Digital communication is integral in both personal and business interactions. In such a scenario, email remains a cornerstone of marketing strategies. However, with email marketing comes email deliverability, ensuring that the email is actually reaching the intended audience. As email marketing continues to grow, understanding and overcoming the barriers to effective delivery is crucial for businesses aiming to optimise their outreach efforts. While email delivery focuses on the technical success of transmitting an email from the sender to the recipient’s email server, email deliverability focuses on the success of an email being delivered into the recipient’s inbox, avoiding spam or junk folders. It involves factors like sender reputation, email content, and spam filters.
Over 4.48 billion email users from across the globe and email marketing revenue is projected to surpass $ 9.5 billion dollars in 2024, according to market research firm Statista. However, the average email open rate was 21.5% across all industries, according to a report by Campaign Monitor. “Implement robust authentication protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) to verify email legitimacy,” Samarth Saxena, chief business officer, Sinch India, told BrandWagon Online. Focusing on several critical aspects like prioritising content quality by keeping emails relevant, avoiding spam triggers, and balancing HTML with text is essential too, he added. Monitoring engagement metrics, including open, click-through, bounce, and complaint rates, and enhancing engagement by delivering contextual content. Additionally, maintain a high-quality email list by ensuring it consists of opt-in subscribers and performing regular cleanups to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
“The email and its subject line also affect conveyance in that a lot of promotional/spammy words in subject lines attract automatic filtering. A reliable email service provider (ESP) with adequate authentication mechanisms and structural strength can also enhance deliverability,” Ridhima Kansal, director, Rosemoore, said.
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Sender reputation and authentication
Sender reputation and authentication are the main components of the deliverability model. A positive sender reputation based on steady sending, low rates of bounce, and high levels of engagement (opens, clicks) helps the ISPs to understand that you are sending genuine and not spam emails. It is crucial for email deliverability and is influenced by both IP address and domain reputation. “If an IP address is linked to sending spam or unsolicited emails, it can develop a negative reputation, leading to emails from that IP address being blocked or marked as spam,” Saxena added. Similarly, the reputation of the domain from which emails are sent plays a significant role. A domain with a history of spam or abuse may have a negative reputation, which can adversely affect the deliverability of emails sent from that domain. However, the sender’s reputation is shaped by spam complaints, bounce rates, recipient engagement levels and many others.
Furthermore, when it comes to authentication, it plays a crucial role in ensuring email deliverability and preventing fraud. SPF (Sender Policy Framework) helps verify that an email was sent from an authorised server, which reduces the risk of spoofing where someone impersonates a different sender. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to the email, verifying the sender’s identity and thus further mitigating spoofing risks while enhancing deliverability. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) builds on SPF and DKIM by providing explicit instructions for handling emails that fail authentication and offering reports on the sender’s email practices.
Technical challenges
Technical issues can significantly impact email deliverability. “One common problem is IP blacklisting, where if your sending IP is blacklisted by major blacklists (e.g., Spamhaus, Spamcop), your emails are likely to be blocked or filtered as spam,” Saxena said. Spam traps, which are email addresses used to catch spammers, can also damage your sender’s reputation and negatively affect deliverability if hit. Additionally, DNS issues such as misconfigured DNS records, including incorrect SPF or DKIM settings, can lead to authentication failures and impact deliverability. Poorly configured email servers, including incorrect reverse DNS settings or high server latency, can further influence how emails are handled by receiving servers. “Moreover, there is a high probability of decreasing deliverability rates for cold emailing practices, in which sending begins from new IP addresses without a warming-up period, since the servers may regard these emails to be subordinate,” Kansal said.
Ensuring effective email deliverability is vital for successful marketing. By addressing sender reputation, implementing strong authentication protocols, and overcoming technical issues, businesses can enhance their email reach and engagement. Prioritising these aspects helps in improving email performance and achieving better results in marketing campaigns.
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