How to stop your marketing emails going to spam

As a business, sending marketing emails is a powerful way to reach your audience and drive engagement. However, there’s nothing more frustrating than spending time crafting the perfect email campaign, only to have it end up in your recipients’ spam or junk folders. To ensure that your marketing emails land in your subscribers’ primary inboxes and avoid being marked as spam, follow these best practices outlined in this blog post.

Build a permission-based email list:

Start by building a permission-based email list comprised of subscribers who have explicitly opted in to receive your emails. Avoid purchasing email lists or adding contacts without their consent, as this can lead to high spam complaints – not to mention the possibility of breaching GDPR regulations.

Use a reputable email service provider (ESP):

Choose a reputable email service provider that adheres to anti-spam regulations and has good deliverability rates. Popular ESPs like Mailchimp and Mailjet have systems in place to help prevent your emails from being flagged as spam.

Craft compelling subject lines and email content:

Avoid using spam trigger words and phrases in your subject lines and email content. Personalise your subject lines and ensure they accurately reflect the email’s content. Write engaging, relevant, and valuable content that encourages recipients to interact with your emails.

Segment your email list:

Segmenting your email list allows you to send targeted and relevant content to specific groups of subscribers – going with the “one size fits all” approach can harm your email marketing campaigns. By tailoring your messages to their interests and preferences, you reduce the chances of your emails being marked as spam.

Optimise your email design and formatting:

Keep your email design clean, professional, and mobile-responsive. Use a mix of text and images, properly formatted HTML, and a clear call-to-action. Avoid excessive use of capital letters, exclamation marks, and oversized fonts.

Provide clear unsubscribe options:

Include a visible and easy-to-use unsubscribe link in your emails. Giving recipients the option to opt out ensures compliance with anti-spam regulations and helps maintain a healthy email list.

Test your emails before sending:

Before launching your campaign, send test emails to different email providers and check their deliverability and appearance across various devices. This ensures that your emails are compatible and optimised for different platforms.

Monitor and analyse email performance:

Regularly monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints. Analysing this data allows you to identify potential issues, adjust your email strategies, and improve deliverability.

Maintain a healthy email list:

Regularly clean your email list by removing inactive or disengaged subscribers. Keeping a healthy list helps improve deliverability rates and reduces the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.

By following these best practices, you can significantly reduce the chances of your marketing emails ending up in spam folders. Building a strong reputation as a legitimate sender, providing valuable content, and respecting your subscribers’ preferences will help ensure that your emails consistently land in the primary inboxes and drive the desired engagement with your audience.