5 commonly asked email questions

1. What do I need to do to get past spam filters?

Nowadays it is more than just being on a whitelist or avoiding certain phrases. These are still important but here is a mini-checklist:

Use a spam scoring tool
Test the email utilising an inbox seeding service to see if the likes of Hotmail, Yahoo etc will deliver to the inbox or junk
Use this seeding service before, during and after the send as results will change
Remove bounces and unsubscribes promptly
Ensure your email service provider unsubscribes anyone reporting your email as spam
Work with your email service provider to ensure all technical aspects (SPF records, sub-domains etc) are correctly set-up and configured

2. Why should I send a text version?

There are two main reasons:

On average 5% of a list cannot read HTML messages
Including a text version helps reduce spam scores

3. What is the main factor in achieving a successful email marketing campaign?

It is important to make the email as relevant as possible. Too many people run “load & blast” style email marketing which is based upon the idea that the more I send, the more revenue I will generate as some of the emails are bound to stick!

The problem with this approach is that as email is a relatively inexpensive delivery mechanism the ROI on these type of campaigns is still good. Over time though these lists will become less and less responsive as recipients become fed up of receiving irrelevant messages.

Emails that perform exceptionally have content tailored to each individual recipient utilising dynamic content and segmentation techniques. In addition these emails tend to suffer a lesser drop in performance over time as recipients know that there is usually something worth reading in the message.

4. How do I ensure that I don’t get blacklisted?

Don’t send Spam or even suspect email!

Even legitimate senders will occasionally get blacklisted but usually this is automatically removed or easily resolved by your email service provider.

When collecting email addresses record the time, date and IP address of the sign-up plus what URL they signed up on. Any confirmation email should also be recorded.

5. When is the best time to send an email?

Most email campaigns are sent between 10am to Midday and between 2pm and 5pm. Marketers often think that lunchtime should be avoided, as people are less likely to be at their PC.

Surprisingly between 3pm and 4pm is a popular time to send emails with research suggesting that as many as 15% are sent during this time. The normal assumption by marketers is 10-11am and 2-3pm for B2B emails with B2C performing best 4pm onwards.