Because when it comes to email marketing, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as a failure to launch.
Editor’s Note: Click here for the first installment of our series on spam.
It’s a done deal. From choosing the perfect price points to spotlighting your most popular services, you’ve successfully nailed each and every best practice recommended and you’re ready to rake in the revenue. While everything may seem to be in its right place on the surface, a misfired subject line or a list full of non-existent email addresses can send your campaign sinking to spam before it ever gets a chance to swim. You may not be able to crack the code of modern spam filters, but with these tips, you’ll find that more of your emails—and your marketing messages—are arriving in the inboxes of your target audience.
Give Your List a Clean Sweep
You might not realize it, but the quality of your customer base directly affects whether or not your emails ever reach your recipients. A large number of hard bounces, a term for invalid, cancelled, or non-existent email addresses, will alert Internet Service Providers. The higher your bounce rate, the lower your reputation will fall, and your emails will automatically wind up in the spam folder. FetchRev’s platform makes it easy to filter hard bounces that result from your campaigns so that you can remove these addresses before they affect your standing.
Show Them How to Bounce Back
Inactive email recipients can be as detrimental to your efforts as hard bounces. Keep close tabs on addresses that haven’t engaged with your emails—or only engage infrequently. Then, follow up with a re-engagement campaign with an enticing subject line and an offer that intrigues them to interact.
Stay on the Whitelist
A simple way to steer clear of the spam folder is to directly ask your customers to add you to their address book. This tactic tells your recipient’s email provider that messaging originating from your business’ email address is “safe” and belongs in the inbox—not tossed aside with spam. In the FetchRev platform, you can add a line to the copy in your offers or newsletters asking your customers to Whitelist you.
Keep Subject Lines Straightforward
Spam filters are smart, and chances are, any tricks you thought you had up your sleeve to sidestep them are already on their radar. Substituting numbers for letters (such as in the words FR3E or M0NEY) is a sure way to both end up in spam and lose credibility with your recipients. Similarly, starting with “Re:”, “Fwd:”, or stating the recipient has won a prize when there are actually additional conditions will land your messaging straight in the email abyss. Bottom line, don’t do it.
Maintain a Steady Line of Communication
Nobody wants to receive five emails a day from a business, but emailing your list only once every few months can be equally harmful. When your customers don’t recognize your name because of infrequent communication, they are more likely to report the email as spam. Simple solution? Talk to your FetchRev account manager to get the ball rolling on some exciting seasonal campaigns.
Devin Pangaro & Vanessa Demske
FetchRev Digital Content Team
