Stay Out Of Spam For Good: High Level Email Marketing Strategy for 2024

As we kick off 2024, the email marketing landscape is evolving, especially when it comes to deliverability. Major email providers like Gmail and Yahoo Mail are tightening their spam filter policies to ensure that users receive only the content they want in their inboxes. If you’re sending thousands of emails daily or even weekly, it’s crucial that you keep up with these changes and adapt your email marketing practices accordingly.

To maintain a high deliverability rate, it’s important to focus on best practices for your subscribers, avoiding spammy or scammy emails and ensuring that the unsubscribe option is visible and accessible. Regularly pruning your email list and re-engaging inactive subscribers can also contribute to improved deliverability. Additionally, you should consider implementing technical authentication methods like SPF records and DKIM to prove the legitimacy of your emails.

Key Takeaways

• Focus on email deliverability in 2024 with updated spam filter policies from Gmail and Yahoo Mail
• Cleanse and re-engage your email list to reach a more engaged audience
• Utilize technical authentication methods like SPF records and DKIM to improve deliverability and prove the legitimacy of your emails.

Email Deliverability Challenges

Gmail and Yahoo Mail Changes

In 2024, Gmail and Yahoo Mail have implemented significant updates in their spam filters, focusing on deliverability. These changes affect those sending a large number of emails, so it’s essential to prioritize deliverability and avoid spamming your subscribers.

Why Deliverability Matters

Deliverability is crucial to ensure that your emails reach the right recipients. It’s better to engage with a smaller, interested audience than to be marked as spam by thousands of uninterested recipients. You want to focus on subscribers who are truly interested in your content to maximize the success of your email campaigns.

The Impact of Spam Filters

Here are some steps to minimize the consequences of spam filters on your emails:

1. Make the unsubscribe link visible: Since marking an email as spam is easier than unsubscribing, ensure that your unsubscribe link is easy to find, reducing the chances of being marked as spam.
2. Regularly review your subscriber list: Check-in with your subscribers to ensure they’re still interested in receiving your emails. Those who cannot leave the list when they want to may mark your emails as spam, leading to negative impacts on your entire list.
3. Clean up your email list: Implement re-engagement campaigns for inactive subscribers. If they don’t show any engagement after the campaign, suppress their emails and focus on engaged individuals.

Aside from these steps, consider using SPF records (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) to authenticate your emails and ensure they’re not marked as spam. Remember to monitor your email campaign metrics like open rate, click-through rate, and unsubscribe rate to identify any issues and optimize your emails for better deliverability.

By addressing these email deliverability challenges, you’ll be able to reach a more engaged audience and avoid potential issues with spam filters.

Improving Email Marketing Practices

Complying with Subscription Rules

To ensure that your email marketing campaign abides by the necessary rules and regulations, it’s crucial to:

1. Make the unsubscribe button visible and accessible.
2. Regularly update your email list and ensure subscribers still want to receive your emails.
3. Comply with Gmail and Yahoo Mail’s updates on spam filters and deliverability guidelines.

Keeping Subscribers Engaged

To maintain engagement with your subscribers, focus on:

• Sending valuable, relevant, and high-quality content.
• Segmenting your email list based on user behavior and interests.
• Creating personalized email campaigns that resonate with subscribers.

List Cleaning and Re-engagement

Regularly cleaning your email list and re-engaging with subscribers can improve deliverability. Follow these steps:

1. Create a re-engagement sequence for subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked on an email in the past six months.
2. Suppress emails of subscribers who show no interest in your brand even after the re-engagement sequence.
3. Focus on building a fully engaged email list to improve deliverability.

Technical Email Authentications

There are technical methods to improve email deliverability and ensure your emails are authentic, such as:

• Setting up a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record, which prevents spam emails and verifies the mail servers authorized to send emails on your behalf.
• Utilizing DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), which prevents spammers from spoofing your email address and confirms the legitimacy of your emails.

Authenticity Proofs: SPF and DKIM

Incorporating SPF and DKIM in your email campaigns will authenticate your emails, resulting in:

• Protection from spammers and email spoofing.
• Improved deliverability by verifying that your emails come from authorized servers.
• Building trust with email service providers like Gmail and Yahoo Mail by showcasing sender legitimacy.

Tracking and Analytics

Keeping an Eye on Email Metrics

To ensure the success of your email campaigns, it’s important to monitor the following metrics:

1. Open Rate: The percentage of recipients who open your emails. A high open rate indicates that your subject lines are effective and your emails are reaching the right people.
2. Click-through Rate (CTR): The percentage of recipients who click on one or more links in your emails. A high CTR means that your emails are engaging and providing value to your audience.
3. Unsubscribe Rate: The percentage of recipients who opt out of your emails. While less detrimental than spam complaints, a rising unsubscribe rate may signal a need for improvement in your content or targeting.

Adjusting Strategies to Improve Deliverability

Here are some steps you can take to maintain and improve email deliverability:

• Keep the Unsubscribe Button Visible: Make sure the unsubscribe link is clear and easy to find at the bottom of your emails. If people can’t easily opt out, they may mark your emails as spam and negatively affect deliverability for your entire list.
• Re-engage Inactive Subscribers: If you have a large list with inactive subscribers, consider sending a re-engagement sequence to reignite interest. If they still don’t interact, remove them from your email list to maintain a highly engaged audience.
• Focus on Engaged Recipients: Temporarily send emails only to those who recently opened your messages within a specific timeframe (e.g., 30 or 90 days). As this increases engagement, gradually expand your sending criteria to include less recent interactions.
• Authenticate Your Emails: Set up Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) to prove the legitimacy of your emails, protecting your domain from being spoofed or misused by spammers.

By diligently tracking these metrics and implementing necessary adjustments, you’ll safeguard the deliverability of your email campaigns and maximize their effectiveness.