Email Sender Hell-The best way to Refrain from the "Junk Mail" Box When Utilizing Your Mass Email Service}

It's a common scenario. Every morning, like clockwork, I have breakfast, relax with a cup of coffee and go through the emails waiting for me in my inbox. And always, without fail, I find at least a few junk emails (aka "trash") lurking. I'm just talking about the messages that went to my inbox. Never mind the several hundred awaiting me that got automatically filtered to the "junk mail" folder. I absolutely cannot stand spam. A lot of individuals feel the same way as me. :)

I think the majority of us can agree there are far too many "spray-and-forget" emails floating around these days. The good news is that spam filters have become pretty darned sophisticated and, when setup correctly, catch the majority of spammed messages. The bad news is that sometimes they filter incorrect emails: your legitimate "opted-in" emails that potential (or active) customers have asked to get. In this article we're going to walk through some of the common pitfalls that an email sender makes and how it is possible to steer clear of them.

First and foremost, email marketers are sending mail to an old list. This can be one of the most popular mistakes made, and also the most simple. Exactly why is this? Well...over one reason, really. Everybody, like you and me, change as time passes. And their wants and needs change over time also. Maybe the subscriber was super pumped up about learning a little more about garden gnomes half a year ago, but has since moved on to pet rocks. :) It isn't often we are lucky enough to discover why our subscribers unsubscribe. Its just important that we understand that they do (and will).

The second reason why we occassionally send messages to an outdated list is because we fail to include an "unsubscribe" link at the end of our messages. Adding this one thing in your emails will solve this matter more often than not. Rendering it simple for your subscribers to "opt out" of email streams might seem counter-intuitive. This is always the best course of action. Why? Because doing this helps keep our emails on everyone's white list and out of the spam boxes mainly because it will not be reported as junk mail!

Weird or inconsistent presentation is another common e-mail marketing mistake. Unfortunately, not every email clients displays your messages in the same manner. In fact, there are some email programs that do a very, VERY poor job of parsing html (what your templates are most likely designed with). The most effective solution? Whilst not bullet-proof, making use of an email template that's personalized, straightforward, yet elegant usually yields great results. Your take-away from this is: ugly emails either get or reported (and usually both). If your subscriber is in a poor mood, it will likely be reported as spam.

Another common mistake is too frequent, infrequent or inconsistent contact with our list. What is the optimal rate to send messages out, then? I don't know! And you don't either. The only one that knows how often the subscriber wants to hear from you is the subscriber. :) That being the situation, give people options for how often they'll receive your emails. Monthly and bi-monthly should be the standard. And if you are able to swing it, offer daily and weekly intervals too. This gives the user more control and keeps your mass email service out of hot water!

A mistake that certainly (or hopefully, at least) falls into the "unintentioned" category is dull content or production. You need your emails to have pizzaz! … and not merely because you might turn them into customers. If your content is boring, then your chances of being reported as spam go way up.

The final most common pitfall an email sender makes is failing to send targeted (relevant) content to your subscribers. This is huge! This single factor is what defines emails messages as "spam" for most of us. Use your mass email service to break subscribers into separate groups, separated by whatever indicator or demographic you pick. Then use these groups to send highly relevant messages. You can repurpose the same emails for each group. This way, you're still getting your message across, but it stays laser-targeted across a broad spectrum of subscribers.