As a business owner, it is crucial to have an email list. An email list will allow you to communicate with your customers and keep them up-to-date about new products, special offers, and more.
However, if the emails are going to spam folders instead of inboxes, then there is a problem! In this blog post, we will discuss six reasons why an email can go to spam instead of the inbox so that you can avoid these mistakes in the future. Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to building trust and rapport with your customer base through effective communication via email.
A Sudden Increase In The Number Of Email Messages Sent
If a brand unexpectedly increases the number of emails they are sending, the spike in email frequency can get mistaken for spam by an email client, pushing it to the spam folder.
To avoid triggering your recipients’ spam folder or inbox filters for mass emails: do not send more than 100-150% of the average number you have been sending each day. Also, note that if one person reports receiving too many messages from your organization’s domain, it could cause all future emails sent to be filtered into their junk mail/spam box automatically.
No Permission To Contact Recipients
Spam emails are very common, but sending them to people who haven’t signed up for your newsletter is a major red flag. You could even be held responsible for $40,000+ in penalties if you email without permission!
An excellent alternative to this would be using your website and gathering subscribers there instead of buying ready-made lists that may include spam traps. Acquiring such lists can lead to significant consequences, which need not happen with proper measures taken by the company.
Bounce and Complaint Rates in Email Marketing
High bounce rates are bad for email senders. According to email marketing platforms, high bounce rates of more than 4% mean that the email list is low quality or outdated. Email clients give their users the ability to report emails as spam. If enough reports come in from one sender’s domain, it will make content to be filtered out and affect that sender’s reputation negatively.
The ideal complaint rate should be no more than 0.1%, or 1/1000 recipients reported your email newsletter to be spam.
You Didn’t Include Your Physical Location Address
You don’t need to include your physical location address, but you should provide a valid street address if you have one. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants marketers and companies to be transparent and traceable. You need to add it right above the unsubscribe button at the bottom of each campaign email.
You can use these examples of postal mailboxes recognized by Postal Service regulations:
- Residential mailbox rental services like General Delivery at the post office.
- A private mailbox service operated under USPS rules such as Address Management Services Corporation (AMS).
- UPS Mail Boxes which is available for individuals’ personal use up to 12 months per year only.
You’ve Included Attachments
While you may want to include attachments in your email, they can be potentially dangerous.
First, they lead to a higher chance of your email being filtered into the spam folder because it is associated with an advertisement containing harmful content.
Second, large and bulky files can slow download times which may cause some recipients not to read through or click on them.
In general, you shouldn’t need to send commercial communications via email with any type of attached file since most information about the offer and CTA are available in the body itself.
Your Subject Line Is Weak
Making a good email headline is crucial because it’s the main thing people see and because many recipients report emails as spam based on their subject line alone.
According to Convince and Convert, 69 percent of email recipients say they would mark an email as spam solely by looking at its subject line.
Some best practices can help keep things out of the junk folder; check out our 7 tips article to help improve your subject lines.
Improving Your Email Deliverability
You may be wondering why your email doesn’t always make it to the inbox. There are a number of reasons that can cause this, but we wanted to share with you some common ones, so you know what to look out for in the future. Even if one thing on our list applies to you, it might not seem like much–but when all six do? That’s where things get tricky.
If any of these sound familiar and you need help figuring out how best to address them or want someone who has seen everything before, don’t hesitate! We’re here for anything related to marketing automation and would love an opportunity to chat about all things email. Let us know more about your situation.