How to Improve Email Deliverability

3 minute read

Team PostUp

In this month’s Beyond the Inbox, we offer up 5 tips to improve email deliverability.

These simple practices that can help boost the performance of your campaigns as well as improve the overall reputation of your brand. That way, more attention can be focused on the email marketing strategy and how to increase conversions, rather than deliverability and how to get more messages into the inbox.

Only Send Mail to People Who Want It.

One best practice that’s consistent across the bulk sender guidelines for every major ISP is to only mail users who have specifically requested to receive your emails.  While there are several different methods of email collection that are acceptable under CAN-SPAM legislation, to ensure a positive reputation and consistent inbox placement, every sender should employ an opt-in or confirmed opt-in registration process.

Make the Opt-In and Opt-Out Process Clear and Simple.

It’s important to be upfront during the registration process as to the type and frequency of communications a new member can expect to receive when joining your list.  This will help keep complaints low and make the user more likely to open your emails.  In addition, simplifying the opt-out process will also help deter those, who no longer wish to receive your emails, from hitting the “spam” button.  If possible, create a preference center that provides subscribers with the option to opt-down rather than opt-out.

Send a Well Branded Welcome Email.

This  first communication can be considered the most important because it helps lay the foundation for a relationship with the user.  The welcome email should be sent to a new user immediately after registration (or as close as possible) and should set an expectation for the communications they will receive after joining your list.  The welcome email should also include an option to unsubscribe from your mailing list in case the registration was by mistake.

Need welcome email inspiration? Take a look at these welcome email examples.

Send Lower Volume Mailings, Targeted to Your Customer’s Interests.

ISPs are working hard to monitor and police the incoming mail to their servers.  Sending fewer messages at any given time will help bypass many of the email rate limits that ISPs place on connecting IP addresses.  Also, the more targeted the content of your message is to the recipients’ interests, the more likely they are to convert and less likely they are to complain.  Even if the amount of data collected during registration is limited, tracking member activity in your campaigns can help you build email segments for future targeting.

Make Sure the Content is Fresh and Relevant. 

Users are much more likely to unsubscribe from your mailing list or even worse, mark the messages as spam, if they see the same offers and promotions in their inbox every week.  Making sure you always have new and exciting promotions will help maintain your reputation and increase the life cycle of your members.

By no means are these tips the “end all, be all” of inbox placement.  They are simple ways to improve email deliverability that can go a long way to building and maintaining a positive reputation as a sender.  If you would like to implement some of these recommendations into your email program, please contact your PostUp Deliverability Consultant. In the meantime, you can learn more about improving your sending reputation by downloading PostUp’s Deliverability Solution Guide.

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