Email Marketing In The Age of Spam Filters

Gone are the days when most people look to their mailbox for special offers and coupons. 

Email marketing has become a popular way to reach consumers, especially if they’ve opted to receive information from the company.

While emails are common, there are certain guidelines and strategies marketers should note so they don’t hit any roadblocks such as spam filters.

Spam filters, or as I’d like to call them the “police” of emails, are automated software programs designed to identify and filter out unsolicited email messages, commonly known as spam.

The filters analyze incoming messages to determine whether they are legitimate or unwanted. Long story short, spam filters protect users from unwanted or potentially harmful email content.

While this may seem like a roadblock for marketing, spam filters do also protect senders, ensuring their message reaches the correct recipients’ inboxes.

Here are some key strategies you should be aware of to make sure your email lands in the consumer’s inbox:

1.      Permission-Based Lists: Ensure to send emails only to those who have opted in to receive information from your company. Building an “opt-in” list from your website or other platforms helps maintain a high deliverability rate.

2.      Double Opt-In Option: Implement a double opt-in process where the consumer verifies their email after signing up. This leads to an email list full of engaged users.

3.      Create Valuable Content: Be sure to include information that relates to the consumer, so they find your content useful.

4.      Avoid Overly Promotional Language: Be cautious with words and phrases that are picked up from spam filters such as “free”, “buy now”, etc.

5.      Avoid Excessive Exclamation Marks: Just like overly used phrases, exclamation marks can trigger spam filters.

6.      Optimize HTML & Plain Text Versions: Emails should have both HTML and plain text versions. Some email clients may not render HTML properly, so having a plain text option can improve deliverability.

7.      Monitor Send Frequency: Too many emails can irritate subscribers, leading to a higher unsubscribe rate that may trigger spam filters.

Complying with these spam filter guidelines will benefit you and your company in many ways. It’s not only a matter of best practice, but it also helps maintain a positive sender reputation, in return, building trust with your audience and growing your email list.