5 Ways To Help Your Emails Stay Out Of The Spam Folder
Even though people receive an average of 120 emails per day per person, email marketing is still an important segment of any business, if not THE most important. However, many emails received are considered “spam” and are often sent right to a special spam folder.
Spam is any email that doesn’t come from a genuine source and/or has phrases of text that are previously classified as spam by users or by the spam filtering algorithm. In 2019, of every 10 emails sent, at least half were spam.
Because deliverability is not an exact science, your emails might be going into someone’s spam folder — and that’s not a place you want to be. We are sharing 5 ways you can help your emails stay out of the spam folder.
1. Grow your email list organically
It is mighty tempting to purchase email lists online, to reach a wider audience for your product or service. DON’T DO IT. While you are at it, don’t share email lists or scrape emails online using a bot.
It might not be easy or fast, but organic growth will gain you valuable clients and subscribers who want to be on your list, rather than a large chunk sending you to the spam folder or unsubscribing. If email spam filters see this mass of negative interaction, your emails will be certain to go into the spam folder — even for the ones who want to stay on your list.
2. Authenticate your email
Email providers trust authenticated emails over unauthenticated ones, and you will be less likely to go into the spam folder if you authenticate. By verifying who you are and that you are, in fact, sending valid emails, this can give you a boost.
There are several email authentication technologies you need to implement with your emails, but the main ones you absolutely need are Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM).
There also are a few newer technologies such as Domain-Based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and Brand Indicator for Message Identification (BIMI), which lets you display your logo in some email providers.
Check out more information about BIMI, as well as more information about email authentication technologies.
3. Be honest, genuine — and a bit personal
It’s always advisable to be honest and genuine. A brand is all about a personality, but people also love to see the person behind the brand. Be open and helpful when a client offers feedback or is having an issue.
You also want to ask yourself if what you are sharing is relevant to the people you are sharing it with. As we said, they receive at least 120 emails per day. Why should they open your email, read it, and maybe click on your call-to-action? This is where personalization comes in. Personalization ties in with relevancy, and these two will gain you a higher percentage of open rates and click rates.
Get to know your clients better, and then your message will be clearer (and stay out of spam).
4. Set up a double opt-in
You definitely want people to sign up to receive your emails. If you set up a double opt-in approach, you can ensure they consent to receive the emails by requiring a welcome email with an action, usually something for them to click to say “yes, I want to receive emails from this person.” This also ensures better engagement, and if your email happens to go into spam, that person is more likely to mark it as “not spam” so they see it in their main inbox.
Many businesses do this by offering a freebie via email or after clicking the link, whether it’s an e-book, a guide of some sort, or a printable.
5. Monitor your metrics
You don’t set up all these systems to then just let them be. Make sure you are monitoring your metrics. These can include delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, and even spam complaints. Your metrics will help you assess your successes and failures, and grow from both of them. You can then work on switching up your subject lines, content, delivery schedule, and more. Maybe even try an A/B test to see which gets better results.
These are just some of the tips to keep your emails out of the spam folder, some of which should be incorporated in your standard operating procedures already. Email marketing might be challenging, but it is worth the effort for your customers.
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Photo by Pau Casals on Unsplash
