October 17, 2016 at 08:1326 ways to improve the delivery of your letters
The marketing department is preparing a new email campaign. Through blood and tears, having defeated all font problems, having tested the letter in all email clients, they completed the preparatory stages. But is it so important if this letter does not reach the addressee? In this article, I will tell you about 26 ways to increase the likelihood of a successful delivery of a letter and its reading by the addressee.
Today, a great variety of the most diverse databases of email addresses are up for sale. And in them, perhaps, there are even addresses of people who agreed to receive letters from someone, but not from you. Thus, by sending them an email, you (your domain and mail server) are seriously at risk of getting into the black lists of email providers. Such databases often contain spam traps, which are used to calculate and block spammers.
Indeed, with the help of site parsing, you can quickly build an email database. However, sending letters to such addresses will inevitably lead to your domain being included in the spam list.
Email address may be blocked, deleted or simply indicated with an error. You can never deliver letters to these addresses, and repeated attempts to do this can significantly affect the reputation of your domain and mail server.
Do not yell at people. You are already heard. Nobody likes to read sentences typed in upper case.
Follow the rules of punctuation, and again, do not yell at people. Emails containing a large number of exclamation points are negatively perceived by spam filters, for example SpamAssassin.
Most email clients will not appreciate your efforts and will not display rich-media components in your email.
The same applies to javascript - even if you pass by spam filters, email clients will not be able to execute javascript, which you put in the email.
Forms are not supported by any email client. However, no one forbids you to add a button with a link to your site in the CTA letter.
No need to add attachments to the letter. If you want to send a doc or pdf file, it is better to upload it to your website and add a link to the letter.
If you use the words “free”, “only today”, “last chance to buy”, etc. in your newsletters, you run the risk of getting into “spam”. Be creative, come up with something more original.
The same applies to text placed on the background of the same color as the text itself and other spamming tricks. Your email is 99% likely to be blocked by spam filters.
80% of respondents will negatively perceive your letter if it contains spelling and punctuation errors. There are many good spell checking services available, feel free to use them before sending your newsletters.
No need to add a large number of keywords to the letter. Write letters in an understandable language, be creative, create interesting and relevant content.
Do not forget that many email clients can hide your images in order to save traffic. Your letter should look beautiful without an abundance of pictures. In addition, if your images are “heavy”, the letter will take a long time to load, and the recipient may simply not wait for the end of the download by closing the letter.
Even if your list is 100% composed of addresses that you received via opt-in, you can be considered a spammer if you do not follow the simple recommendations of mail providers. In time, remove “dead” addresses from the list of subscribers, after sending to which you received bounced events. Keep track of the opening of letters, and if any of your subscribers does not open your letters, probably he will no longer use this email address and you can safely exclude it from your lists.
When using Double-Opt-In authorization, you send a special letter to the subscriber with a link to activate his subscription. Thus, you will receive a completely legitimate subscriber interested in your letters.
If the recipient of your letter adds your address to his contact list, you are guaranteed to solve the problem of getting your letters to spam when sending to this box.
Each letter should contain a link to unsubscribe. It is ideal that a person can unsubscribe from your newsletter in one click, however, you can also place a small survey form on the unsubscribe page to find out why the person no longer wants to receive your letters.
If a person has refused to receive your newsletters, do not write to him again. In addition, the process of unsubscribing should be as simple as possible - you should not require the user to log in to the site, perform some additional actions, etc. One click, at most, a poll - and that’s it.
You should not send letters from addresses like info@example.com, sales@example.com and the like. Be closer to your subscribers! A person is much more pleasant to receive a letter from a real person, and not from a soulless machine. Addresses alex@example.com, dmitry@example.com, etc. fit much better. In addition, mail providers will take them more favorably.
Mail providers are more likely to accept personalized letters than anonymous. By adding the name of the subscriber to the subject-line of the letter, you will show that you know him, and he is waiting for your letter.
If you are sending HTML emails, you need to add a plain-text version of the email. This should be done for the following reasons:
Unfortunately, some email clients may not display your email correctly. In this case, a special online version of the letter will help you. Usually a link to it is added at the top of the letter.
In some email clients, image display is disabled by default. If you do not want your client to understand the meaning of your letter anyway, use the alt attributes on the images.
Spam filters mail providers do not like letters from one line, but they also do not like letters containing several thousand characters. Be concise and succinct in your letters, use no more than 400-500 characters, divide the text into paragraphs, so that it is more convenient for your subscribers to read it.
Do not forget to send a test mailing to several of your addresses before the battle sending, as well as test the display of the letter on several devices.
According to statistics from the Litmus service, the following users use the largest number of users:
Services like MXToolbox let you track the reputation of your domain and the IP address of your mail server. Do not forget to periodically check it, and if necessary, take measures to exclude you from the black and gray lists of spam filters.
That's all, I hope that this short list will help you create and send more effective email newsletters. Have a good work!
So, what you do not need to do:
1. Never buy email address databases
Today, a great variety of the most diverse databases of email addresses are up for sale. And in them, perhaps, there are even addresses of people who agreed to receive letters from someone, but not from you. Thus, by sending them an email, you (your domain and mail server) are seriously at risk of getting into the black lists of email providers. Such databases often contain spam traps, which are used to calculate and block spammers.
2. Never parse sites for the purpose of collecting email addresses
Indeed, with the help of site parsing, you can quickly build an email database. However, sending letters to such addresses will inevitably lead to your domain being included in the spam list.
3. Do not send letters to the email address, if before that you received a report on the impossibility of delivering a letter to it
Email address may be blocked, deleted or simply indicated with an error. You can never deliver letters to these addresses, and repeated attempts to do this can significantly affect the reputation of your domain and mail server.
4. Do not use uppercase when writing a letter or its subject
Do not yell at people. You are already heard. Nobody likes to read sentences typed in upper case.
5. Do not use a lot of exclamation points !!!!!!
Follow the rules of punctuation, and again, do not yell at people. Emails containing a large number of exclamation points are negatively perceived by spam filters, for example SpamAssassin.
6. Do not use video and javascript in your letters
Most email clients will not appreciate your efforts and will not display rich-media components in your email.
The same applies to javascript - even if you pass by spam filters, email clients will not be able to execute javascript, which you put in the email.
7. Do not use forms in your letters
Forms are not supported by any email client. However, no one forbids you to add a button with a link to your site in the CTA letter.
8. Do not add attachments to the letter
No need to add attachments to the letter. If you want to send a doc or pdf file, it is better to upload it to your website and add a link to the letter.
9. Do not use spam words
If you use the words “free”, “only today”, “last chance to buy”, etc. in your newsletters, you run the risk of getting into “spam”. Be creative, come up with something more original.
10. Do not use bold and color fonts in letters
The same applies to text placed on the background of the same color as the text itself and other spamming tricks. Your email is 99% likely to be blocked by spam filters.
11. Do not forget to check the spelling of the letter
80% of respondents will negatively perceive your letter if it contains spelling and punctuation errors. There are many good spell checking services available, feel free to use them before sending your newsletters.
12. Write letters for people, not for robots
No need to add a large number of keywords to the letter. Write letters in an understandable language, be creative, create interesting and relevant content.
13. Do not use a large number of images or “heavy” images
Do not forget that many email clients can hide your images in order to save traffic. Your letter should look beautiful without an abundance of pictures. In addition, if your images are “heavy”, the letter will take a long time to load, and the recipient may simply not wait for the end of the download by closing the letter.
And now what you need to do:
14. Keep your subscribers list up to date.
Even if your list is 100% composed of addresses that you received via opt-in, you can be considered a spammer if you do not follow the simple recommendations of mail providers. In time, remove “dead” addresses from the list of subscribers, after sending to which you received bounced events. Keep track of the opening of letters, and if any of your subscribers does not open your letters, probably he will no longer use this email address and you can safely exclude it from your lists.
15. Use Double-Opt-In
When using Double-Opt-In authorization, you send a special letter to the subscriber with a link to activate his subscription. Thus, you will receive a completely legitimate subscriber interested in your letters.
16. Have your followers add you to your contact list
If the recipient of your letter adds your address to his contact list, you are guaranteed to solve the problem of getting your letters to spam when sending to this box.
17. Always add an unsubscribe link to your email
Each letter should contain a link to unsubscribe. It is ideal that a person can unsubscribe from your newsletter in one click, however, you can also place a small survey form on the unsubscribe page to find out why the person no longer wants to receive your letters.
18. Respect users who refuse your letters
If a person has refused to receive your newsletters, do not write to him again. In addition, the process of unsubscribing should be as simple as possible - you should not require the user to log in to the site, perform some additional actions, etc. One click, at most, a poll - and that’s it.
19. Use the “human” name and email address of the sender
You should not send letters from addresses like info@example.com, sales@example.com and the like. Be closer to your subscribers! A person is much more pleasant to receive a letter from a real person, and not from a soulless machine. Addresses alex@example.com, dmitry@example.com, etc. fit much better. In addition, mail providers will take them more favorably.
20. Add the name of the subscriber to the subject of the letter
Mail providers are more likely to accept personalized letters than anonymous. By adding the name of the subscriber to the subject-line of the letter, you will show that you know him, and he is waiting for your letter.
21. If you use HTML letters, do not forget about the plain-text version
If you are sending HTML emails, you need to add a plain-text version of the email. This should be done for the following reasons:
- Some email clients do not support HTML rendering.
- Many people prefer plain-text in order to save mobile traffic and increase the speed of downloading letters.
- Email providers love plain-text.
22. Add a link to its online version in the letter
Unfortunately, some email clients may not display your email correctly. In this case, a special online version of the letter will help you. Usually a link to it is added at the top of the letter.
23. Do not forget to set alt attributes for images in your letter
In some email clients, image display is disabled by default. If you do not want your client to understand the meaning of your letter anyway, use the alt attributes on the images.
24. Be short
Spam filters mail providers do not like letters from one line, but they also do not like letters containing several thousand characters. Be concise and succinct in your letters, use no more than 400-500 characters, divide the text into paragraphs, so that it is more convenient for your subscribers to read it.
25. Test letters before sending
Do not forget to send a test mailing to several of your addresses before the battle sending, as well as test the display of the letter on several devices.
According to statistics from the Litmus service, the following users use the largest number of users:
- Apple iPhone's Mail (28% of users)
- Gmail (16% of users)
- Apple iPad's Mail (11% of users)
- Google Android's Mail (9% of users)
- Outlook (9% of users)
26. Keep track of the reputation of your mail server and domain
Services like MXToolbox let you track the reputation of your domain and the IP address of your mail server. Do not forget to periodically check it, and if necessary, take measures to exclude you from the black and gray lists of spam filters.
That's all, I hope that this short list will help you create and send more effective email newsletters. Have a good work!