6 techniques to mastering & improving email deliverability

Just before you get yourself worried about low conversions in your email marketing strategy, why not find out if they got to your recipients’ inboxes?

Email remains a critical form of communication for businesses in this digital age, however, ensuring that your emails reach the intended recipients can be a challenge. It is going to be a futile effort when you take time to craft an engaging newsletter and it ends up in the spam folder. In 2022, the average inbox placement rate (IPR) globally was just below 85%, meaning that roughly 1 in 6 messages did not make it to the inbox.

Poor email deliverability can lead to lost sales opportunities, damaged brand reputation, diminished customer trust, and wasted marketing efforts. The success of your email marketing strategy is dependent on a lot of factors of which deliverability is the most important because only then will other metrics count (open rate, clicks and conversion). It is not enough for your email to be delivered, the true goal of email deliverability is to get it directly into your recipient inbox.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential steps to achieve optimal email deliverability and of course, make more sales.

Factors that influence email deliverability

• Sender’s reputation
• Email content
• IP address
• Spam complaints from recipients
• Quality of your email list
• Email volume
• Sending frequency

Now that you are aware of the factors that can affect email deliverability, let us go deeper into the six major strategies that will make your email go directly into your recipient’s inbox.

• Building and Maintaining a Quality Email List

The foundation of good email deliverability is a high-quality email list. Here’s how to build and maintain one:

• Use Double Opt-In

Double opt-in requires users to confirm their subscription by clicking a link in a confirmation email. This method ensures that the email addresses on your list are valid and that subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails.

• Regularly Clean Your List

Remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses from your list periodically. This helps maintain high engagement rates and reduces the chances of being flagged as spam.

• Avoid buying ready-made lists

Purchased lists often contain outdated or invalid email addresses, leading to high bounce rates and spam complaints. It is ineffective and ineffective. Build your list organically through legitimate means e.g lead magnets, social media etc.

2. Authenticating Your Emails

Email authentication helps to verify the authenticity of the sender and a proof that the email is coming from a legitimate source. It is crucial for establishing trust with email service providers and improving deliverability.

• Implement Sender Policy Framework (SPF)

SPF is an email validation system designed to prevent spammers from sending messages on behalf of your domain. It specifies which mail servers are permitted to send emails on behalf of your domain

• Use DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)

DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, allowing the recipient’s server to verify that the email was not altered during transit and that it genuinely comes from your domain.

• Enable Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC)

DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM, adding an extra layer of security by allowing domain owners to specify how unauthenticated emails should be handled. It also provides reports on email authentication performance.

3. Monitoring Your Sender Reputation

One important factor that impacts your email deliverability is about “who” is sending it. ISPs use sender reputation to determine whether your emails should be delivered to the inbox or the spam folder, they also block emails from suspicious sources.

• Maintain Low Bounce Rates

Monitor your bounce rates. High bounce rates can damage your sender reputation. Ensure your email list is clean and up-to-date to avoid sending emails to invalid addresses.

• Reduce Spam Complaints

Encourage subscribers not to mark your emails as spam else ISPs will suspect your emails as spam and prevent them from going through to your recipients. It is advisable to provide clear unsubscribe options and send relevant contents always.

• Use a Consistent Sending Schedule

There is a need to manage your sending frequency to keep readers engaged and not overwhelm them. Sending emails at irregular intervals can trigger spam filters. Gradually increase your sending schedule and be consistent to maintain a positive sender reputation.

4. Crafting Engaging and Relevant Content

Content quality plays a pivotal role in email deliverability. An engaging and relevant content encourages recipient interaction and signals to ESPs that your emails are valuable.

• Personalize Your Emails

Personalization can significantly boost engagement rates. Use subscriber data to tailor your emails to the individual recipient’s demography, preferences/interests and behavior.

• Avoid misleading subject lines

Create subject lines that are not only catchy but also relevant to the content of your email. Ensure to keep it concise, about 30–40 characters, personalize with the recipient’s name if possible. Spark curiosity.

• Avoid Spam Triggers

Certain words and phrases can trigger spam filters. Avoid using all caps, excessive punctuation, embedding an image beyond the required size and words like “free” or “urgent” in your subject lines and email body. Focus on real value and not excessive sales gimmick.

• Include a Clear Call-to-Action

A clear call-to-action (CTA) encourages recipients to interact with your email. Don’t assume your recipients know the next line of action, tell them. Whether it’s to visit your website, watch a video or make a purchase. Increased interaction signals to ESPs that your emails are valuable and legitimate.

5. Optimizing for Mobile Devices

A significant portion of emails are opened on mobile devices. Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly to avoid high bounce rates and low engagement.

• Use Responsive Design

Responsive design ensures your emails look good on any device, be it a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.

• Keep Subject Lines Short

Mobile devices display fewer characters in the subject line. Keep your subject lines concise and compelling to capture the recipient’s attention.

• Optimize Images

Large images can slow down load times on mobile devices. Use compressed images for faster loading and a better user experience.

6. Testing and Analyzing Your Emails

Cracking the code may not be immediately so continuous testing and analysis are crucial for improving email deliverability.

• A/B Testing

A/B testing involves sending two versions of an email to a small segment of your list to see which performs better. Test different subject lines, content, and CTAs to optimize your emails.

• Monitor Key Metrics

Track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints. Use these insights to refine your email strategy.

• Adjust Based on Feedback

Feedback from subscribers can provide valuable insights into what is working and what is not. Use this feedback to make necessary adjustments to your email campaigns.

Email marketing tools and software

Email marketing tools and software can also help to improve the rates of your deliverability. A platform like circle can help to increase your email deliverability through the personalized email campaign feature. This software helps you to schedule campaigns at optimal time , you can track and analyze the performance of your emails to gain insights into what you can improve.

Conclusion

Mastering email deliverability is an ongoing journey that requires dedication to best practices and continuous improvement. By building a quality email list, authenticating your emails, maintaining a positive sender reputation, crafting engaging content, optimizing for mobile devices, and continuously testing and analyzing your emails, you can significantly improve your email deliverability.