11 Tips to Avoid Email Spam Filters in 2021
Email marketing is undoubtedly beneficial, but it is necessary to evade email spam filters in order to be successful. However, marketers’ understanding of this issue has resulted in users’ inboxes being overwhelmed with emails, resulting in spam. To combat this, spam filtering systems have become extremely powerful, not just in terms of insulating users from spam but also in terms of identifying and blacklisting repeat offenders.
Marketers must now re-evaluate their entire email marketing approach, or risk losing touch with their most valued consumers. Here are some strategies and best practices for avoiding spam filters in your email campaigns. But before that, let’s look at the basics of email spam filters.
What is a spam filter?
It is a program that detects unwanted, virus-infected, malicious, and unsolicited emails — spam emails — and prevents them from hitting the recipient’s inbox. Spam filtering can take place at two levels: at the email client (application) or at the email server.
Spam filters act as the internet service providers’ (ISP) first line of defence. While it impacts where the email finally goes within the recipient’s mailbox, it has no influence on the email delivery rate. Although the spam-identified emails are delivered, the reduced visibility and accessibility to them usually have an impact on your total open rate.
Tips to dodge email spam filters
1. Safeguard your domain reputation
Maintaining a good domain reputation is essential for avoiding spam filters in email. A strong domain reputation ensures that the email is coming from a trustworthy sender. If you’re using ISPs and their spam filters, why not follow their guidelines? Nonetheless, following basic rules/cleanliness checks while focusing on making your emails unique and relevant is the key to getting your emails into your customers’ inboxes. Mailercloud’s custom domain solutions help in promoting the brand’s trustworthiness and consistency.
2. Use a static IP address
Avoid using a dynamic IP. These kinds of fluctuating IP addresses change over time, so spam filters will ban emails from the same sender but originating from different IP addresses. Whereas, a dedicated and static IP is unique to you with a specific hosting account to which you have exclusive access. Mailercloud equips you with a private or dedicated IP address, allowing you to take complete control over your sender's reputation and create a positive and strong one.
3. Keep abreast on spam filtering technologies and anti-spam rules
The spam regulations are always evolving and expanding. Furthermore, marketers must follow the norms of the regions in which they wish to run the email campaigns. This can assist to reduce the number of complaints filed against your domain and guarantee that the emails get in the inboxes of the recipients. There are some universal criteria that will help you avoid being added to the spam email list.
- Mention a physical mailing address.
- Avoid using straightforward promotional or false subject lines.
- Include an opt-out or unsubscribe option.
- Know and understand the recipients.
- Never, ever, ever buy an email list.
4. Wisely choose the opt-in method
Choose the double opt-in method since you’ll know and have evidence that each person on your email list has agreed to receive emails from you. People are also less likely to flag your emails as spam when they go out of their way to validate their subscription.
Other prominent signup methods that allow for single opt-in are likewise suitable. The most crucial thing is that the recipients agree to receive emails from you. As a reward, you’ll acquire more valid and solicited email addresses, which will improve the quality of your list.
5. Work to create a “Value-Packed” email content
Content is definitely the king, no matter whether it is website content or the content in your emails. Give your content the attention it deserves. This will get you through the content analysis technology’s stringent examination. These programs thoroughly scan every element of the emails — content, language, images, CTAs, attachments, graphics, HTML markup, and more.
Keep your email body content crisp, engaging, and to the point. This will also improve the readability. Spam filters identify phishing and malicious phrases easily. Ensure to not use spam trigger words anywhere in the email. Keep a reasonable text-to-image ratio in the email body as well.
Email personalization is a powerful weapon to tackle spam filters. Sending personalized emails to contacts based on their online behaviour within a reasonable time frame might help to create a fantastic experience. Mailercloud’s list segmentation and personalization options ensure to make your emails less robotic and more humane.
6. Define clear expectations when people subscribe
Inform your subscribers what you are going to send and how frequently you are going to send. If you want to send out different types of emails, consider creating categories in your mailing list so that subscribers may choose what they want to receive from you. This is a great way to target the right audience with the right message.
7. Avoid prolonged gaps between the communications with your subscribers
Think about setting a workflow where new subscribers receive an email right away. This can be done via a welcome email sent through Mailercloud’s email automation features. Additionally, you can also have an up-to-date permission reminder in each email campaign. Maintaining a consistent flow of emails will help in creating a legitimate brand image and subsequently, lower the chances of marking your emails as spam.
8. Do not treat unsubscribers with disrespect
What is the best strategy to circumvent spam filters while executing email campaigns? Provide an unsubscribe link in your emails. Most countries have enacted rules to curb spam emails. Making the procedure easier for the contacts who want to opt-out will help them have an improved experience.
It’s crucial to understand that having people unsubscribe has no negative impact on your sender's reputation. Having them mark your emails as spam, on the other hand, does a lot more harm. Make unsubscribing simple for them so they don’t have to choose the other choice. Every email you send using Mailercloud’s email marketing services includes a single-click unsubscribe link that eliminates the subscriber from your list immediately.
9. Stimulate the contacts & limit your email list length to a minimum
It’s vital to avoid including too many contacts in an email list at once. There are two primary causes for this. First, a list containing thousands of unsolicited email addresses is dubious, and it may reflect that it was obtained unlawfully. Second, huge email batches draw attention to themselves. If you combine a large number of emails and send them all together, it will catch the attention of your prospective email service providers (ESP).
Begin by sending a small batch of emails and then monitor the results. Examine your database if you see a large number of undelivered mails. It’s possible that your list is outdated.
Spam complaints, unsubscribes, and bounces can be a result of an email list containing a lot of obsolete email addresses. Regularly clean the email lists to get rid of inactive and stale email addresses.
10. Keep a check on your email list
Sending out emails to contacts or subscribers who haven’t heard from you in the last two years devalues your brand image and reduces email open rates. Permission does not keep well, as these individuals have either changed their email address or are unable to recall providing their permission or subscription in the first place. Hence, you should avoid sending emails to such people because your emails are more likely to land up in their spam folders.
Never trust an email list purchased, borrowed, rented, or otherwise obtained from a third party, regardless of their claims about authenticity or permission. To send emails to someone, you must first gain permission yourself. Also, do not utilize email addresses that you have collected or copied off the internet. People don’t want to receive emails just because they post their email addresses on the web.
11. Select a competent & trustworthy ESP
To ensure a positive sender reputation, conduct thorough research and select a reputable Email Service Provider (ESP). If an ESP permits randomly anyone to upload contact lists without security checks and quality controls, it is likely that spammers will flock to it. Choose an ESP that has solid credibility based on the profile of its clients.
The Bottomline
The task of avoiding spam filters should not cause marketers to stress in the same way that spam elements do to the spam filters. ISPs, ESPs, and anti-spam standards are quite strict, thus email spam filtering engines can’t be completely bypassed or readily deceived.
Email spam technology is continually evolving and is far from stable. Therefore, coming up with a miracle solution is tricky. However, there are a few things you can do to improve the chances of your emails making it to their intended recipient. Use the tips outlined above to demonstrate to your prospects that you are a legitimate sender with genuine intentions & defined goals.
