start by following some of the email marketing minds I mentioned on the Email Guide.
• Get involved on LinkedIn and some of the great email groups there.

This should give you a good start and an easy way to get into the conversation. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to others. The email marketing industry, for the most part, is great at welcoming new people to the group.

Also, it’s important to have a sense of humor!

SWE: Haha, yes it is. Seeing as how you’ve gotten more and more involved in the industry over the past year, let’s talk about influences. Who is your biggest influence in the email marketing industry?

CD: My biggest influence in my email marketing career is someone some here may not recognize: Jeff Mesnik. For 10 years, Jeff was a partner at IMNINC (I Make News). Jeff and his brother Peter started IMN and created one of the best email marketing platforms on the planet. He was talking to me about relationship marketing back in 2000.

Currently, I’m a big fan of the blog author group over at The Email Guide.

And, of course, Mr. John Caldwell. Even though he is quite senile now, he does occasionally manage to say something relevant about email marketing every once in a while. (Though I’m pretty sure most of those comments are swiped from Ryan Phelan. #PUNKED)

SWE: (Note to John: I was not involved in that burn at all.) Haha, let’s talk books! What would be your top three books you feel every email marketer should read?

CD: I clearly don’t read enough books, but I have a couple:

1. Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (by Robert Fulghum).
If you run your email marketing and social media with these rules, you’re bound to succeed:

• Share everything
• Play fair
• Don’t hit people
• Put things back where you found them
• Clean up your own mess
• Don’t take things that aren’t yours
• Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody
• Wash your hands before you eat
• Flush
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
• Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some
• Take a nap every afternoon (Ed. Wouldn’t that be nice?)
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up, and nobody really knows how or why. But we are all like that.
• Goldfish, hamsters, and white mice (and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup) — they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learn — the biggest word of all — LOOK.

2. The Truth About Email Marketing (by Simms Jenkins)
Written in 2008. This is a great book for any email marketer, and especially Newbies, to get the real lowdown on email marketing.

3. Follow and read the industry blogs. Because the email marketing world continues to change, it’s best to read posts on respected blogs and industry sites to keep a pulse on what’s happening as well as trends within the industry.

SWE: You mention blogs. What are your five favorite blogs for email marketers to read?

CD: Sorry, I’ve got 8… I don’t follow direction well.

• The Email Guide — Great community and very good authors on their blog.
• Deliverability.com — Great content from the industry.
• Red Pill Email Blog — Email marketing knowledge with an attitude from John Caldwell.
• The Email Wars — Always a good read with posts by Dylan Boyd.
• The Email Zoo — Rory always has something interesting and useful in his posts (Ed. As well as the other authors, including myself!)
• Email Insider — Some of my favorite industry thought leaders post here.
• Xan Pearson’s The Social Junction
• And, of course, Scott Writes Everything — one of the most creative and thought-provoking blogs on the planet (I’m guessing that’s enough sucking up to you, eh?)

There are many more…

SWE: Haha, always fun to have someone list this blog among their favorites, whether genuinely or not! All right, let’s move on to the meat and potatoes. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing email marketers today? How can these challenges be best fought?

CD: Normally I would say deliverability and subscriber engagement. But I think I’ll go with “Paying for the Inbox for $1,000, Scott.”

It seems email marketing is always fighting for its share of the inbox and most pundits write either about how the inbox is shrinking or how email is dead. I personally and professionally think they are wrong. If email is dead, then stop using it. Then let me know how that works for you.

As email marketers, we understand that trust, reputation, relevance, and relationship are what drive successful email marketing campaigns. What we continue to fight are the sins of: the spammers, the blasters, the phishers, the scammers, and the uneducated email marketer. And worst of all, the companies that continue to underfund their email marketing departments.

Email marketing is not free, and it’s not cheap. It is, in most cases, the most affordable marketing channel which in turn provides one of the highest ROI when managed correctly by a seasoned professional. Email marketing should be one of your most important marketing channels; give it the respect and budget it deserves to do it right! That will expand your inbox reputation and your bottom line.

SWE: How do you think mobile technologies will affect email marketing in the next 3-5 years?

CD: I think mobile email will continue to grow. Nielsen reported in August that email accounts for 41% of all mobile internet use (though I think that’s heavily weighted by business) with Social right behind it. I think as mobile internet access becomes even more affordable, we’ll see those numbers rise.

I still think for consumers, their desktop email is still the inbox of choice. I do think that SMS and MMS will continue to be integrated into business processes and be used more for transactional messaging and notices than can be handled with 140 characters.

SWE: You mentioned social. Given what you know about Facebook’s “Project Titan,” how do you think that initiative will affect the email marketing industry?

CD: Well, it’s about time! I’m surprised it took them this long to try it. That said, I don’t see it as an email marketing killer. I don’t see people making that their only email account. I think more often than not, most people will forward their Facebook.com email address to their regular email address since most people like getting their email in one place.

As Facebook looks to continue revenue growth, the question should be asked: “Will they sell unfettered access to reputable email marketing from large advertisers or a company’s fan base?” It probably has been or will be discussed. (Though I would hope that would be not be the case.)

That said, I see a market correction coming–a sort of Social Media downsizing if you will. Facebook is already like many people’s personal inbox: A lot of crap with a few gems. That alone will drive down users and interactions.

I also see many of these Social sites as the ghost towns of the Internet in 5-7 years. Surely, with the Internet landscape changes that will come, other sites or mobile applications will target and compress the interactions and messaging of the user.

SWE: Interesting perspective. I can envision that sort of scenario as well. Okay, fun questions now. How has your work in email marketing affected your personal use of email?

CD: I don’t think my email use has changed much over the years, though I do tend to look at marketing emails with the “What’s Good–What’s Bad” question in my head. I will occasionally look into my Junk Folder to see what and why message were sent there.

I do tend to unsubscribe from marketing emails and newsletters when they stray from the best practices and stop being relevant and/or lose their value to me.

SWE: What’s your favorite thing about email marketing?

CD: I love the challenge of taking a not-so-effective email marketing plan and turning it around. I enjoy doing all of the homework and getting down to the real problems of why email campaigns failed and then resurrecting them. If there’s a heartbeat, we can usually create engagement and trust where it might have been lost.

I also enjoy educating and reaching out to help those just getting started. I also think that as email marketers, we need to call out those that are giving bad advice and calling “bullsh*t” when needed. There are plenty of false prophets and pundits that just need to be reined in.

SWE: On the flip side, what’s your least favorite thing about email marketing?

CD: Budgets and ignorance.

Not to sound like a broken record, but too many companies don’t give email marketing the budget it deserves and just as many rely on people whose email marketing IQ doesn’t reach room temperature. Email marketing, without some professional management or real industry knowledge, can be a really bad idea. I’ve heard some people say, “Well doing something is better than nothing.” I do not believe that’s true.

SWE: Okay, you’re giving a keynote speech to the entire email marketing industry and it’s your personal soapbox. What’s your message?

CD: The email marketing community as a whole has done a great job of policing the industry by adopting many of the best practices that have elevated it to the level it enjoys today.

My advice would be to continue to refine and segment data and personalize content while building the relationship. Let’s all find ways to expand the inbox.

My main issue (and I’m going to take some flak for this) is with the email marketing companies that cater to the $10 a month crowd. For the most part, making the entry level of email marketing so cheap is like giving an 8-year-old fireworks and a book of matches. Sure, they may set them off safely, but there’s a better chance they blow off a finger.

All self-serve ESPs should have education as their top priority. Although Inbox Group does offer self-serve options, but they only make up 10% of our business. We also have a 90-day managed process for self-serve clients so they don’t get to fly solo until we’ve walked them through the process for 3 months and make sure they understand how email marketing is done right.

SWE: Last question. If you were stuck in an elevator with the CEO of a company that doesn’t utilize email, what is your “elevator speech” for email marketing?

CD: I don’t have an elevator speech; I have questions. The first is why not? Why would you not use what has been proven to be one of the top, most affordable marketing channels with the highest ROI in the industry. Then I would ask if he or she had time for a short meeting to discuss how email marketing done right could increase their bottom line as well as increase brand awareness and integrate with social media.

And then, of course, tell the CEO to fire his or her marketing manager for gross negligence!

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About Chris Donald

Chris is currently a Partner and VP of Sales and Marketing at Inbox Group, based in Dallas, Texas, where he oversees U.S. and International sales of the Inbox Group email marketing service (SaaS). Chris has worked on the front lines of Internet sales and marketing since 1995 and directly in email marketing since 2000.

Since we live in Utah (and not Salt Lake City specifically), if we’re out on a Sunday afternoon and want to get lunch, my wife and I are pretty much relegated to the national chain restaurants. As a result, we tend to frequent (probably once a month at most) Chili’s. Yesterday, my wife saw the below by our table, and told me “You have to blog about this.”

If you look at the bottom of the “table tent,” you’ll notice that there’s a call to action to join Chili’s email list. The copy there says “Join and we’ll send you cool offers — and donate $1 to St. Jude’s.” So from the looks of it, Chili’s can accomplish two things with this idea:

• 1. They can donate up to $1 million to St. Jude’s to fight childhood cancer. (The small print said up to $1 million.)
• 2. They can get potentially up to a million new email subscribers at a low cost and positive PR.

The Power of a Cause

Why is a cause like this a good entry point for email subscribers? Because everyone is passionate about something. Whether it’s cancer, Alzheimer’s, or MS (my personal cause), you will always find someone who wants to help out in some way.

Joining an email list is a relatively simple way for someone to contribute to a cause, and even better when it’s a free way to make a small difference.

In fact, my wife (who ever since I jumped into email marketing has become much more stingy in terms of subscribing to email newsletters and the like) said she would sign up for Chili’s email list because of the St. Jude’s cause.

Making a Difference While Earning Business

From a business perspective, Chili’s is spending $1 per customer to send coupons that could bring in thousands in repeat business. The $1 million potential “expense” goes to a great cause. The potential revenue gains don’t have a number specified.

Being Sensitive to the Cause

All that said, it’s important as email marketers to not ask for the email address in a way that’s detrimental to the cause you’re trying to promote. The cause must come first. That’s necessary for authenticity.

That’s why I’m pointing out the Chili’s example. I feel they did this properly. If you notice in the picture above, the email list request is the last option Chili’s presents. In a case like this, that level of priority seems appropriate.

Anyway, at the end of the day, I’ll be interested to see how many new email subscribers Chili’s gets out of this (and more importantly, how big of a donation is made to St. Jude’s as a result).

Just another idea to keep in mind as you think of ways to build your list.

Forgive me for a moment.

I’ve been trying to stay out of this issue, but I need to get something off my chest.

All the hullabaloo over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” is a complete and total waste of time.

Before I get into the larger issues, the facts are the (again) so-called “Mosque” is not at Ground Zero but rather about 10 blocks away. The goal of the “Mosque” is actually to be an interfaith community center that, yes, has a Muslim prayer facility on the top two floors.

The bottom line? Who cares. The folks own the space. Let them build whatever they want.

Just because all of the 9/11 terrorists happened to be Muslim (extremists) doesn’t mean all Muslims are terrorists. Far from it.

If you use that logic (as others have), then that means since Timothy McVeigh is a terrorist and happens to be Christian, then all Christians are terrorist. (Sorry folks, the transitive property would apply.)

Yet, somehow, no one is making that argument.

But with all that said, the big issue to me? The fact that we’re two weeks away from the 9th anniversary of 9/11, and there’s still a hole in the ground at Ground Zero.

Issues with bureaucracy or not, the fact that there’s still a hole in the ground at Ground Zero means the terrorists have won (so far). There’s no progress. It’s not like we’re in the process of building something awesome. We’ve seen drawings and that’s it. And that was over five years ago.

Where’s the big monument? The giant “Eff You, Al Qaeda” tower?

Where’s the statement to the terrorists that we’re better than them? That our power and grace come not from sacrificing our ideals, but from shouting from the mountaintops that freedom will always reign in America.

As long as there’s still a hole in the ground, we haven’t won anything. And the increasing divisiveness in this country only makes that victory less attainable. After all, freedom isn’t free. And the First Amendment makes us earn it.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you can tell me the “Ground Zero Mosque” is a big deal. But I dare you to try to convince me it’s bigger than the Ground Zero Hole.

End rant.

Photo courtesy of J. Kleyn's photostream on Flickr

Since I’ve been diving into email marketing more and more over the past year and a half (since the birth of this blog especially), I’ve been (as part of my job) managing the email marketing at WGU. It’s only a portion of my job, but it looks like this will be the year I finally complete the total overhaul of all automated and one-off emails I’ve been dying to do for quite a while.

As a result, I’ve been thinking a lot about the data I need to leverage to better plan campaigns.

I know I won’t be breaking new ground here, but email marketing is the most leverage-able medium for data. Every piece of information you collect about your subscriber can be used as a segmentation tool. Not only that, but those pieces of data can also be used as tracking metrics for your campaigns as well.

What does it all boil down to? Something I call “relevance potential.”

What is relevance potential? The ability to provide the most pertinent message to the needs of your subscribers at all times. How do you do that? With data.

Here are some examples of data you can leverage immediately:

• Geographic location. This is an obvious piece of data to utilize, but localization can be a key for segmentation, particularly if you have bricks-and-mortar locations.

• Date of birth. You’ve likely seen articles on it before, but a birthday-specific email with an incentive can be very effective.

• Product lines. I work for a university, so the obvious segmentation is by program of interest. You can do the same thing with your products, ensuring that you’re only delivering messages about the products they have expressed interest in.

Using Your Conversion Rates

Figuring out your conversion rates are also critical for determining what metrics you should not only track, but also utilize for segmentation. For example, if you use a scoring algorithm to determine a “lead grade” for your prospects or customers, determining the conversion based on the lead grade can alter how you segment your campaigns.

Conversion rates can also help determine cadence (or frequency) of your messaging if you run automation programs. For example, if you determine that your leads convert best in the first three months after inquiring, then you may decide to be more aggressive in those months, then back off unless engagement changes your mind.

Remember what I said about “relevance potential?” It’s all there in your data. You just have to learn what you have and make the best use of it.

With another year in the can, today I turn 27. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe I’m only 27. Believe me, I find it hard to believe I’m only 27. It’s what having a kid can do to you–age you significantly.

It’s been an eventful year, both personally and professionally. Here’s a brief recap:

• Most importantly, my daughter Nora was born (hence “The Nora Chronicles”). She’s changed my life in more ways than I can possibly count in such a short time. And who knows what the next year will bring!
• I got to meet some amazing people through Twitter and conferences. Too many to name here, but you know who you are.
• People actually started reading this blog. In fact, my “Naughty Words of Email Marketing” post was featured on MarketingProfs.
• I started and continue to do the Email Snob interviews. I hope you’re loving this series as much as I am.
• I kicked ass at work this year and won the Excellence in University Service Award.
• Had shoulder surgery (and am still in recovery).

So, in the words of Jed Bartlett from “The West Wing”:

What’s Next?

• A second blog project is in the works. Details will be made available when its ready, but stay tuned! (And yes, this blog will continue. Just adding to the repertoire)
• I know I started the Quest for 50 already, but with my shoulder finally on the mend, this is the year I get serious. I owe it to myself and to my family.
• Speaking of family, the next year will bring me a walking, talking baby girl, and all the fun and shenanigans that come with that. The Nora Chronicles could be really fun.

And, as usual, these are the only things I really know about. There are some possibilities on the horizon, but they are largely unknown.

So Happy Birthday to myself, and all the August 20th birthday folks out there!

It’s been a little while since the last snob gave me his/her input, but today, I go for an international perspective on email marketing and email snobbery with Jordie van Rijn, who most recently hails from Dunck Loyalty Marketing.

ScottWritesEverything.com: Jordie, thanks for joining me. I look forward to getting your unique perspective on all things email snob. But before we do that, I’d love to know how you got your start in email marketing. Tell me a bit about your background.

Jordie van Rijn: My first email marketing project was during my high school years. A friend and I started the website “Lelijke Sites” (translated: Ugly Websites). It was all about the most horrific and funny clip art and “hello world” sites on the web.

It was a great experience. We had national radio and newspaper coverage, and most importantly, we had a lot of fun doing it. We hand-coded an email welcome campaign as well as different rating and commenting systems–some quite advanced features for the time. That project in email marketing got me hooked.

The main purpose of the website was to be funny, but we stopped doing it when we received some serious death threats. But I still have some of the sponsored t-shirts for the website; it was a great time, indeed.

I have a general marketing education. It became more specialized while researching the future of the Dutch email marketing and ESP market. It is funny to see what happened to those companies. Most of them changed their strategies over time, small players became big, and people moved around a lot in the industry.

As a result of that research, I ended up at Dunck Loyalty Marketing and worked there for many years. The Dutch company does everything in loyalty marketing research, concepts, and realization (keeping customers loyal). The combination of email marketing and customer loyalty suited me very well. It’s a guarantee for programs with long-term goals.

SWE: It’s about retention, isn’t it?

You’re pretty involved in the email marketing industry. Given your involvement, what would be your recommendation for someone who’s looking to get involved in the “conversations” of the industry?

JVR: If you want to get involved, you probably already are. (I’ll let you think about that)

The best advice I can give you is to first, make your own tribe. These would be online friends you can interact with and can add something to both your personal and professional life. Then get a coach (think Jedi Master). This would be someone in the industry who is doing all right and would like to help you out in the ways of the email marketer.

Then break free and find your own way!

SWE: Great advice. Let’s talk about Jedi Masters. Who is your biggest influence (or Jedi Master) in the email marketing industry?

JVR: Well, I don’t want to sound like the Oscars, because there are so many people to mention. I’ve noticed that a lot of email pros are very open (both ears and mind). Just listening to those talented people can help you develop a much wider view of email marketing. There is not one “biggest” influence, but a lot of people who I interact with.

SWE: What are your top books you feel every email marketer should read?

JVR: You can’t become a great marketer just by reading–it’s like riding a bike. Try to keep your ears to the ground for original opinions and experiences. Flip them upside down and make the most of it. That is why I prefer reading blogs (and email newsletters, of course).

But there are some great books to read:

• Multichannel Marketing Metrics by Akin Arikan of Unica
• Call to Action by Bryan Eisenberg
• Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
• Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz
• Loyalty Rules by Frederick Reichheld

SWE: You mentioned blogs. What are your favorites?

JVR: Here are some of my favorites:

• The Email Guide. Jeff and Jim have gotten some great bloggers together. We will hear more from them in the coming years I’m sure.
• Email Marketing Reports (No Man is an Iland). Mark Brownlow is one of the thought leaders in email marketing.
• Retail Email Blog. Chad White analyzes his huge inbox and brings new examples and ideas to the table.
• Toxel. This is a real design blog, giving an answer to problems you didn’t know you had.
• Which Test Won. I am all about optimization. Love the subject; love the tests.
• The Style Campaign Blog. They always come up with new ideas, but are more design-oriented.

SWE: Great list there. Let’s move on to challenges. From your international perspective, what do you think are the biggest challenges facing email marketers today? How can these challenges be best fought?

JVR: We need to fight mediocrity. Good enough isn’t good enough to get loyal customers and brand advocates. It is quite easy to implement a basic email marketing campaign with today’s tools. The problem is it looks easy, too. But getting it right is not so easy; it takes hard work. When the results don’t match expectations, the email channel is blamed.

Sorry, guys. You should start being awesome. If you want to stand out, you need well thought-out and creative campaigns (and then some). Today’s audience is the “demanding audience.”

SWE: I love that you said the “demanding audience.” Speaking of demand, let’s talk mobile. How do you think mobile technologies will affect email marketing in the next 3-5 years?

JVR: A platform that has entertainment like music, movies, and games is a sure winner for the people’s hearts. Especially when it is combined with useful (read: business) functions. Mobile will continue to grow as a gravity point of information and messaging on-the-go. Change will go very fast, too.

Just thinking about geolocation, payment, and interaction with the “real world” makes me wonder about those innovations coming soon. We already have some great ideas on file. Now we’re just waiting until technology and the general public are ready.

By the way, rendering issues will become less of an issue over time as well.

SWE: You mentioned geolocation and interaction which pull in social media. We’ve all heard about Facebook’s “Project Titan.” Given what you know of it, how do you think Project Titan (and potential programs like it) will affect the email marketing industry?

JVR: Social media is an important part of the web and people use it as they see fit. As long as an email-related project can add to the value of user interaction, you should give it a go! A big part of the inbox clutter now is social reminders (someone did this or that on your social profile). It would be perfect if they can reduce that a bit.

SWE: Okay, fun questions now! How has your work in email marketing affected your personal use of email?

JVR: I guess I look more in detail and “feel-tail” at the mailings now. I subscribe to a lot of email newsletters–especially in the markets my clients are in. Four years ago, I set up a separate inbox for those, thank God! It keeps it workable.

My main inbox is clean–no more than 20-40 emails in there.

SWE: What’s your favorite thing about email marketing? What gets you revved up (in a good way) about email?

JVR: It’s the icing on the cake. Lifting the marketing above average. Making it really work. That’s why I love to be involved in email marketing. My work with Email Test Box on email optimization is just an extension of that, trying to make things better.

Email can make the difference. If you have a good product and you have ambition to be great, give me a call. Or even better, send me an email!

Seriously, it’s the starting point for creating long-lasting relationships. If you get the results, that’s eating the pudding (or cake).

SWE: Let’s flip it around. What’s your least favorite thing about email marketing?

JVR: I can’t appreciate the people at website builders, ESPs, or marketing agencies who say they are experts when they have very little experience in email marketing. If the customer ends up with a mediocre email concept, it makes me sad.

Also, a lack of true email marketing strategy makes me frown. Usually there is “kind of” a plan, but no real vision. That makes it possible for successful email campaigns to get cut. And in turn, the budget or focus changes for the worse. I’ve seen it happen a few times now. I just can’t wrap my head around it.

SWE: I totally understand where you’re coming from on the expert thing. So let’s say you were giving a keynote speech to the email marketing industry as a whole and it was your personal soapbox. What would your message to the industry be?

JVR: Superficial contact doesn’t make anyone happy in the end. Attention = Love x Time. In that way, customers are just like real people. With more guts, more fun, and more ambition, we will achieve great results in email marketing!

(And the crowd goes wild!)

SWE: Last question. If you were stuck in an elevator with the CEO of a company that doesn’t utilize email, what is your “elevator speech” for email marketing?

JVR: I would show him my latest email marketing loyalty project, and then usually my enthusiasm does the rest!

I don’t have one “magic pitch,” because different markets face different problems. Email can play a great role in many business situations, so it should be part of your overall customer strategy.

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About Jordie van Rijn

Jordie specializes in email marketing and event-driven campaigns. He has worked with A-list brands like AEGON, Unilever, Roche, Heineken, and many more. As an independent consultant, Jordie will help you get the most of your email marketing efforts. A co-founder of Emailtestbox, a dynamic email optimization tool, optimization is his second hobby.

He’s also never too busy to answer any questions about email marketing, so catch him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Just a quick update on the shoulder surgery: Surgery was two weeks ago and went very well. It turns out there was no labrum tear as suspected, but I did have (and let me try to get the Latin medical terminology correct here but not the spelling) an acromioplasty and bursectomy.

Essentially, in layman’s terms, the surgeon shaved down my shoulder bone and removed the right bursa (you have one in every joint of your body) as well as a bunch of scar tissue that surrounded said bursa. Apparently, I had zero room in my shoulder joint, hence all of the pain and limited mobility. So, I now have a cleaned up shoulder joint.

With 6 weeks of physical therapy ahead of me, I’m looking at about two months total time for a full recovery. Not too shabby.

In the meantime, I’m back to work and will get back to blogging as well.

Thank you for all of the support through the recovery so far! Looking forward to jumping back into the fray!