Among the gazillion reasons why email services are being increasingly loved across the globe, an important one is this- spam filters!
These filters are super-efficient in filtering out emails that aren’t going to be of any help to you, ever. Essentially, they keep most of the junk out and what you receive in your inbox are emails that are relevant to you and that truly make sense.
So, gone are the days when you had to put up a fight against purveyors of cosmetics and extraordinary pills promising faster weight loss, speedier acne scar removal and what not. Even phishing scams in subtly spurious forms are kept at bay. Thanks to the big leap technology has taken over time. Much of the junk intended to reach you over your email hits the rubbish bin even before you come to know of its existence.
That’s pure good news; isn’t it? Well, not so much for you, if you are an email marketer. Spam detection technologies like the one discussed above have made it a challenge for small and medium scale businesses to reach their target customers through the email service. No matter how amazing your offers are and how important you deem a promotion to be, they fail to reach the right people. If you are not aware of this, you are probably wasting a lot of time and effort writing emails that you think would strike the right chord with your to-be customers, which in reality don’t even get seen.
As if this was not enough, email holders can unsubscribe to your business without hassle, as and when they feel like. And this can impact your email reputation in a detrimental way. So, yes, email users have been provided with a lot of convenience and ease of use by ESPs, but it’s definitely at the cost of your business!
But don’t feel dejected as yet. You can still offer a fighting chance to your business. Wondering how? Read on-
First, we will see how you should strategize against being marked as spam
Mind the addresses you send your emails to
Running a business and then keeping track or being aware of this trivial looking thing is indeed challenging. But to make a difference, you must be extra cautious about the email addresses you choose. Don’t just prepare a fixed list of addresses and keep shooting incessant mails at them forever. Many of the addresses will become invalid over time and will not receive your messages. But how is that a problem? Well, when you send a considerable number of emails to a high volume of invalid addresses, your ESP starts believing that you are not a legitimate sender and dumps your mails into the spam folder of the recipients- a case of all pain no gain! Instead, review and renew your list from time to time to avoid wasting time and effort.
Avoid the temptation to look back at your old data
Probably you have a lot of email addresses saved and stored in your PC. And you are more than tempted to include them in your new or updated recipients list. But wait! This move could backfire. Right, if these addresses find place in your PC, then they must have been valuable to your business at some point. But many of the recipients have probably opted out of your emails by now. By choosing to mail them again, you are definitely increasing your chances of being marked as spam. Understand, making a spam complaint takes a mere second.
Have you noticed your audience’s engagement?
Not every one among your audience is going to engage fully. So, it’s highly advisable that you figure out those who never open your mails. Segment these recipients out. For that, fields linked to actions such as last click, last open etc. can be updated.
Never pretend
Honesty plays its noble part everywhere, and the field of email marketing is no exception. Tell your audience who you are. Don’t pretend to be someone else. This helps build credibility, trust us!
Now, let’s have a look at how unsubscribes can be avoided
Content is the king!
This can’t really be overemphasised. With good quality, relevant, to-the-point content which also promises to benefit the recipient in some way, you will definitely earn a good deal of business through email marketing.
Consistency is key here
Any erratic behaviour on your part will encourage your recipients to press the unsubscribe button as soon as is possible. So, avoid being irregular with your emails. You can’t be sending a hundred emails one particular week, and then none in the weeks that follow. Also, being too frequent with emails that say more or less the same thing over and gain will do more harm than good. So, act smart!
“WHEN?”- The most important question
Research studies have proved that your timing of sending emails can make a sea of difference in how you are taken by your recipients. Note that mail open rates are high during the middle of a week, and they are notoriously low on weekends. So, publish your mails accordingly.
Don’t be obsolete!
It’s the mobile age, and if your emails are not optimised for mobile devices, then they are useless- straight and simple!
Use the big hook
Offers and discounts- two words that make businesses much more meaningful to their target audience- use them!
Be wise – Resort to email scrubbing vendors
These vendors help you scrub your email list in the most efficient manner. So, what do they basically do? They remove those recipients from your list that never open your mails. Only the most relevant ones that matter to your business remain.
The final word
Spam complaints and unsubscribes are inevitable in a way. But with the right strategy, you will have them impact you in a milder way. But then remember, it’s a relationship that you build with your prospects through your emails. So, being patient yet steady would invariably help. It’s always advisable to look at the entire picture through your own eyes- what exactly will prevent you from unsubscribing a business’s emails. Try to incorporate it too in your plan apart from all that have been discussed above. And success will definitely come to you, even if not fast and easy!