Optimization of your email deliverability: set up & best practices Jonathan Wuurman, ACTITO Evangelist
ACTITO Webinar Tour Replays & presentations available at www.actito.com/nl
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About me I try to that technology is here to empower so they can provide real customer experiences
Agenda What is deliverability? How to optimize your deliverability Resolving a (potential) deliverability problem Sharing experiences Managing deliverability Questions The downloadable presentation will also include some key definitions
Introduction
The e-mail delivery process Technical delivery Functional delivery You Your subscribers Intermediary servers Internet service providers (ISPs)
Is an e-mail always delivered to the recipient? Technical delivery Functional delivery You No domain name Errors on the intermediary servers Your subscribers Non-existent address SPAM filter Full mailbox Intermediary servers ISPs
Is an e-mail always delivered to the recipient? You Technical delivery Functional delivery The ISP always Your subscribers autoresponds with a bounce in case of technical issues Intermediary servers ISPs
Does an e-mail that is technically delivered always arrive in the inbox? You Technical delivery Functional delivery Your subscribers Inbox Intermediary servers ISPs
Does an e-mail that is technically delivered always arrive in the inbox? You Technical delivery Functional delivery The ISP thinks: Your e-mail is suspicious Your behavior is suspicious The recipient does not want to read your e-mails Your subscribers Inbox Intermediary servers ISPs SPAM box
Does an e-mail that is technically delivered always arrive in the inbox? Technical delivery Functional delivery Your subscribers You The ISP never informs you Inbox about functional problems Intermediary servers ISPs SPAM box
Functional deliverability Positive signs E-mail is opened The recipient is added to an address book The e-mail is saved to a folder The e-mail is saved in the SPAM box Reply to an e-mail... Negative signs E-mail deleted without opening E-mail flagged as SPAM E-mail flagged as phishing
How to optimize your deliverability
How to optimize deliverability rates You Your subscribers Intermediary servers ISPs
Optimize your relationship with your subscribers 1. Ensure the subscriber is interested Consent, filtering, alternative to SPAM flagging 2. Inform the subscriber Explicit commitment, reminder about the origin of the subscription, welcome e-mail 3. Maintain a relationship with the subscriber Respecting commitments, database management
Sample e-mail for inactive e-mail subscribers Beware of spam traps
Database quality based on the source of the addresses Online collection Offline collection Acquisition of a database Appending Acquisition shared IP - Acquisition dedicated IP Quality +
Optimize the relationship with ISPs E-mail authentication: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Compliance with the ISP s rules E-mail sending speed, bounce management... Managing the relationship with the ISPs
In summary: optimum deliverability is founded on a partnership ACTITO Informs you about Technical deliverability The subscriber s behavior Advises you about Your reputation with ISPs Your relationship with your subscribers Assists you with In case of problems with ISPs With subscription management You Manage the relationship with your subscribers The content of the messages The recipients E-mail frequency
Resolving a deliverability problem
Detecting the problem Signs of technical deliverability issues: Hard bounce rate > 1% Spam type bounce rate > 1% Bounce rate > 5% Average bounce rate > 0.5% Signs of functional deliverability issues: % useful clicks besides acquisition < 80 % An abnormally low open rate for an ISP Open rate drops substantially
How to respond if you have doubts about deliverability? 1. Identify the root cause of the problem 2. Correct the problem now and in the future 3. Contact the ISP if necessary,... but only if necessary 4. Re-establish a relationship of trust
Sharing experiences: dos & don ts
Dos & Don ts Sender authentication Sending a welcome e-mail/double opt-in Visible unsubscribe link Respecting commitments Active management of inactive profiles Acquisition of a database Merging distinct profiles Improperly reused content Use of suspicious content Ignoring the signs
How we manage deliverability at ACTITO
Integration process 1. Prerequisites Presentation Make sure your e-mails arrive in your customers inbox with ACTITO Answers to the form Achieving optimum integration with ACTITO 2. Integration Technical implementation IP warming 3. Workshop Results and recommendations
Filters Inactive by default Before the 1 st mailing Returned messages User s activity or response No e-mail address Invalid e-mail address Catch all domain Temporary quarantine Long-term quarantine On the user s blacklist Low level of activity Commercial pressure
Available information Last time opened Last time clicked Time when blacklisted Last status of an e-mail Communication history # of clicks # of times opened
Reporting cross-campaigns Allows you to analyze the evolution of your various rates over time Optional
Advanced interactive reporting about database quality Optional Are your profiles active? Can your profiles be reached?
Notifications Optional You are notified if an ISP underperforms a campaign does not meet your expectations
Questions
Thank you Thank you! Jonathan Wuurman ACTITO Evangelist jonathan.wuurman@actito.com +32 477 47 43 27
Definitions
Dedicated IPs vs shared IPs Dedicated IPs Advantages Personal reputation Certification possible Analysis easier in case of a problem (more detailed feedback from ISPs) Disadvantages IP warm up time Sufficient e-mail frequency necessary Constant e-mail volume Shared IPs Advantages Shared reputation Warm up time is reduced Lower e-mail frequency possible Variable e-mail volume possible Disadvantages Potential impact of other users of the IP Certification is impossible
Concepts IP Domain name Reputation Warm up time Definition The numerical label that identifies a computer/server on the Internet. An IP can send a maximum number of e-mails every day. The part that comes after the @ in an e-mail address. Allows you to identify the company sending the e- mail. Reputation is a score that the ISP gives to the combination of the IP/domain name. The higher the score, the higher your deliverability. Period designed to raise ISPs awareness of the combination of the IP/domain name by increasing the number of e-mails that is sent every day. Analogy snail mail The postman. The company s stamp/logo on the envelope. A company s reputation. If you receive a letter from a company with a bad reputation, you will immediately throw it away. Period during which we get to know the postman.
Concepts SPF DKIM DMARC Complain Feedback Loop (FBL) Definition SPF allows ISPs to verify that mail can originate from mail servers for a given domain name. The DKIM signature associates the domain name with an e-mail message with a digital signature. The DMARC defines which actions the ISP must take if the SPF and/or DKIM are not correctly authenticated. The FBL (or complain feedback loop) is a mechanism that informs the sender of an e-mail if the recipient (some IPS only) flagged the e-mail as SPAM. Analogy snail mail The authorization given to the postman by the company sending the letter. Signature at the end of a letter. The action a company asks us to take if we receive a fake letter in its name.
Concepts Bounce Hard bounce Soft bounce Definition A bounce is a notification of an error or delivery failure, which originates from the recipient s e-mail server to the sending server. A hard bounce is final (the address is invalid, the address no longer exists, ). A soft bounce is a temporary bounce (the recipient s e-mail box is full, ). Analogy snail mail Undelivered Letter No longer Lives at This Address.
General information about ISPs Contact with the European ISPs (Orange, SFR, FREE, ItaliaOnline, Belgacom) is more interpersonal than contact with American ISPs (Microsoft, Gmail, AOL, ) Orange automatically blacklists a sender if complaint rates are > 1.5% (but can also do this if the rate is > 1%) LaPoste automatically blacklists a sender if complaint rates are > 3% Gmail uses an algorithm of more than 800 variables to decide in which folder an e-mail is stored