Email Deliverability
Email deliverability is the cornerstone of digital marketing success. You can have the best email marketing game in the world, but if your messages aren’t delivered, you won’t get those clicks and conversions you need to succeed.
What Is Email Deliverability, Anyway?
Basically, email deliverability is your ability to deliver messages to the inboxes of your subscribers. It goes without saying that you want subscribers to read your emails. In order for that to happen, you must construct automated messages that aren’t sent to SPAM folders.
Ensure Your Emails Are Delivered Successfully
To that end, here are some tips to guarantee that your emails hit your subscribers’ inboxes each and every time.
Email Deliverability 101: Use a Recognizable Sender Name
Specifically, when you use your brand’s name in the “from” line of your message, you reduce the number of SPAM complaints. If you want to use a representative or salesperson’s name in this field, add “from [brand name]” after that person’s name. Example: “Jacob from Email Broadcast.”
Furthermore, if you want to ensure email deliverability, avoid using popular domains like gmail.com, outlook.com, and yahoo.com. Often, the very companies that generate these emails mark them as SPAM.
Authenticate Your Email Domain
To authenticate your domain, it’s necessary to allow your email service provider (ESP) to send emails with permission from your company. Here’s how:
- Identify where you bought or registered your domain address (your URL).
- Add DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) to the DNS page of your domain. This protects subscribers from phishing, forgery, and spoofing.
- Include an SPF (Sender Policy Framework) to the DNS page of your domain. This record shows IP addresses and hostnames authorized to send emails from your domain.
Use a Dedicated IP Address
ESPs use shared IP addresses so that marketers who don’t send enough emails independently can keep a good sender reputation. On the other hand, if you send more than 50,000 a week, you can benefit from a dedicated IP address. It all depends on the volume of your automations.
Add Personalization Tags to Boost Email Deliverability
A good way to avoid the dreaded SPAM flag is to personalize email messages. When you add personalization tags, the content of your automations gets varied enough to avoid SPAM flags. With regard to email deliverability, it’s a small step that definitely pays off.
Guarantee Email Deliverability with Strong Subject Lines
When your subject line reads like SPAM, you compromise your email deliverability. To write an email that will be successfully delivered, avoid the following:
- Over-the-top punctuation like multiple question marks and exclamation points
- All caps
- Hard sales language such as “Click NOW NOW NOW for Flash Sale!”
Ultimately, you want an email subject line that gets the attention of your reader but doesn’t trigger SPAM filters.
Pro Tip: Get Subscribers to Add You Themselves
Another way to ensure email deliverability is to send subscribers a prompt to add your company to their address book. In this way, your readers train their inboxes to successfully receive your messages every time.
Issues That Impede Your Email Deliverability
Above all, don’t let your emails look like SPAM. The more professional and streamlined your messages are, the easier it will be for them to land where they belong: squarely in the inboxes of your subscribers.
Over-the-Top Punctuation
Subject lines filled with multiple question marks and exclamation points are dangerous. They’re also excessively pushy and raise the hackles of subscribers who may send your emails straight to the trash.
Red Fonts Are Red Flags with Email Deliverability
Many SPAM filters stop delivery of messages that use red fonts. Find another way to grab the attention of subscribers.
Empty Spaces Equal Low Delivery Rates
Subscribers that block images from appearing in emails pose a challenge for people who are new to the automation game. In these cases, messages appear to be rife with empty spaces, which sends them straight to the SPAM folder. When you construct an email message, make sure to include alt text and images descriptions for spaces designed for visual art.
Email Deliverability Tools
Because automated messaging is so popular, there are many terrific email deliverability tools. By enlisting the aid of such a product, you quickly reap the benefits of successfully-sent messages. Here’s what a great email deliverability tool can do for you:
- Conduct SPAM filter tests—Discover whether your message will get flagged as SPAM before it’s sent so you can make corrections accordingly.
- Make content checks—Inspect the HTML structure of your email so it isn’t mistaken for junk; it’s best to maintain a 60:40 ratio of text to visual content.
- Verify inbox placement—Learn how different email providers are treating your messages.
- Review content for broken links and missing properties—Make sure your emails aren’t flagged for faulty or missing content.
- Check your SPAM score—Evaluate whether your message is likely to be treated as SPAM, either by a filter or subscriber.
Best Practices for Email Deliverability
Without doubt, it’s best to stay on the right side of both the email blacklist and your subscribers. When you use these best practices, you can keep email deliverability high.
Make It Easy to Unsubscribe
This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s better to remove unengaged subscribers from your list. Not only do they drag down your open rates, but they can report you for sending unwanted messages. Do subscribers and your list a favor with an easy-to-use unsubscribe button.
Use Responsible Methods to Build Your List
Emphatically, we advise against buying email lists. When you do this, you damage your email deliverability, as well as your IP reputation. Plus, your email provider can penalize you for buying a list. Simply put, it’s not worth the risk—not to mention the money.
Regularly Verify Your List for Easy Email Deliverability
The more accurate and up-to-date your email list is, the better your email deliverability rate becomes. Regular use of an email verification service can decrease your bounce rate, improve your sender reputation score, and raise your successful delivery level.
Stay Off the Email Blacklist
Email blacklists identify domains and IP addresses frequently flagged for sending SPAM. Consequently, you want to do everything in your power to stay off this list. When you use SPAM filter tests, maintain good list hygiene, and personalize content, you steer clear of this pesky problem.
Improve Email Deliverability with Worthwhile Messages
Of course, the more well-received your messages are, the higher your open rates will be. Messages with high open rates bolster your reputation as a legitimate email marketer. Best of all, subscribers will share them with other people who appreciate what you offer. In truth, the very best guarantee for successful email deliverability is to craft great messages. If that prospect is daunting, consider hiring a full-service marketing agency to grow your list, get clicks, and increase conversions.
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