Sending email marketing campaigns with attachments seems like the logical method for providing your subscribers with additional detailed information, given that this is the method we tend to use when sending personal email messages. However, marketers should be cautioned when sending email messages with attachments because you may encounter deliverability issues.

Oftentimes, ISPs will react to email with attachments in the following ways:

• Blocking or discarding the email: Due to the unknown content in the attachment and growing concern about viruses, ISPs may block the email message or simply discard it all together.


• Stripping the email attachment: If the email message is actually delivered to the recipients' inboxes, ISPs may strip the attachment potentially losing your subscribers’ attention or valuable leads.

These restrictive actions defeat the sole purpose of any email marketing campaign effort - to send targeted information to inquiring subscribers.

So how can this be avoided? Following the best practice of using links to enable email subscribers to download or view hosted documents will allow you to bypass such deliverability issues as well as gain some additional benefits in the process:

• Links provide metrics. Links within email messages to hosted Web site pages can be tracked, providing metrics that reflect the efficacy of the email marketing campaign initiative. Depending on the content of the hosted information or document, marketers can gain insight into their email subscribers' interests. Consequently, you can send more specific and targeted follow-up messages to people who click on links, maintaining meaningful relationships with them.


• Links drive Web site traffic. When information or documentation is hosted, email subscribers are driven to a Web site where they can further engage with your products, services and the brand in general. Utilization of Web analytics in conjunction with email marketing campaigns can provide extremely valuable information about subscribers that can be used to direct future marketing initiatives.

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