Ways to Improve Email Deliverability Rates
Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective ways to attract new customers and generate sales. However, conventional wisdom should lead you to believe that it’s only beneficial if your messages end up in the recipient’s inbox. If your emails are being returned or rejected, this tactic isn’t going to yield any tangible results.
So, what steps can you take to improve the deliverability rates of your emails?
Use Double-Opt In Lists
While technically optional, it’s recommended that you use a double-opt in list when sending marketing emails. A double-opt is when the user signs up for your newsletter and then confirms his or her email address in the initial email. This two-step process ensures the user is interested in your newsletter; thus, increasing deliverability rates. Furthermore, Infusionsoft uses a different pool of IP addresses for double-opt in lists, reducing rates of rejection.
“Infusionsoft sends to confirmed email addresses from a different pool of registered IPs. These IPs are registered double opt-in IPs that offer better deliverability than our standard pool of email servers,” wrote Infusionsoft on its website.
Deliver What Your Promise
If you promise your subscribers a list of the “Top 10 strategies for running a small business,” you should live up to that promise by sending them this list; otherwise, they may choose to opt out of your newsletter, or worse, mark your email as spam. Both of these things can have a negative impact on the deliverability rates of future emails, so make sure you deliver what you promise.
Don’t Buy Email Lists
The allure of acquiring a list of 10,000 or even 100,000 so-called “targeted” email addresses for just $100 bucks may sound enticing, but this is one case in which you get what you pay for. Many of these lists have been sold to multiple clients, meaning the email addresses have probably already been spammed. Therefore, using them in your email marketing campaigns will offer little-to-no value. Instead of buying your lists, create them from scratch. It will take a bit more work, but the end result will prove to be well worth the investment of your time and energy.
Segment Email Subscribers
Blasting the same generic email to all of your subscribers doesn’t make sense given all of the helpful tools out there. Using Infusionsoft, for instance, you can segment your subscribers into different categories based on virtually any criteria of your choosing.
Why is this important? Well, if you have a list of email addresses from past customers, you may want to send them a follow-up message to see if they are interested in making a second order. You can even include a special promotional code or coupon to encourage the recipients to make another purchase.
Have any other email deliverability tips that you would like to share with our readers? Let us know in the comments section below!
My favorite – “deliver what you promise.” I couldn’t agree with this sentiment more. Too often, I open an email I think will be useful, only to find it’s junk.
Starting out, I learned the hard way about buying email lists. Definitely not worth it!
Double opt-in is a great tip. I always say that quality is way better than quantity. It’s useless to have email addresses that aren’t strategically targeted.