Email deliverability is the lifeblood of any successful email marketing campaign. You could have the most compelling email content and beautifully designed templates, but if your messages don’t land in the inbox, all that effort goes to waste. As we step into 2023, staying updated with the latest best practices is essential to boost your email deliverability and ensure your audience is actually seeing your emails.
Not sure where to begin? Let’s break down actionable strategies you can use to improve your email deliverability this year.
Understand Email Deliverability
Before diving into tactics, it’s crucial to understand what email deliverability actually means. Simply put, it’s the ability of your email to reach your subscribers’ inbox rather than bouncing or ending up in the spam folder. Deliverability is influenced by multiple factors, including your sender reputation, authentication protocols, and content quality.
A solid grasp of these components will help you pinpoint weaknesses in your email strategy and fix them before they impact your performance.
Build and Maintain a Clean Email List
An outdated or bloated email list is one of the biggest culprits of poor deliverability. To keep your list in top shape:
- Use double opt-ins: This ensures that users confirm their subscription, reducing the chances of adding fake or incorrect email addresses to your list.
- Regularly remove inactive subscribers: Monitor engagement metrics. If someone hasn’t opened your emails in 6 months, consider a re-engagement campaign or remove them altogether.
- Validate email addresses: Use tools like NeverBounce or ZeroBounce to check for invalid or fake email addresses before they even make it into your system.
Authenticate Your Emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Gmail and Outlook rely on authentication protocols to determine whether your emails are legitimate. Without this layer of authentication, your emails might get flagged as spam. Make sure to set up these three protocols:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): This verifies that your emails are being sent from an authorized server.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to your emails, verifying their authenticity.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): Builds on SPF and DKIM to prevent spoofing and phishing attacks.
Think of these protocols as the digital locks that protect your sender reputation and ensure mail servers trust your emails.
Keep Your Sender Reputation Intact
Your sender reputation is one of the biggest indicators ISPs use to determine whether your email deserves to land in the inbox—or the dreaded spam folder. Focus on these practices to protect and grow it:
- Send emails consistently: Sudden spikes in your email activity can look suspicious to ISPs. Aim for a steady and predictable sending schedule.
- Avoid spam triggers: Words and phrases like “FREE!!!” or “Act Now!” can set off spam filters.
- Monitor feedback loops: Some ISPs offer feedback on whether users marked your emails as spam. Use this data to identify problem subscribers or areas to improve.
Focus on Quality Content
Even with perfect technical practices, low-quality emails can tank your performance. ISPs and subscribers alike favor emails that provide genuine value. Here’s how to keep your content top-notch:
- Write engaging subject lines: Avoid clickbait and offer a clear snapshot of what’s inside.
- Personalize your emails: Dynamic content, like including the recipient’s name or tailoring recommendations, keeps engagement high.
- Optimize for mobile: More than half of all emails are opened on mobile devices. Ensure your emails are responsive and easy to read on smaller screens.
Remember: The goal is to build trust with your subscribers. If your content is consistently valuable, they’ll actually look forward to hearing from you—and open rates will reflect that.
Pay Attention to Engagement Metrics
ISPs increasingly rely on engagement signals like open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints to determine the quality of your emails. To optimize engagement:
- Segment your audience: Send tailored messages based on demographic, location, or behavior. A one-size-fits-all approach is rarely effective.
- Test your timing: Use A/B testing to find the perfect time and day to reach your audience.
- Monitor bounce rates: High bounce rates can be a red flag to ISPs. Ensure your subscriber list is lean, clean, and verified.
Utilize a Dedicated IP Address (If It’s Right for You)
If you’re sending a large volume of emails, a dedicated IP address can help maintain better deliverability. A shared IP might be impacted by the bad practices of other senders, but with a dedicated IP, you’re fully in control of your sender reputation.
That being said, warming up a dedicated IP requires time and effort. If your email volume is low, sticking with a shared IP (provided by a reputable ESP) might be the better option.
Run Regular Email Deliverability Tests
How do you know whether your emails are avoiding the spam folder? Run regular tests using email deliverability tools like GlockApps or MailGenius. These platforms analyze your message and provide insights into what’s working and what needs improvement.
Testing allows you to fine-tune your campaigns and identify potential issues before they affect actual subscribers.
Embrace the Power of Feedback
Lastly, don’t hesitate to ask your subscribers for feedback. After all, who better to tell you how you’re doing than the people you’re emailing? Consider adding a simple survey or feedback form in your emails to gauge what’s resonating—and what isn’t.
For example, a quick poll asking, “What type of content do you want to see more of?” can offer valuable insights and keep your list engaged. Plus, involving your subscribers in the process helps build stronger relationships.
Improving email deliverability is an ongoing process. By combining technical know-how with subscriber-first strategies, you can maximize your email marketing impact and ensure that every campaign reaches its full potential in 2023 and beyond.
