Ensuring Email Deliverability
Email marketing is one of the most cost effective medium of promotion. Sending out a newsletter builds client rapport, creates credibility and allows you to sell additional products and services to your existing client base.
The growing concern for spam has resulted in stringent anti-spam filters and strict rules and regulations by email service providers for delivering emails to their users. Thus with these new measures how can you be sure that your newsletter doesn’t end up in the junk filter?
The following tips are suggestions of what you need to consider when writing your newsletter or mass email. Following these tips will increase your chances of delivery and will lessen the likelihood of unknowingly violating any of the CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing) laws, which came into effect in January 2004.
Collect emails carefully
When meeting new customers or prospects, inform them that you send out a newsletter and ask for their permission before adding them to your list. Providing your website visitors with the option of signing-up for your newsletter is a must, but take it a step further by supplying your website with archived newsletters. These will not only add precious content to your site, but will also let your users decide if they are interested in signing up. Once your visitors have signed up, do not forget to send a confirmation email.
Keep in mind red flag words
Avoid using tricks that are used by spammers. Using ALL CAPS, excessive amounts of “click here”, dollar signs, and exclamation marks and other words such as Free, Credit, guarantee, Million dollar and Viagra should not be used in your newsletter body or your subject line.
Use a legitimate from name and from email
Prominently display your company name and your email address and use a legitimate reply-to email address.
Use accurate and descriptive headings
The CAN-SPAM act prevents you from using misleading subject lines in your email campaigns. This does not mean that you have to describe everything that is in your email, but your subject line needs to be relevant.
Use a valid reply-to address and an unsubscribe mechanism
The CAN-SPAM law stipulates that your campaign should either have a return-to address through which someone can unsubscribe or another “Internet-based mechanism clearly displayed”.
Avoid excessive use of images
Although creating a beautifully designed postcard may seem like a good idea, if your newsletter or email is composed of images only, it will most likely be sent to your junk filter.
Finally, remember to keep your emails short and sweet. Everybody is bombarded with emails everyday and in order to ensure that your newsletter doesn’t get lost in the crowd, keep your users in mind.