Actionable Email Marketing Guidance

Do you ever wonder why when sending an email marketing campaign, or receiving an email from another company, some emails end up in the inbox while others find their way directly to the junk or spam folder?

This question is closely tied to how responsibly an email program manages list quality before sending. Factors like who you send to, how often you send, and whether junk and high-risk addresses are removed all influence how mailbox providers interpret trust and intent.

The most important factor in determining whether your email is marked as spam, and ends up in the junk folder, or goes to your subscriber’s inbox is directly related to your sender and IP reputation. While there are other factors, your IP reputation is inevitably the most important. Sender reputation is directly associated with the IP address of the email server you are using to send your email campaigns. One of the most controllable inputs into sender and IP reputation is list quality. Mailing junk, unwanted, or non-performing addresses introduces negative signals that compound over time, which is why list hygiene is treated as a preventative operational step rather than a reactive fix. ISP’s (Internet Service Provider) score a sender’s IP address or reputation by assigning a value or score, weighing various factors related to email marketing activity. They then use their own algorithm or scoring metrics to determine your reputation and if your emails will be destined for the inbox, junk folder or simply rejected. In essence, your sender or IP reputation indicates to an ISP the trustworthiness of the source of the email that is being delivered. What constitutes a trustworthy sender will vary from ISP to ISP, so in order to build a strong sender or IP reputation you’ll need to understand all of the factors that ISP’s look at when determining a score and how or if to deliver your email marketing messages at all.

A sender or IP reputation is built over time. Simply setting up a new IP address and sending your emails from it won’t guarantee that your emails will make it to the inbox. Oftentimes clients don’t understand why emails being sent from a brand new IP address would land in the spam or junk folder. Their rational is usually, “This is a brand new IP. The IP reputation can’t be bad. Why would they send all of our emails to the junk folder?”  A brand new IP with no history of email activity is normally regarded as suspicious by the ISP, because they do not know anything about the IP address that is being used to send the emails. You can think about it the same way banks use credit scores. If you have no credit, payment history or credit score, a bank is less likely to give you credit or loan you money. While if you have a good credit history of paying your bills on time and being diligent about your finances, banks are more likely to lend you money or extend you the credit you’re asking for.

What factors are used in determining your sender and IP reputation?

1. Spam Complaints – How many users click the spam or junk button when receiving your emails? What percentage of recipients complain about the emails they receive from you and your ever so important IP address?
2. Clean Email Address – Having a list of email addresses that are valid and deliverable are also a key factor in scoring your IP reputation. A quality email list, will in most cases, allow you to deliver your emails to the user’s inbox. Email List Cleaning is extremely important because it stops you from sending to invalid and unwanted emails. This is not about predicting inbox placement or guaranteeing delivery outcomes. Cleaning focuses on removing categories of addresses that consistently introduce risk—such as spam traps, complainers, and dead emails—before campaigns are sent. Having a high percentage of hard bounces (bad or undeliverable email addresses) is a sure way to let the ISP’s know your list is either old, scrapped, purchased, not optin or simply not maintained. While validating your email list is extremely important, cleaning your email list is equally critical. Sending to spamtraps is a sure way to ensure, even if you did before, you’ll no longer be able to deliver your emails to the users inbox.
3. Volume of Email being sent – If you normally send to a list of 3,000 emails twice weekly and then decide to buy a list and start sending to 300,000, you’ll normally find out pretty quickly that your emails are being rejected or being sent to the spam folder.
4. IP Blacklists – Most ISP’s will use some type of external blacklist to see if your IP address is negatively listed for either sending to spam seeds or complaining recipients.
5. Valid DNS – Ensuring that the DNS is correctly setup for your sending domain and the IP address is validated to allow you to send from it is critical in delivering your emails without any problems. The main DNS records that need to be correctly configured are: A, MX, SPF, Domain Keys (DKIM), and Reverse DNS
6. Email Content – While the content or keywords in your email is important, most industry experts will agree that it only accounts for approximately 20% of the score determining if an ISP will accept and deliver your email to the inbox or spam folder or outright reject the email being sent.

If you are preparing to send a campaign, a practical way to support sender and IP reputation is removing known junk and high-risk address categories beforehand. PureList’s email list cleaning service focuses on removing these types of addresses so campaigns are not burdened by data that introduces unnecessary risk.

Conclusion – Delivering your Email Marketing to the Inbox

If you have your domain and IP configured properly in DNS, clean and validate your email lists regularly, send to only optin email addresses of your customers or people who have signed up to receive emails from you and don’t send spammy looking emails that will entice a recipient to click the spam button, you should be OK. Following these basic rules is the framework of any responsible email marketer.

This article is part of our broader resource on email list cleaning and hygiene and how removing junk before sending helps reduce unnecessary risk.

Introduction:

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, businesses are constantly seeking effective strategies to reach and engage their target audience. Among the myriad tools available, email marketing remains a stalwart, providing a direct and personalized channel for communication. However, the success of any email marketing campaign hinges on a seemingly simple yet crucial factor—clean and valid email addresses. In this article, we explore the significance of valid email addresses in marketing and why they serve as the foundation for a successful and impactful outreach strategy.

1. List building Trust and Credibility:

The first step towards a successful marketing campaign is establishing trust and credibility with your audience. Scrubbed email addresses ensure that your messages reach the intended recipients, fostering a sense of reliability. When customers receive communications in their inbox consistently, it builds trust in the brand and establishes a positive relationship. On the contrary, invalid email addresses can lead to bounced emails and a perception of incompetence, potentially damaging your brand’s credibility.

2. Enhancing Deliverability Rates:

Cleaned and valid email addresses play a pivotal role in ensuring high deliverability rates. Email service providers (ESPs) use complex algorithms to assess the sender’s reputation. Frequent bounces due to invalid addresses can trigger spam filters, leading to a decline in deliverability. Maintaining a clean and validated email list is essential for optimizing deliverability rates, ensuring that your messages land in the primary inbox rather than being relegated to the dreaded spam folder.

3. Maximizing Open and Click-Through Rates:

A clean and valid email address not only improves deliverability but also contributes to higher open and click-through rates. When your emails consistently reach engaged and interested recipients, they are more likely to open and interact with your content. Invalid email addresses contribute to a decline in engagement metrics, impacting the overall effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. By focusing on a validated and responsive email list, you can maximize the impact of your messages and drive desired actions from your audience.

4. Cost-Efficiency and Resource Optimization:

Maintaining an accurate and updated email list is not only about performance but also about resource optimization. Invalid email addresses contribute to wasted resources, both in terms of time and money spent on crafting and sending messages that never reach their intended recipients. Regularly cleaning and validating your email list can help trim unnecessary costs and ensure that your marketing budget is allocated efficiently.

5. Compliance with Regulations:

In an era of increasing concern for data privacy and stringent regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the CAN-SPAM Act, ensuring the validity of email addresses is imperative. Sending emails to invalid or outdated addresses not only violates these regulations but also exposes your business to potential legal repercussions. Validating and cleaning email addresses helps ensure compliance with data protection laws, protecting your brand from legal issues and maintaining a positive reputation.

6. Personalization and Targeted Campaigns:

Personalization is a cornerstone of effective marketing, and clean and valid email addresses play a crucial role in achieving this goal. A clean and accurate email list enables businesses to segment their audience effectively and deliver targeted, personalized content. By understanding your audience’s preferences and behaviors, you can tailor your messages to resonate with specific segments, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion.

Conclusion:

In the dynamic world of marketing, where customer engagement is paramount, the importance of valid email addresses cannot be overstated. From building trust and credibility to maximizing deliverability rates and optimizing resources, a clean and validated email list forms the bedrock of a successful email marketing strategy. As businesses navigate the complexities of the digital landscape, prioritizing the accuracy and validity of email addresses is not just a best practice; it is an essential element for unlocking the full potential of marketing campaigns. By investing in the maintenance and validation of email lists, businesses can forge lasting connections with their audience, drive meaningful engagement, and ultimately, achieve marketing success in the digital age.