Email Deliverability Tips

1
Email Deliverability Tips

• An Email Marketing Tutorial by Meitasoft

Meitasoft, Inc.
2

• Join Feedback Loops
• Feedback loops allow you to see who is marking
  your email as spam (so you can remove them). Some
  ISPs, like AOL, provide an easy way to join the
  feedback loop. For other ISPs, you may need to
  contact your email service provider to see if
  they can provide you with this information.

Meitasoft, Inc.
3

• Remove Inactive Subscribers
• Inactive subscribers are most likely to mark your
  email as junk. Sure, nobody wants to willfully
  shrink the size of their opt in list, but you
  have to think long term.

Meitasoft, Inc.
4

• Consistent Timing
• ISPs love it when you consistently send email on
  the same day at near the same time. Since
  spammers don't care, consistency is the mark of a
  responsible email marketer.

Meitasoft, Inc.
5

• Use Consistent From Information
• Be sure to always use the same from name and
  address. Changing the from email will require
  your subscribers to add each address to their
  address book in order to ensure deliverability.
  In addition, a consistent from name helps readers
  recognize your brand.

Meitasoft, Inc.
6

• Use Double Opt In
• Double opt in is a best practice required by many
  ISPs in order to be considered for white listing.
  In addition, it protects your database from
  misspelled email addresses.

Meitasoft, Inc.
7

• Send In Spurts
• Some ISPs have limits as to how many emails you
  can send to in a given period of time. If you're
  having trouble sending email to a particular ISP
  such as Yahoo, Gmail, or Hotmail, see if your
  email service provider gives you the ability to
  stage the email over a longer period of time.

Meitasoft, Inc.
8

• Unsubscribe Link at Top
• Why at the top? Because if unhappy subscribers
  can't find it within a few seconds, they may hit
  the junk button instead, which damages your rep.
  Better to lose a subscriber than get a spam
  complaint.

Meitasoft, Inc.
9

• Static IP Address
• If you send marketing emails from your own
  server, always send from the same IP address. If
  you use an email service provider, find out if
  they offer a dedicated IP for an additional
  charge. If they do, it's worth it. Like shared
  webhosts, many ESP's group many clients under one
  IP address. In other words, what another company
  does with their email marketing can affect your
  deliverability. It's much easier to manage the
  reputation of one IP address rather than many.

Meitasoft, Inc.
10

• Reverse DNS
• Many ISPs perform a reverse DNS lookup, which
  checks to make sure the IP you are sending from
  is authorized to send from your domain.

Meitasoft, Inc.
11

• White List Reminder
• Encourage subscribers to add your email address
  to their address book or white list. Some ISPs
  look at the number of times you are added to an
  address book as a sign of trust.

Meitasoft, Inc.
12

• Get Authenticated
• Email authentication is confusing as heck. There
  are a few standards out there that are not
  necessary competing. The Sender ID Framework
  uses a simple SPF record with your DNS Zone.
  Microsoft has a handy Sender ID to help you
  create this text record for your DNS. In addition
  to Sender ID, Domain Keys is another popular
  authentication method. Both methods help to both
  ensure deliverability and prevent spammers from
  spoofing with your domain.

Meitasoft, Inc.
13

• Get On White Lists
• Achieving white list status with the major ISPs
  is no small feat. If you're not up for the
  challenge, consider uses an email deliverability
  consulting firm such as Return Path that
  specializes in this area.

Meitasoft, Inc.
14

• Don't Worry about SPAM Words
• Don't stress about using the word "free" or
  occasionally putting all caps in the subject. We
  find these tactics to be successful and have no
  affect on delivery.

Meitasoft, Inc.
15

• Remove Bounces
• Be sure to remove all hard bounces that come back
  as undeliverable. Repeatedly sending to an
  invalid email will send off red flags with most
  internet service providers.

Meitasoft, Inc.
16

• Reply to Challenge Responses
• Occasionally, SPAM filtering software will send
  back a reply to your email asking you to confirm
  that you are a real person. Invest the 30 seconds
  or so it takes to do this for each challenge
  response you receive. Not only will it ensure
  that this particular recipient receives your
  message, but it can improve your sender
  reputation as well.

Meitasoft, Inc.
17

• Get Off Black Lists
• MxToolBox offers a great tool to check if your
  email server is blacklisted.
• If it is, begin the process of contacting each of
  the black list service and find out the process
  for getting your IP removed.

Meitasoft, Inc.
18

• Be Relevant
• Nothing encourages spam complaints more than
  sending people stuff they didn't sign up for. If
  they signed up for a ezine newsletter, and you
  send them nothing but sales pitches, you're
  likely to get complaints.

Meitasoft, Inc.
19
For more Email Marketing Tips, visit

• meitasoft.com
• or contact us at
• Meitasoft.meitasoft.com
• 617-398-0445

Meitasoft, Inc.