Reasons as to why an emails will go to SPAM.
When running an email campaign, SPAM doesn’t necessarily mean you are sending bad emails, but it does mean you should spend some time looking at why your email ended up in SPAM. In this blog, I will go a little more in depth into inboxing, why an email could go to SPAM and tips on how to fix an email if it does go to a junk folder.
According to the 2016 State of Email Report Litmus, “To succeed in email, you must send relevant messages and provide your subscribers with a functional email experience. This means eliminating friction that can degrade the effectiveness of your messaging, erode the subscriber experience, and ultimately damage your brand image.”
Wow, that was a mouth full. Did you get all of that? Not really? Oh well, let me break it down a bit more.
The Litmus report refers to “relevant information,” “functional email experience,” “subscriber experience” and “messages’ effectiveness & brand image.” Below, these items are outlined in laymen terms with pro tips on how to get better inboxing.
Email Subject Line / Content
The subject line and content copy are one of the first things that is run through a spam filter. If there are excess characters or caps, this could result in automatic rejection; your email doesn’t even have a chance. Avoid obvious spammy words like: great offer, free, earn $, cash bonus, 100% guaranteed, act now… you know the words that make it sound too good to be true. Email service providers (ESPs) crawl your entire email, subject line and email copy for these words, if they appear too often, your email will not be delivered.
EMail Template Design / HTML code
I typically recommend 70% text to 30% image ratio. Many Email service providers have the images automatically turned off upon inboxing. Your graphics may look nice, but they may not even be seen when the email inboxes. It is crucial to have a good subject line and preheader to grab initial attention. Once the email is opened, the text of the email will be the next thing read. It is important to keep the design simple. Also, the keep the HTML very basic to ensure the email render properly on all different devices and platforms.
Targeted List
List segmentation is key to reduce complaints and increase results. If you send an email that is meant for only recipients in a certain state, but you send it to a nationwide list, more often than not you will receive complaints or unsubscribes. People want to receive content that is relevant to them, they are receiving emails daily. If an email is received that has nothing to do with the person, they are likely to complain or report the email as spam or unsubscribe from the list entirely. Don’t waste everyone’s time creating and sending out messages that no one is looking at
IP & Domain Reputation
If you email has passed through all spam and render tests, the place to look would be IP address (abbreviation of Internet Protocol address) and Domain Name health. These 2 pieces go hand-in-hand and are essential for email deliverability. They represent the identifying address and domain of the computer servers in which the email images and html are being sent from. ESPs look at overall behavior of that specific IP & domain by what is sent out on, to whom and how frequently. If there is a large number of recipients marking the email as junk or spam, your IP & Domain’s scores are affected. IP & Domains can also be affected if there is a big spike in the send quantity or frequency.
Did you know FMG has in-house email hosting?
That’s right, our clients send out thousands of emails weekly from our exclusive email marketing platform, e-Connect. It’s fair to say we understand email marketing. We frequently monitor the health of all our IP addresses and domains to ensure the best results. We work with our clients to test how an email will render across devices and platforms. And most importantly we are here to answer any questions and help trouble shoot. Seriously, we are a phone call or email away. Contact Us to learn how you can get started.
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