According to the expert you consult, there are as many as 180 billion spam email messages sent each and every day. This is why Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook and other email service providers use software called “spam filters” to try to improve the relativity and quality of emails their customers receive.
It can be tough to build your list if your emails keep getting flagged as spam. When your email does get through to the intended recipient on your list, you want to make sure it is highly related to the topic which got that person to sign up on your list in the first place.
One way to ensure that your list members don’t feel like you are spamming them is to let them know what to expect. Your very first “Thank You” email should deliver whatever opt-in freebie you promised. You should also let your new subscriber know how often you will be sending emails, what those emails will be discussing, and any other information you will be sharing.
This guarantees your subscribers understand exactly when and how you will be contacting them.
Spam-Free Best Practices from Email Autoresponder Services
AWeber, GetResponse, MailChimp and the other most popular autoresponder services agree that the following practices will consistently land your emails in your subscribers’ inbox, instead of getting swallowed up by a spam filter.
1 – Get permission first. On your opt-in form, squeeze page or landing page, be very clear that someone will be signing up to your email newsletter in return for your opt-in bribe.
2 – Use a “From” name your subscribers will recognize. If someone signs up to your “Marketing Tactics 101” newsletter, make sure Marketing Tactics 101 is in the “From” email field. Research reported by campaign Monitor.com shows that “68% of Americans base their decision to open an email campaign on the “From” line.” Make sure they recognize who you are and what is being sent.
3 – Segment your list. Buyers and non-buyers need to be receiving different emails from you. You can do this simply with list segmentation, a part of all major autoresponder services.
4 – Don’t sell too much. Only 1 out of every 3 or 4 emails should be sales oriented.
5 – You should also make it very easy for someone to opt out. Believe it or not, being very open and upfront about how to opt-out of your list actually leads to higher loyalty rates.
