Email deliverability is constantly in flux. Whether you’ve been using this marketing method for 10 days or 10 years, you’ll always find new best practices and regulations to keep up with. In 2024, ensuring your emails reach your audience's primary inbox requires more than just hitting send. In July, we discussed how to improve your email deliverability. Today, we aim to offer you a more in depth guiding compass, helping through the latest updates in email deliverability, empowering you to craft a reputable presence and get your messages to stand out where they matter most: in your recipients' inbox.
Understanding Email Deliverability
Email deliverability refers to the ability to successfully land emails in your target audience's primary inbox. That’s right—when you shoot an email off into the ether it’s not guaranteed it will reach its destination.
While email delivery focuses on whether emails are successfully transmitted, email deliverability goes further, measuring whether those emails actually reach recipients' inboxes or end up in spam folders.
Landing emails in the primary inbox is crucial for effective communication. When your emails are relegated to the promotions tab, the likelihood of your audience actually engaging with what you’re sending plummets.
Factors Affecting Email Deliverability
Your email deliverability hinges on a few key components
- Sender reputation
- Technical setup
- Email content
These factors collectively determine whether your emails make it to the primary inbox or end up in spam. Let’s discuss each of these point to better understand its significance.
Sender Reputation
Your sender reputation holds significant sway over where your emails land. A history of sending spam or unwanted emails can tarnish your reputation, making email providers more inclined to divert your messages to spam folders. To maintain a favorable sender reputation, you need to consistently deliver valuable content to your subscribers and avoid any practices that might raise red flags with email providers.
Building and preserving a positive sender reputation involves implementing several strategies.
- Firstly, always obtain explicit consent before adding someone to your email list. This ensures that your recipients are genuinely interested in receiving your emails, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints.
- Secondly, regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses, which can negatively impact your deliverability.
- Finally, monitor your email engagement metrics closely to identify any issues promptly.
By staying proactive and vigilant, you can nurture a strong sender reputation that will keep you on that A-list for acceptable sending.
Technical Setup
Email authentication protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) play a key role in helping your emails to reach their intended recipients. These protocols verify the authenticity of your emails and prevent spoofing or phishing attempts. Implementing them correctly helps establish your legitimacy as a sender, improving your chances of bypassing spam filters and reaching the primary inbox.
Proper technical configuration is essential for optimal email deliverability. Make certain that your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and regularly monitored for any issues. By investing time and resources into maintaining a robust technical setup, you can bolster your email deliverability and minimize the risk of your emails being flagged as spam.
Email Content
The quality of your email content directly impacts your deliverability. So don’t enter into your marketing plan with aims to bombard your list with coupon gifs all day and night! Emails with engaging, relevant, and valuable content are more likely to land in the primary inbox, whereas poorly crafted or spammy content may trigger spam filters.
If you’re looking for some guidelines when it comes to email content, we have some great resources available:
The Recipe for a Rockstar Email Marketing Strategy
Mastering Email Subject Lines for Higher Open Rates
Crafting Engaging Body Text and Effective CTAs for Email Marketing
But, if you’re looking for a cheat sheet. Some key points to remember are:
- Keep subject lines short and honest
- Don’t over-promote (ie SALE SALE SALE!)
- Personalize when possible
Be transparent. Be authentic. Monitor your email engagement metrics to identify any signs of spam complaints or low engagement rates, and adjust your content accordingly. You’ll be creating emails your audience loves in no time!
Build a Strong Email Marketing Foundation
If you’re just getting started in the world of email marketing, your best friend is going to be a little thing called IP warming. IP warming is a gradual volume increase from a new IP address, which helps to carefully build your reputation and boost deliverability.
This practice prevents spam flags, establishes credibility, and defines your inbox placement. To follow best practices, start small, send intriguing content, and monitor metrics. Avoid spam triggers and prioritize engagement.
IP warming is a hands-on process, requiring attention to detail and consistent monitoring. By gradually increasing volume, maintaining quality content, and adhering to best practices, you can build a strong foundation for your email marketing campaigns moving forward.
Conducting an Email Deliverability Audit
So, let’s say you’ve been actively email marketing for awhile now and you’re not very happy with your open rates. Perhaps there’s something going on? You can optimize your sending setup by conducting an email deliverability audit. Here’s how:
Check Sender Reputation
Start by examining your sender reputation. This can be done through a variety of email deliverability tools such as SenderScore or TrustedSource. Ensure your MX records are set up, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured correctly, and you're not on any blacklists.
Monitoring Bounce and Complaint Rates
Keep a close eye on your bounce and complaint rates. Aim for a bounce rate below 40% and a complaint rate below 0.1%.
Assessing Deliverability Score
Try a tool like lemwarm to evaluate your deliverability score. Aim for the green stage, indicating it's safe to send campaigns. Keep your warm-up and deliverability booster on to maintain a high deliverability score.
By regularly auditing these aspects, you can pinpoint and address any deliverability issues promptly, so that your emails consistently land in the primary inbox.
Need more guidance? Check out our implementation blog for additional tips on ensuring your emails reach your recipients effectively. At Arctic Leaf, our experts specialize in setting up and optimizing your email systems. You can hire us for bespoke services tailored to your needs without committing to a full package. Plus, we’ll provide a free audit to evaluate your current email practices and help you get on track.
Key Takeaways and Further Tips
Technology may be progressing by leaps and bounds but email is still a tried-and-true method in 2024 which you need to master for online ecommerce success. By focusing on sender reputation, technical setup, and email content, you can ensure your messages reach the right inbox.
Remember to build a strong foundation from the start, and follow up by consistently monitoring your metrics, and taking advantage of helpful email deliverability tools. With these strategies, you'll navigate the complexities of email marketing with confidence, driving meaningful results for your business. Here's to successful email campaigns and lasting connections in 2024 and beyond!
BLACK FRIDAY HIGHLIGHT
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024 approach, it’s important to optimize your email deliverability to make the most of the holiday rush. With increased email volume, you'll need to stand out in the primary inbox. Conduct a quick audit of your sender reputation, check your technical setups, and refine your content to avoid spam filters. Begin IP warming if needed and adjust your email strategy to manage high volumes. Addressing these factors now will help your emails reach eager shoppers and boost your holiday sales.
