their inbox, your responsibility
TRANSCRIPT
Their Inbox, Your Responsibility
Ensuring Optimal Email Deliverability
Wes Owen, VP of Technology Operations
Agenda & Goals
Agenda & Goals for this Presentation
1. Define responsibilities for your Email Service Provider
(ESP) and you (the sender)
2. Discuss current challenges of reaching the inbox and
how to overcome them
3. Provide key takeaways to improve your
long term strategy
2
Responsibilities
You, the Sender Data collection List hygiene Recipient engagement Subject line Content Call to action (CTA) Design
Successful Email Delivery is a Team Effort
Email Service Provider (ESP) Infrastructure Bounce handling Message throttling Authentication Troubleshooting delivery issues Proactive blacklist checking Reputation monitoring Complaint handling
Both parties play a vital role in reputation and delivery. Understanding each party’s responsibilities will greatly improve your opportunity for success.
Overcoming Challenges
Landing in the Inbox, not the Spam/Junk FolderDelivery does not equal inboxing
It is possible to have very good delivery, but poor inbox placement. It is easier to get good delivery than it is to get good inboxing. Inboxing is the goal.
Make sure your email communications are relevant to your recipients Create concise and compelling subject lines Structure your content for maximum
readability across all platforms Keep recipients engaged – from an
ISP perspective
Overcoming Challenges
5
Improving Data CollectionThe quality of your recipients matters more than the quantity
“Opt-in email addresses are the result of earning the interest and trust of your contacts, because they think you have something valuable and helpful to say.”
- Corey Eridon, HubSpot
Implement a double opt-in sign-up process
Make it a policy never to buy shared or third-party lists
Overcoming Challenges
6
Maintaining a Clean ListProactively steering clear of spam traps
Always honor unsubscribe requests Maintain hard bounces and opt-outs across
all mailing lists Remove duplicate addresses Periodic list review Keep recipients engaged – from an
ISP’s perspective
Removing unsubscribed addresses is not only a best practice,it’s also a legal requirement of CAN-SPAM.
Overcoming Challenges
7
Minimizing ComplaintsSpam complaints affect your sending reputation
Define what a Spam complaint really is Establish a sending frequency that works for the recipient Implement an easy-to-recognize “From” address Make your unsubscribe link clearly visible Send relevant content Manage your unsubscribes in
a timely fashion
Overcoming Challenges
8
Keeping Constituents EngagedGive them the info they want, when they want it
Set up a welcome email series for new subscribers Send smaller, more targeted messages to specific
segments of your list Analyze your campaign data to assess engagement;
adjust content accordingly Develop a re-engagement strategy for
inactive subscribers Entice your constituents to take action
– from an ISP’s perspective
Key Takeaways
9
Key Takeaways
Use good deliverability practices, including relevant content, proper structure, and
compelling subject lines Collect and use high quality data through double opt-in sign up and not buying
third-party lists Maintain a healthy list by honoring all unsubscribes and by removing duplicates,
hard bounces, and opt-outs Lower your complaint rates with appropriate sending frequency and a clear
“From” address and unsubscribe link Engage all your constituents by implementing
welcome series, targeted mailings, re-engagement strategies and
regular campaign analysis
