Email deliverability is a critical component of any successful email marketing campaign, especially for small businesses where every email counts. Poor email deliverability can result in emails being marked as spam, or worse, blocked entirely, leading to a significant loss in potential revenue. In this paper, we will discuss some tips and best practices to improve email deliverability and, in turn, enhance the return on investment (ROI) for small businesses.
1. Authenticate your emails: Authenticating your emails is an essential step in ensuring that your emails reach the inbox of your recipients. Email authentication is the process of verifying that an email was sent by the claimed sender and was not tampered with during transmission. It involves adding a digital signature to your emails that verifies your identity and prevents spoofing, phishing, and other types of email fraud.
There are several benefits of authenticating your emails, including:
Increased Deliverability: Authenticating your emails can help increase the deliverability of your emails to the inbox of your recipients. This is because email service providers (ESPs) are more likely to trust emails that have been authenticated, reducing the likelihood of them being marked as spam or junk.
Improved Reputation: Authenticating your emails can help improve your sender reputation, which is a score assigned to your domain and IP address based on your email sending practices. A good sender reputation can help increase the deliverability of your emails and improve your relationship with ESPs.
Reduced Phishing Attempts: Authenticating your emails can help reduce the risk of phishing attacks by verifying your identity and preventing spoofing. This can help protect your recipients from fraud and build trust in your brand.
You can verify your emails and prevent spoofing as well as phishing by implementing several methods for email authentication such as Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC). These methods add a digital signature to your emails to confirm your identity.
2. Maintain a clean email list: A clean email list is one that contains only valid and engaged subscribers. Small businesses should regularly clean their email list by removing inactive or invalid email addresses, bounces, and unsubscribes. This not only improves email deliverability but also reduces the risk of being labeled as a spammer. Small businesses can use email verification tools to clean their email list and ensure that their emails are being sent to valid and engaged subscribers.
3. Segment your email list: Segmenting your email list is another essential tip for improving email deliverability and ROI for small businesses. Dividing a comprehensive email list into smaller segments based on various factors such as demographics, interests, and past behaviors is called email list segmentation. This process enables you to send tailored and personalized emails to your recipients, resulting in enhanced engagement and boosted sales.
There are several benefits of segmenting your email list, including:
Increased Engagement: By segmenting your email list, you can significantly improve engagement by delivering more targeted and personalized emails to your recipients, resulting in elevated open rates.
Improved Deliverability: Segmenting your email list can help improve the deliverability of your emails by reducing the likelihood of them being marked as spam. This is because ESPs are more likely to trust emails that are targeted and relevant to the recipient.
Higher Conversion Rates: Segmenting your email list can help increase conversion rates by allowing you to send more targeted and personalized emails to your recipients. This can lead to higher sales and improved ROI.
To segment your email list, you can use various factors, such as:
Demographics: Divide your email list according to demographic features, including age, gender, and geographical location.
Interests: Divide your email list according to the interests of your recipients, including products or services they have previously expressed interest in.
Past Behavior: Segment your email list based on past behavior, such as email opens, clicks, and purchases.
4. Personalize your emails: Personalization is the process of tailoring an email to match the specific needs, interests, and preferences of a subscriber. Personalized emails are more likely to be opened, clicked, and engaged with, reducing the likelihood of them being marked as spam. Small businesses should use merge tags and dynamic content to personalize their emails based on subscriber data.
5. Optimize your email content: The content of an email plays a significant role in its deliverability. Small businesses should ensure that their emails are well-designed, easy to read, and free from spammy content. Emails should also include a clear and concise subject line, a preheader, and a call-to-action (CTA) button. Small businesses should also avoid using excessive links, images, or attachments, as this can trigger spam filters.
6. Monitor your email deliverability: Small businesses should regularly monitor their email deliverability to ensure that their emails are being delivered to the inbox and not the spam folder. Small businesses can use email tracking tools to monitor their email deliverability and identify any potential issues. Small businesses should also regularly review their email metrics, like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, to measure the success of their email marketing campaigns.
In conclusion, email deliverability is a critical component of any successful email marketing campaign for small businesses. By authenticating their emails, maintaining a clean email list, segmenting their email list, personalizing their emails, optimizing their email content, and monitoring their email deliverability, small businesses can improve their email deliverability and enhance their ROI. By following these tips and best practices, small businesses can ensure that their emails are reaching the inbox and engaging their subscribers, leading to increased revenue and growth.
