Avoiding Gmail Spam Placement

As a sender of bulk email drops you know that passing Gmail spam filters is no walk in the park. Gmails complex filtering system uses a multiple tier system based on pattern analysis, virus/phishing detection, and most importantly user preference analytics to ensure that spam stays out of the inbox. The problem is, legitimate emails sent to opted-in users are often trapped in spam filters because of these strict filtering policies.

So the real question is – what can you do? The following are items Gmail identifies for you to take into consideration when sending to Gmail in an attempt to reach the inbox and ultimately interact with your users.

Authentication & Identification: A consistent and healthy IP address with valid reverse DNS2 records that point directly to your domain and a accurate from name that isn’t frequently modified should be used.

Subscription: Users must be opted in to your list through either an email of by manually checking on online web form.

Unsubscribing: A user must be able to request and stop receiving emails through an unsubscribe via link or email.

Format: Don’t attempt to hide the true sender or landing page location and make sure the subject is pertinent to the body content

Delivery: Add a header to your email requesting that users add your from address to their safe sender list and click “not spam” to ensure proper delivery every time.

Now you’ve got some items to think about when you’re composing and dropping your emails. Check back soon for more information on Gmail blocks and what specific spam notifications mean for the sender.

Re-Engagement

Get Your Objectives in Order

1. Identify Your Goal

Regardless of the purpose of an email message, whether it’s to make a sale or provide useful information to users, the desired outcome is to persuade the user to take action. To make this end result a reality you want your message and call-to-action to be clear before you start work on your email. First ask yourself - what is the purpose of this email? Having a clear and achievable goal in mind will help ensure the content of your email will benefit your bottom line.  

2. Plan Execution

Now that you’ve identified your goal you need to plan the best way to format your email to accomplish said goal. Keep the following items in mind:

                - It is important to place a clear call to action above the fold line of the email

                - A prominent company logo must be present to identify yourself as a reputable sender

                - The layout of your content should allow for easy navigation

                - All Iinks should redirect to the proper location and be tracked for data result purposes

3. Send Promptly and Properly

The goal has been identified, the email itself has been formatted, now it’s time to send. While sending make sure to keep in mind time zones and the particular location of mail recipients and consider what day of the week it is.

These may seem like 3 simple priorities when formulating an email but you would be surprised at how easily they can get lost in the mix. Identify, plan, send. As usual, our team is here if you should have any questions!

Re-Engagement

Get to know your list.

Mailing to users who haven’t engaged could be important to converting them back in. These users can still be valuable to you if you can think of ways to re-engage them. As a consumer so much is going on around them. Different products and services they are subscribed to getting emails from that they usually filter what they want to see read right away or what can be left for later. Often times the emails saved for later viewing end up being forgotten, deleted or even spammed.

Going back to an example I used in a previous post (hyperlink to my blog: Smartphone E-mail Usage Climbing) about receiving coupons from my favorite store, if I have not visited the site in a while it is nice to get an incentive such as a special offer in my inbox to re-visit. Incentives as such can re-engage the consumer and entice them to visit your site.

Thinking of ways to re-engage your users is crucial but first you have to identify who are the users you need to reach out to. Separate these users from your engaging users and send a specific message to them to help get them engaged again. The specific message you send to these users might not re-engage them right away. Keeping an eye on who re-engages and who doesn’t is important. Testing various campaigns and offers can help identify what your users are looking for and what engages them to visit your site and convert.

A/B split testing different offers can help identify what the particular audience felt like they were missing. You can also test the content and how you approach the audience. The tone you use in the email message is important. Consider using a friendly tone and not just a corporate company talking to the audience. This can also be tested.

Re-engaging your users might help converting these users into customers again!

 - Happy mailing from the KobeMail team

Email Personalization – How Much is Too Much?

Get personal! But know where to draw the line.

Your email list has a ton of information so don’t be afraid to use it. The collection of information from your users such as their first names, locations, and even birthday can come in handy. Why not use that information to send them a personal message?  An email you can send to all users who share the same birthday month, that includes some sort of special offer, is easy – and could present measurable results.

Drawing the line all depends on your marketing strategy. Let’s look at 2 examples:

DO

A user signs up on a maternity site looking to get free products and discounts for all types of baby products. During the signup process the mother provided information about her due date so that you could find the deals that were right for her. When her date is approaching you could send an email with an early congratulations and some deals that she’d love to see. Using her name, the baby’s name (if provided), and/or the due date can make an expecting mother feel special!

DON’T

A user signs up with a loan or financial advisory site. These users may not only be embarrassed about their current financial status but they may even be worried about personal information being release or stolen by third parties. In this case – sending an email with their first and last name in a subject line, including information about their loan request like personal income status may be crossing the line. Consider personal privacy and preference while making a judgment about email content.

Just remember – evaluating your users and the type of service or product you provide on a continuous basis to determine what content is appropriate and how much personalization may be too much.