3 SECRETS OF UNSTOPPABLE DELIVERABILITY

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Christiana Darleen Wiggins
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EBOOK 3 SECRETS OF UNSTOPPABLE EMAIL DELIVERABILITY Managing

1 EBOOK 3 SECRETS OF UNSTOPPABLE DELIVERABILITY Managing Sender Reputation, Avoiding Blacklists, and Getting to the Inbox

Every good marketer is committed to keeping audiences happy with carefully composed, highly personalized, and opportunely timed emails.

Or if, in a worst case scenario, your IP appears on an international email blacklist? To no surprise, defense mechanisms are more watchful than ever, as 59.

Over the past years, deliverability has become an increasingly complex issue. It s not just about sender reputation anymore, like it was five years ago.

2 Every good marketer is committed to keeping audiences happy with carefully composed, highly personalized, and opportunely timed s. But what if all these targeted and relevant messages still bounce back or land in the spam folder? And what if the number of unsubscribes and optouts suddenly skyrockets? Or if, in a worst case scenario, your IP appears on an international blacklist? To no surprise, defense mechanisms are more watchful than ever, as percent 1 of the world s traffic now consists of spam messages. In some organizations, the number is up to 85 percent. High time to take a hard look at deliverability. Over the past years, deliverability has become an increasingly complex issue. It s not just about sender reputation anymore, like it was five years ago. Today, a multitude of factors on a micro and macro level determine whether or not your messages enjoy safe passage to recipients inboxes (see Step 1). Consumers are also becoming more aware of their right to cancel communications, and it s done in two easy clicks thanks to legislation such as CAN-SPAM and the EU s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The good news is that deliverability is not a hightouch issue requiring attention at every turn. Once marketers streamline their infrastructure and track a handful of metrics while growing their audiences, they can enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing their s will be delivered. The bad news is that, if neglected, deliverability can take a turn for the worse quite dramatically sometimes beyond repair which is why we have created this handy three-step guide. E MAIL DE LIV ER ABIL ITY noun /ee-meyl dih-liv-er-uh-bil-i-tee/ deliverability is the measure of how many messages actually reach the inboxes of their intended recipients. Deliverability is not to be confused with similar-sounding metrics such as delivery rate or delivered rate. These stats merely indicate that messages have been sent successfully or reached the target server without bouncing, but they still may be filtered as spam. 2

3 STEP 1: KNOW WHAT AFFECTS YOUR SENDER REPUTATION The path to the desired recipient s inbox is patrolled by junk-filtering algorithms, littered with spam traps, and full of guard posts ready to stop suspicious messages in their tracks. Your main ticket for safe passage is your sender reputation. Only a few years ago, sender reputation was synonymous with IP reputation and domain reputation, but times have changed. A greater number of data points, based on user feedback and internet service provider records, now factor into the equation. In 2018, Sender Reputation is an aggregate of the following seven interconnected criteria: a) IP/Domain Reputation ISPs track trustworthiness on two levels: IP reputation is based on traffic sent from your IP address, while domain reputation is a record of sender behavior logged by domain name. If these metrics are favorable, your s will arrive almost constantly in your recipient s inbox. Bad reputation leads to a drop in delivery speed and climb in bounced messages. In the worst case, you can get blacklisted. b) Spam complaints This is the number of times users report messages from a domain as spam (also known as Spam Reports). This can seriously hurts sender reputation all the way to blacklisting. c) Bounces The percentage of messages that failed to reach recipients are recorded in two ways: As a soft bounce when the address is temporarily unavailable (e.g. mailbox is full, server is down). Recorded as a hard bounce if the address is permanently unreachable (e.g. mailbox non-existent, typo in address). d) Blacklist Status Blacklists are international compendiums of IP addresses or domains suspected of sending spam. They are maintained by ISPs and service providers like Barracuda, Frontbridge, Invaluement, Spamhaus, etc

e) Open Rates and Click Rates Your reputation is also affected by actual engagement metrics such as email open rates or clicks in a message.

4 e) Open Rates and Click Rates Your reputation is also affected by actual engagement metrics such as open rates or clicks in a message. Higher rates of engagement signal that recipients find your messages relevant. f) Spam Traps After receiving continuous hard bounces to an invalid address, ISPs can turn that address into a spam trap and report senders targeting the dead address as spammers (avoided by list hygiene). Landing in spam traps seriously hurts reputation. g) DKIM, DMARC, and SPF Authentication The digital signature proving that a message actually originated from the domain name in its address (also see Step 2). These official Domain Name Server (DNS) records indicate that an IP address or domain has permission to send your . A true must-have, as messages without SPF authentication will be blocked categorically by most ISPs. Companies also craft their own Domainbased Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) policies in order to prevent spoofing when spammers impersonate a sender of their addresses. As you can see, many factors influence your reputation and deliverability. Also keep in mind: Reputation is not a snapshot taken at one single moment in time. It is a continuous effort that should be constantly monitored and managed by adopting best practices (see Step 3). 4

5 STEP 2: PRACTICE TRANSPARENCY WITH AUTHENTICATION AND PERMISSIONS/OPT-INS Maintaining an excellent sender reputation is fundamental to deliverability. But it s far from the only factor. There s a human element involved, as recipients ultimately have the last word on which messages may reach their inbox. In order to win their trust, marketers need to be transparent at all times about their own sender identity and obtain explicit permission to send marketing messages. Here s how: a) authentication is integral to preventing phishing and other online fraud. On the consumer level, 68 percent of Americans consider an s from name to decide on opening 2 or reporting it as spam. Authentication allows the receiver of an and the ISP to confirm the identity of the sender. If the identity of the sender cannot be authenticated, ISPs may reject the message or put it through additional filters. As a legitimate business, authentication is not optional. It is essential to securing your brand and online reputation. Authentication can be realized with the setup of SPF and DKIM records in the Domain Name System (DNS): The Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an validation system designed to prevent spam by detecting spoofing, a common vulnerability, through verification of sender IP addresses. SPF allows administrators to specify which mail servers are permitted to send on behalf of a given domain. This creates a specific SPF record (or TXT record) in the DNS, which is then used by ISPs to validate s. Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a method for associating a domain name with an message. It allows a person or organization to claim responsibility for the message. The association is set up by means of a digital signature which can be validated by recipients. Responsibility is claimed by a signer, which acts independently of the message s author or recipient, by adding a DKIM-Signature field to the message s header. This field is the mark of an authenticated , as opposed to a sender address that has been forged by spammers. Bringing protection by SPF and DKIM full-circle, security-conscious domains publish a Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) policy. It specifies clearly which SPF and DKIM mechanisms a domain employs and under which circumstances a sender address should be considered legitimate

6 b) Explict permission to receiving marketing s is now mandatory according to CAN-SPAM and GDPR. As stated specifically in the GDPR, effective in May 2018, implied consent or silent consent (by using a service or app) no longer suffice. Marketers must obtain given, specific, informed and unambiguous consent from consumers, who must be aware of what they are signing up for (i.e. marketing s versus a newsletter), and who must demonstrate definite consent such as clicking a subscribe button. As marketers thrive for more transparency, double opt-in confirmation is becoming the norm. When a person completes the subscribe form, a confirmation is immediately sent to the address provided. This contains a verification link to confirm true ownership of the address. The address is added to the subscriber list only when the verification link is clicked. c) Use Opt-In to learn about consumers. Be careful of deterring subscribers by asking for too much information during the opt-in process. A customer isn t likely to feel comfortable, for example, to share more than a name and address to win a contest. However, you could take advantage of the opt-in process to request more information in certain cases in exchange for more personalization. Just follow these guidelines: Keep it simple. Avoid cluttering the page with any unnecessary information - your goal is to get the site visitor to subscribe. The signup form should be easy to readable and to fill in. Explain what you plan to do with their data. This guideline is not optional once the GDPR takes effect, this will become mandatory in May Be clear on the intended communication frequency (e.g. twice a week), so customers are aware of the messaging they can expect. Offer an option to edit opt-in preferences and where a customer can unsubscribe. Provide a sample of previous newsletters so that subscribers can see what to expect. Communicate your data security practices using your brand voice, not legalese. Instead of providing all your practices at the outset, consider linking to the expanded version of your brand s privacy policy (as required by GDPR) from your opt-in page. The policy should describe how you handle the data you collect and how people can contact you in case they have concerns or questions. 6

7 WHERE TO USE OPT-IN FORMS You could put an opt-in form in many places. However, the more relevant the positioning, the better the results will be. Subscription forms are best placed in the following locations: Homepage. If you want to draw the attention of all site visitors, add an opt-in form on your home page, or provide a clear link to it from the home page. During the registration process. If you have a registrationbased website, ask for opt-in permission during the registration process. During download. If you are providing something valuable enough that a user is taking the effort to download it, then they will likely be willing to subscribe as well. During checkout. Providing an opt-in during a checkout process is a good idea, especially if you offer something valuable to those that opt-in during checkout (e.g. a discount on a future purchase). 7

8 STEP 3: PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE Time to put it all into action and boost your deliverability by following these unstoppable deliverability strategies: Always ask for permission. Laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR require consumers explicit agreement to receiving s (see Step 2). Best practices include clear language explaining data collection policies, plus double opt-in by confirming a welcome . Pros also provide preference centers allowing users to fine-tune topics and dosage. Make opt-out seamless and easy. The GDPR requires that it must be as easy to withdraw consent as it is to give it. The accepted best practice is a one-click opt-out with no further questions asked. Painless. Legally, the unsubscribe should be possible within two clicks, so make sure all your s include unsubscribe links to prevent complaints. Also keep in mind: According to GDPR, requests for opt-outs must be heeded within 10 days. Participate in feedback loops. A feedback loop is an inter-organizational system by which an ESP forwards complaints from their mailbox owners to the sender s organization. These complaints are registered when a user clicks the Report spam button in their client. Remember to unsubscribe the complainers (see list hygiene). 8

9 Better to be safe. Although spamming is the last thing on your mind, it never hurts to check whether your IP or domain has ended up on DNS-based blacklists. Use authentication. Marketers using their own domain for marketing need to set up SPF, DKIM and Reverse DNS (rdns) records. Using your own DKIM signature helps build domain reputation independent of other users of the same IP (see Step 2). Practice list hygiene. The key to staying out of spam traps lies in maintaining lists with valid addresses, e.g. by deleting hard bounces, non-respondents, and opt-outs. In Selligent Marketing Cloud, you can activate Quality and configure the level of strictness. We recommend setting the quality to minimal and bounce information on the very first mailing as aggressive. Buying lists is never a good idea. Sending s without permissions opens the floodgates to spam complaints and can ultimately result in blacklisting. For Selligent Marketing Cloud, purchased lists are not allowed on the Grid. So forget purchased lists and only use permission-based sending. Adopt a consistent sending pace. Spikes in volume may alarm spam filters. Adopt a consistent sending pace, also known as marketing pressure or cadence. This also helps avoid subscriber weariness and churn. 9

10 Control your send volume. Spam filters track the amount of traffic originating from a single sender. Sudden spikes in traffic or high volumes of s are red flags for spam filters. Maintain a recognizable identity. Create a consistent look and tone for your s and avoid rotating From addresses to send campaign s. Stick to a few human-sounding addresses like marketing@selligent.com and build great reputations around them (and absolutely don t use free Google, Hotmail, etc. accounts for campaigns). Test deliverability in a small run first. Use built-in QA tools and deliverability monitoring to test-drive small batches of s before sending to entire segments. Keep it error-free. Whether it s content or formatting, too many mistakes will also get s blocked. Cardinal sins include broken HTML, URL shortening (use hyperlinks instead), dubious link destinations, and broken images. Avoid deceptive language or symbol use in subject lines ( Cl@im Ur $Million Tick3t ), as well as too many exclamation marks or a high image VS. text ratio. Maintain permissions over time. When someone gives you permission to communicate with them, the clock starts ticking. Start by communicating right away and then settle into a regular send frequency. You might want your subscribers to re-subscribe if they have not engaged with an during the last six months, or nudge them to adjust their settings. By giving subscribers control, you reduce the chance of spam complaints. Remind people that they subscribed. This can easily be done by including a standard message in the header or footer of each you send, for instance: You are receiving this because you signed up for updates from Selligent Marketing Cloud. Such a short note can go a long way. You are reminding your subscribers that you are not sending unsolicited content but catering to their needs as part of your ongoing relationship. 10

P R O T I P : DELIVERABILITY METRICS THAT ACTUALLY COUNT As you track the ongoing success of your optimized email marketing program, make sure to cut through the clutter by focusing on the

Unsubscribe rate of users opting out of email lists. Ask why it happened: Too many emails? Not relevant to individuals? Complaint rate reflecting dissatisfied users.

11 P R O T I P : DELIVERABILITY METRICS THAT ACTUALLY COUNT As you track the ongoing success of your optimized marketing program, make sure to cut through the clutter by focusing on the metrics that really make a difference: Click-to-open rate reflects clicks in relation to amount of s opened (tracks engagement better than just open rates). Unsubscribe rate of users opting out of lists. Ask why it happened: Too many s? Not relevant to individuals? Complaint rate reflecting dissatisfied users. Higher complaints than unsubscribes? Maybe your opt-out process needs fixing. Hard bounce rate because it can be caused by poor list hygiene. server uptime stats where there s a huge difference between 99% and 99.9% availability. 11

12 ABOUT SELLIGENT MARKETING CLOUD Selligent Marketing Cloud is a marketing automation platform that enables B2C brands to engage consumers across all critical channels. Built for the relationship marketer, Selligent Marketing Cloud is the only marketing cloud built on a single code base, featuring artificial intelligence and a Customer Data Platform with a universal consumer profile at the core of every action. More than 700 brands across retail, travel, automotive, publishing, and financial services rely on Selligent Marketing Cloud s proven platform. With 10 offices across the United States and Europe and more than 50 agency partners, Selligent Marketing Cloud serves over 30 countries with local, personalized service. Learn more at and connect with the team at Twitter, LinkedIn, and our blog. NEW YORK 1 Whitehall Street, 19th Floor New York, NY USA HQ 1300 Island Drive Suite 200 Redwood City, CA

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