How to Avoid Spam-Filters in Your Email Marketing Campaign
Typically, you put your heart and soul into curating amazing content for your email marketing campaign; you’re excited about reaching out to everyone on your email list, promoting your business, and eagerly expecting new leads. You hit that “send” button, awaiting a flood of positive responses; one week, two weeks, you even send a follow-up email, but it’s all crickets — no responses, your emails are unnoticed and unopened; all your hard work goes to waste.
Sounds frustrating, right?
Well, this is what happens when spam filters automatically flag your emails as unsolicited. With the rise of email fraud and other unwanted messages, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have implemented sophisticated spam filters to protect users from harmful/spammy content.
However, with a legitimate business, you may fall into this unfortunate abyss alongside the unwanted bad guys if you don’t understand how spam filters work.
In this article, we’ll delve into email marketing best practices and explore how you can bypass those pesky spam filters to ensure your messages reach your audience’s inbox.
Understanding Spam Filters
A spam filter is a piece of technology that detects unsolicited, unwanted, and potentially harmful emails from users’ inboxes. Of course, they are beneficial — even to you, as they filter your emails to ensure that your data isn’t compromised and that you don’t get phished.
To do this, spam filters employ a range of sophisticated techniques. They scan incoming emails, scrutinizing every nook and cranny to determine if they’re legit or belong in the spam folder’s murky depths.
But how do these filters work their magic within milliseconds of email delivery? Let’s take a peek behind the scenes:
- Content Analysis: Spam filters have a sharp eye for suspicious content. They analyze the email’s subject line, body, and even the attached files, looking for telltale signs of spammy behavior. Words and phrases like “claim now,” “urgent,” “withdraw,” or unnecessary mention of monetary figures without any proper email construction might raise a red flag and put your email at risk of being marked as spam. So, it’s essential to choose your words wisely and properly construct your email to avoid triggering the attention of anti-spam filters.
- Sender Reputation: The digital world takes your reputation as seriously as everyone does in the real world. Spam filters check the IP address and domain sending the email have a history of spammy behavior. If you have a good reputation, your emails have a better chance of reaching the inbox. Also, if you intend to use a bulk email-sending service, it is important to choose ones with a high reputation, as your service provider they can make or mar your email marketing strategy.
- User Engagement: Spam filters also consider how recipients interact with your emails. If your subscribers consistently open and engage with your messages, it sends a signal that your content is wanted and valued. On the other hand, if your emails go unopened or get marked as spam, the filters take notice, and your future emails might face a tougher battle.
All of these are the most basic practices of spam bots. The technology is improving faster, and with additional AI tools, more advanced methods to detect spammy emails are coming up.
So, with all of this in mind, how can you ensure that your messages avoid the spam box?
Keep reading!
Best Practices to Avoid Spam Filters in Email Marketing
The most important part of avoiding spam filters in email marketing is to build an email list, as many of the problems faced with email marketing stem from a poor-quality email list.
With an email list filled with engaged subscribers who can’t wait to receive your emails, you won’t face problems of low engagement, and they definitely won’t mark your content as spam. In fact, reputable email service providers may refuse to provide services to you if you have a bad email open rate or if too many people mark your emails as spam.
Hence, the quality of your email list directly determines how well you can avoid the spam filter. So, what do you need to build a quality email list?
- Obtain Permission:
Always seek permission before adding someone to your email list. Ensure that you get email addresses legitimately, through a means where prospects willingly provide their email addresses.
In fact, try implementing a double opt-in process, where your prospective subscribers are required to confirm their subscription. This adds an extra layer of consent and helps you ensure that you are only onboarding interested people.
Have it at the back of your mind that a willing subscriber will likely open your emails and not mark them as spam.
- Regular List Maintenance:
Keeping your list fresh by regularly cleaning it up is important. Remove inactive subscribers who haven’t engaged with your emails after a specific period — this probably signifies a lack of interest, and staying on your list for too long will reduce your open rate for a while.
By regularly cleaning your list, you’ll have a list of recipients who genuinely want to hear from you, increasing your email deliverability.
- Crafting Effective Email Content:
It is important to write emails with quality content for two reasons. One, spam filters scan through the content and mark improperly constructed emails as spam; an email should communicate, but if it is devoid of any sensible communication, it could be sent to the spam box. Secondly, a well-constructed email with a clear CTA keeps the audience engaged and compels them to open the email and take the necessary actions. Below are elements of well-constructed email content:
Use a subject line that is captivating, personalized, creative, and intrigues them enough to open your emails.
Write the body with a touch of personalization so that the reader can see the email as personal and not just something sent to a thousand people. Addressing each subscriber with their first name is a good way to achieve this.
If you want your audience to do something, ensure that your Call-To-Action (CTA) is clear. As subscribers take action, your emails are deemed to have quality, and this improves your reputation.
Avoid the excessive use of spam-triggering words, as mentioned in the previous section. It’s okay to use them sparingly; however, if not necessary, consider using alternative words/phrases.
- Use Reputable Email Service Providers (ESPs):
Choose a reliable ESP with excellent email deliverability. Trusted providers have the necessary infrastructure and relationships with ISPs to help your emails unscathed through the filters. Also, ensure that you follow their regulations so they don’t discontinue their service to you.
- Compliance with Regulations:
Spamming is not only unethical, it is also illegal. You should familiarize yourself with the anti-spam laws in your region, such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union. These laws clearly outline guidelines for sending commercial emails, including obtaining consent, providing clear opt-out options, and including your business address in every email. By complying with these regulations, you not only maintain a good reputation but also avoid potential legal troubles.
Building an Email List of Actual Interested Participants With Giveaway.com
Remember, the key to getting a high-quality email list is by having subscribers who want to be there. One way to achieve this is by gifting out something valuable in exchange for their email address.
For example, if you own a gaming brand, you can endear gamers to yourself with something as little as a contest for a couple of PlayStation gift cards.
In addition to collecting email addresses, you can request them to complete a few promotional tasks, like sharing on Twitter or referring other people, in order to get a spot for the prize draw.
This way, you can ensure that you only entice people from the gaming community who are interested in your service.
This method can also be replicated across other industries, and you don’t have to monitor the process yourself. With giveaway.com, you can host fair contests and present a variety of prizes, including shopping vouchers, gift cards, crypto tokens, electronic devices, trips and vacations, and even Web3 prizes like NFTs and crypto assets.
So, if you are struggling with building a quality email list, try out Giveaway.com today, automate your email marketing strategy, and attract a crowd that can’t wait to hear from you!
