Overcoming Email Deliverability Challenges in 2021
Introduction
Email marketing continues to be an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. But there's an ongoing challenge that many marketers face today - email deliverability. In simple terms, email deliverability is the ability to deliver emails to subscribers' inboxes. Marketers often struggle with getting their emails to reach their subscribers' inbox due to several factors like spam complaints, blacklists, or inappropriate email content. In this article, we'll explore the email deliverability challenges faced by marketers in 2021 and the best practices that can help overcome them.
Increasing importance of email deliverability
In 2021, email marketing has become extremely important as businesses strive to reach their customers directly amidst the global pandemic. With the rise of virtual communication, email has become an essential tool for business communication and marketing. Unfortunately, not all emails sent to subscribers reach their intended destination. Low deliverability rates can result in negative consequences, including damaging brand reputation and decreased open and click-through rates. A report by Return Path shows that email deliverability rates have dropped significantly since 2017, with only 80% of emails reaching their intended recipients.
Factors affecting email deliverability
A variety of factors can impact email deliverability. Here are some of the most common factors:
1. Spam complaints and spam traps
Spam complaints occur when subscribers mark emails as spam. These complaints can affect the sender's reputation and result in a significant decrease in email deliverability rates. Spam traps are email addresses used by internet service providers (ISPs) to identify email marketers sending unsolicited emails. These email addresses don't belong to real subscribers and serve as a red flag for ISPs, which can result in blacklisting.
2. Blacklists
Blacklists are databases maintained by various organizations like ISPs, anti-spam service providers, and email clients. These databases contain a list of IP addresses or domains that are known for sending spam emails. Once listed, it can be difficult to get removed from the blacklist. Being on a blacklist can cause emails to be automatically diverted to the spam folder, reducing the chances of reaching the recipient's inbox.
3. Email content
Email content plays a significant role in email deliverability. Spam filters are designed to identify emails that contain specific content elements. Using trigger words like "free," "act now," or "limited time" can trigger spam filters, resulting in emails being flagged as spam. Additionally, ISPs may flag emails that don't meet formatting standards, such as improper HTML coding or missed links.
Best practices for improving email deliverability
Here are some best practices that can help you improve email deliverability:
1. Build a clean email list
Building a clean email list is essential for maintaining good email deliverability. Your email list should only contain subscribers who have opted in to receive your emails. Additionally, regularly clean your email list by removing inactive subscribers, hard bounces, and email addresses that consistently mark your emails as spam.
2. Monitor and maintain your sender reputation
Sender reputation is a score that ISPs use to determine if your emails are worth delivering to your subscribers' inboxes. Maintaining a high sender score is crucial for good email deliverability. Monitor your sender score using tools like Sender Score or GlockApps, and take necessary steps to maintain or improve the score.
3. Send personalized and relevant emails
Sending relevant and personal emails can help improve open and click-through rates, which can improve sender reputation and email deliverability. Use customer data to personalize emails with subscriber's name, purchase history, or location.
4. Test your emails before sending
Before sending any email campaign, test your emails using services like Litmus or Email on Acid. These tools can help you identify formatting issues, broken links, or spam filters that may flag your email.
Conclusion
Email deliverability is crucial for a successful email marketing campaign. By understanding the factors that affect email deliverability and following best practices, you can improve your email deliverability rates and increase the chances of your emails reaching your subscribers' inbox. Remember to regularly monitor your sender reputation, send relevant and personalized emails, and test your emails before sending. By doing so, you can overcome the email deliverability challenges faced by marketers in 2021.