If a tree falls in the forest but no one hears it, did it ever make a sound? And if a marketing email is sent but never received, was it ever sent at all? Email marketing is a powerful tool for reaching and engaging with customers, but if your emails aren’t being delivered, it can be difficult (or impossible) to achieve the desired results. That’s where email deliverability comes into play — the qualities and variables that improve the chances of your messages actually landing in inboxes and being read.
Ensuring that your emails have a high deliverability rate is essential for the success of your email marketing campaigns — so to help you branch out and stand out, we’ve compiled the 10 best practices we use every day to boost email deliverability and get email marketing campaigns the attention they deserve.
An email service provider (ESP) is a company that provides email marketing services, including the sending and tracking of emails. There are a number of popular ESPs available, such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact and AWeber.
ESPs use a variety of methods to improve deliverability rates, such as IP warming, which gradually increases the volume of emails sent from a new IP address to establish a good sending reputation. ESPs also maintain relationships with internet service providers to keep your emails out of spam folders and offer tools to track and analyze your email success, making it easier to optimize campaigns and overcome any challenges that may arise.
Sign up for marketing communications? Yes, please! After your audience member clicks that box, offering double opt-in means then sending subscribers a confirmation email with a link they must click to reaffirm their desire to join your email list. This step ensures they’re genuinely interested, helping keep your list clean and reducing spam complaints. It might lower your signup rate a bit, but it’s worth the extra layer of trust it adds — and knowing you have an engaged, interested audience.
Regularly clean your email list by removing inactive or bounced email addresses. Not only does maintaining a clean list improve your deliverability rate and your sending reputation with your ISP, it ensures you’re reaching only the most engaged, active subscribers. In addition to using email verification services, you may consider sending re-engagement emails to inactive subscribers to see if they still want to hear from you. As a general rule, it’s a good idea to clean your list at least once a year.
What’s in a name? The sender name and address are what appear in the “from” field of an email, and using the same sender information consistently is an easy way to establish familiarity (and trust and credibility) with subscribers.
It’s also a good idea to be consistent with email branding, including logo placement and text formatting, colors, voice and tone. Make sure to avoid frequent changes and use a professional email address to enhance credibility.
Your subject line is the first thing recipients see. Keep it clear, concise, professional and relevant to avoid spam filters. Avoid words like “Free” or “Earn money.” Aim for around 50 characters or less and consider adding personalization to increase engagement.
Unsurprisingly, people engage more with emails that matter to them — and are quick to hit the “trash” or “spam” buttons if they feel bothered. So do yourself and your audience a favor by segmenting your list and tailoring your content to their specific interests. Use data like demographics and purchase history to create targeted campaigns with audience-appropriate insights and offers that keep your audience interested and improve your deliverability rates.
What’s in a name? Your sending reputation is a measure of the quality of your emails and your ability to deliver them to the inbox. It’s determined by a variety of factors, including the volume of emails you send, the number of bounces and spam complaints you receive, and the engagement of your subscribers.
Your sending reputation affects whether your emails land in the inbox or spam folder. To maintain your good reputation, monitor your open and click-through rates and spam complaints, use double opt-in, keep your list clean and ensure your emails are relevant.
A clear “unsubscribe” or “opt out” link reduces spam complaints and helps maintain a clean, engaged list. Luckily, most reputable ESPs automatically include this feature. Make it easy for people to opt-out. This is not just a best practice; it’s required by law and could result in fines and legal action if left out (see the CAN-SPAM act, below).
Stay compliant with laws like the CAN-SPAM Act and CASL in Canada. These laws require email marketers to include an unsubscribe link, a physical address and a clear disclosure that the email is an advertisement. Using accurate header information, non-deceptive subject lines and obtaining consent from recipients are also required.
Regularly review your email marketing strategies to see where you can make improvements. Implementing these tips can help improve your email deliverability and ensure your messages get seen and engaged with by your subscribers — and if you need a helping hand, you know who to call!
Need to bump up your email delivery rates? Contact the email marketing experts at BrandAction Agency.
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Julia Parisot
VP Growth
julia.parisot@brandactionagency.com
312-985-7247
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Partner with us
Julia Parisot
VP Growth
Get a free market analysis
Follow our thoughts
