How to Avoid the Spam Filter with an Email Marketing Campaign
MailCleaner specialises in filtering out unwanted and malicious emails from our clients’ inboxes, so that they can use their email accounts without fear of falling victim to phishing scams, malware and other common problems associated with spam. In order to accomplish this, we’re constantly updating our spam filter to detect the latest types and varieties of spam messages that are making the rounds online. It’s a 24-hour-a-day job that requires vigilance and innovation.
As we refine our filters, we are aware of the need to balance two very important considerations. The first is that our clients rely on us to keep their email accounts clean and safe. That has to be our number-one priority.
But at the same time, we are also aware that we must be careful to avoid flagging legitimate emails as spam. When an email that was written in good faith is relegated to the spam folder, it’s unlikely to see the light of day. The information that was contained in it is almost certainly not going to be read.
With that in mind, the best spam email filters are those that are able to separate truly malicious emails from those that are sent on a promotional basis. In some cases, we understand that our clients want to receive promotional materials – and this means our spam filters must be able to make this distinction.
Creating a Promotional Email Campaign that Can Pass Spam Filters
The fact that we invest so much time and energy in refining these filters means that we are in an excellent position to tell you what it takes to pass muster. The first and most important thing you can keep in mind is that promotional emails should only be sent to an address when permission has been given. Permission could occur in the form of an opt-in, a sign-up or a subscription to a newsletter.
The email marketing campaign builder, MailChimp, points out that nearly 80 per cent of permission-based promotional emails make it to the inbox. From a direct email marketing perspective, that’s not bad.
Emails of this nature should always have an easy-to-initiate ‘unsubscribe’ feature. When a recipient says they don’t want to receive any more emails from you, it’s important to respect this. But when companies continue to send emails after the fact, this crosses the line into spam. When operators start doing this, we adjust our filters accordingly.
Here are some other ways you can avoid triggering the spam filters:
- Ask recipients to add your email address to their address books.
- Don’t paste in content from word processors, as this often introduces sloppy code that filters don’t like.
- Make sure your IP address is clean; if other spammers are operating through the same IP address, this could affect your campaign.
- Don’t work with bulk leads or purchased leads lists, since there’s no way that you could have permission from all those recipients.
At the end of the day, it’s really just a matter of ethics. If you’re operating in an above-board manner and genuinely trying to reach potential customers who would really like to hear from you, then you should have no major problems with triggering spam filters.