Something I hear a lot from marketers these days is, “the spam filters are getting so good! How can I avoid getting caught?” I usually follow up with, “Well, are you spamming?”
This question is sometimes followed by vehement denial, but it usually gives marketers pause to think that, hey, maybe they’re sending spam after all.
We’ve grown accustomed these days to thinking that “spam” is reserved for banking scams and Viagra pills, and any email that a reputable company sends from a bulk email application is legitimate. Let me tell you right now – that ain’t the case.
Picture all the reasons why you, as a consumer, might choose to mark an email as spam. Do you get too many of their emails? Are the emails not relevant to you? Is it difficult to unsubscribe? Do the emails include “extras” that make you doubt their legitimacy? These are all common stumbling blocks that marketers face when sending mass emails. You may be selling a great product or offering excellent services, but your tactics may signal to consumers and email clients that you are a spammer.
Build trust
It sounds cliché, but trust is what you’re dealing with in trying to avoid spam filters. After all, why do emails from executiveXYZ@cnn.com not get picked up by spam filters? It’s because, despite how you feel about CNN, everyone knows that CNN executives are not sending spam emails. So how do you build that trust?
First, don’t scrape for emails or use purchased lists. This is perhaps unethical and sometimes illegal, and it’s an easy way for spam filters to associate you with spammers who often use similar or identical lists. Just say no to “easy way out” schemes like this.
Second, don’t include a bunch of extra stuff in your emails. Are you adding in videos, crazy fonts, way too many pictures, attached files, or fillable forms? None of these are necessary. After all, wouldn’t you prefer that your users go to your website to browse through items and fill out forms?
Third, keep a close eye on whether you’re receiving a lot of bounce notifications when sending emails. This is often a sign that you’re sending to inactive email accounts, and this is something that spam filters associate with spammer behavior. Auto responders will continue to send emails to these accounts, so many sure you remove them regularly to avoid getting a reputation as a spammer.
The takeaway
If you’d rather not get caught in spam filters, make sure you aren’t spamming. Just because you can send unlimited emails doesn’t mean you have the power to send whatever you’d like with no consequences. Keep a close eye on what you’re sending and how you’re sending it. You’ll see results in no time.