If you use mass email blasts to communicate with clients, we have good news and bad news. The good news: this is an excellent tool to stay in touch with customers and keep them coming back to you. The bad news: you may be falling into some poor practices that can land you a life sentence in the dreaded email jail! Here are a few tips to stay on this side of law:
- Ask permission
No one likes feeling pressured into subscribing. To avoid earning a reputation of being a spammer, employ the use of affirmative opt-ins so people know they are signed up for your email newsletter. A double opt-in is even better, which sends an email to the subscriber asking them to confirm signup to the list.
- Clean House
Every month or so, do a sweep of all the emails on your list and remove those that have not opened one in six months to a year. This should increase open rate and get rid of abandoned emails that can become spam traps. Furthermore, check to make sure emails are in the correct format – e.g. includes an @ symbol and ends in .com, .edu, .org, etc.
- Make it Easy to Say Goodbye
Giving subscribers a clear option to opt out is just as important as giving them the option to opt in. Don’t make them search for the “unsubscribe” link. If it is not easy to find, people may mark it as spam, which alerts the email authorities.
- Protect Your House
Security is crucial when sending email blasts. First off, know your IP. When sending high volume email newsletters, you will want to have your own private IP.
- Fingerprints
Back in the early days of email blasts, ISPs would block certain senders if they used cliché spam words in the subject line, such as “free,” “sale,” etc. Those days are long gone and now you do not need to avoid ANY words in the subject line. The key is engagement – the reputation of the sender is what affects your success.
- Know Your Numbers
Email communication isn’t just about clicking the send button – it’s a continual process that needs constant monitoring. Keep an eye on open rates, bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, etc., so you know what is working and how to improve.
- No Sudden Moves
Ever received an influx of emails, panicked and unsubscribed? Don’t be that business. Warm up IPs prior to launching a high volume of emails, maintain email volume, and never more than double the amount of emails your subscribers are used to seeing.
Bonus Tips:
- Everyone and their mother sends emails at the top of the hour – send at 8:23 a.m. vs. 8 a.m.
- You can get a sender report at Returnpath.com to get your sender score and deliverability percentage
- Look at AdWords keyword planner and find keywords people are searching for with your business – incorporate these into subject lines
Thanks to SalesForce and #sfmcwebinar for the great tips!
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