When it comes to email marketing, you might have the best, most strategic campaign plan, the most expertly crafted email messages, and the perfect products and inventory to showcase to your audience. But it\u2019s all for naught if your emails don\u2019t actually get delivered. <\/p>\n
The factors that affect email deliverability are more complex than you\u2019d imagine. We\u2019re here to help you \u201cget the message\u201d of the importance of email deliverability and master the subtle art of sending emails that your audience will receive. <\/p>\n
What is Email Deliverability? <\/strong> <\/p>\n Email deliverability is the percentage of sent emails that see inboxes. As opposed to email delivery, which measures the number of emails that are successfully accepted by the recipient\u2019s mail server (regardless of folder), email deliverability measures emails successfully sent to inboxes only. <\/p>\n When you view email marketing as a means of capturing the attention of current and potential customers, email deliverability makes all the difference. It\u2019s an important measurement, especially when you consider that more than half of all people (52%) check their junk folders at most once per week, with 18% of those people checking less frequently and 5% never checking at all, according to DMA\u2019s Consumer Email Tracker<\/a>. <\/p>\n Also, emails that fail to find inboxes negatively impact the reputation of your business and marketing messages, merely by association with other unwanted spam content. <\/p>\n The Impact of Spam Emails<\/strong> <\/p>\n Spam mail is unsolicited email content that\u2019s sent out en masse. It\u2019s a term that\u2019s become synonymous with doing something repeatedly to disturb others, and email providers go to great lengths to find and filter out spam messages. <\/p>\n Spam is the primary reason legitimate marketing emails go undelivered and the most obvious metric that mailbox providers use to identify emails that users don\u2019t want. They do this by filtering unwanted messages through blocklists and spam filters. <\/p>\n When your emails are identified as spam, either by a mailbox provider or the recipients themselves, your future emails can be filtered into junk folders or blocked completely. Considering that a substantial number of people only check their junk folders a few times a year<\/a>, that essentially means your emails aren\u2019t being received or read. <\/p>\n The Value of Sender Reputation <\/strong> <\/p>\n Just as your business has a reputation among your customers, your emails have a reputation among mailbox providers and spam filters. Your reputation doesn\u2019t just impact people\u2019s perceptions of your business, it significantly impacts email deliverability. A good sender reputation can ensure email deliverability. A bad one will filter emails to spam folders. <\/p>\n The main contributor to sender reputation is subscriber engagement\u2014a measurement of how your audience interacts with your emails. Other factors include spam traps, blocklists, feedback loops, and inbox placement data. However, positive sending behaviors and subscriber responses improve your chances of successful email deliverability. <\/p>\n There are three main types of sender reputation: <\/p>\n Restoring a damaged sender reputation can be difficult, so it\u2019s always best to take a proactive approach in keeping up a positive sender reputation. You can do this by consistently monitoring your engagement metrics to pinpoint areas for improvement in your email sending practices, including: <\/p>\n Email Deliverability Best Practices<\/strong> <\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to rely on chance or the complexities of mailbox protocols to ensure email deliverability. You can take email matters into your own hands with the following best practices: <\/p>\n Avoid Sending Emails Too Often<\/strong> <\/p>\n Email marketing is all about finding the right frequency and cadence for sending messages. It\u2019s a balancing act between capturing your customers\u2019 attention without annoying your audience. When the scales tip toward over-sending, your recipients may report your messages as junk. <\/p>\n Always monitor the number of emails you send, as well as the number of emails your customers receive. Avoid sending too many emails, especially over a short period of time, and reduce the frequency of emails for customers who rarely engage. This will ensure that a high rate of emails stay in your audience\u2019s inboxes without being reported as junk. <\/p>\n Implement a Sunset Policy<\/strong> <\/p>\n Undelivered emails impact your metrics. When too many of your emails are identified as undelivered, they can trigger spam filters and send emails to junk folders, even for new recipients. <\/p>\n If a customer hasn\u2019t engaged with your dealership in the past 90 \u2013 120 days, avoid bombarding them with more communication and consider removing them from your email list or finding a better re-engagement method. <\/p>\n Segment Your Audience<\/strong> <\/p>\n When you send out emails that feel impersonal, recipients recognize them as mass marketing and they\u2019re more likely to report emails as junk. Of course, that simple action can have a ripple effect that impacts the deliverability of all future emails. It\u2019s the impact of pervasive spam emails. <\/p>\n To make your marketing messages more personal, divide your audience into groups based on set criteria such as behavior, history, interests, and geolocation. Then, tailor campaigns to each segment to add personalization and increase engagement among your audience. <\/p>\n Follow Legislation to the Letter of the Law<\/strong> <\/p>\n The United States government has implemented certain laws and regulations designed to protect consumer privacy and prevent unsolicited emails from being delivered to inboxes. This can seriously impact deliverability, especially if you fail to comply with every stated regulation. <\/p>\n To avoid potential legal concerns and email inbox delivery failures, it\u2019s important to stay compliant with legislation governing commercial emails, including the CAN-SPAM Act<\/a>. The CAN-SPAM Act establishes the requirements you must follow for sending commercial emails and gives your recipients the right to stop receiving emails. <\/p>\n The main dos and don\u2019ts of the legislation include: <\/p>\n Send High-Quality Content <\/strong> <\/p>\n The best way to ensure email deliverability is to take matters into your own hands and send high-quality content. Consider the following best practices to ensure that your emails resonate with your audience: <\/p>\n Ensure Email Security<\/strong> <\/p>\n Mailbox providers can detect and verify emails that are sent from less-than-legitimate organizations. If an email fails to meet their high security standards, it gets filtered to spam folders. You can meet these high security standards by ensuring your emails meet the following security measures: <\/p>\n You work too hard on your email marketing campaigns to risk undeliverability issues. Pay attention to the factors that affect email deliverability, and find more success with your email metrics, engage with your audience, and bring in more buyers to your business. <\/p>\n To learn more about how you can make your email marketing campaigns more successful, contact your Performance Manager<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n
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