In today’s digital age, email has become a critical marketing tool that can make or break your business.
Marketing email is one of the most valuable and cost-effective tools in modern marketing. When used in the right way, it can help businesses realize their potential, nurture relationships with customers, drive sales, and glean insights into what’s on the minds of their customers.
At the same time, people are now tired of the useless emails they receive. But the good news is that email providers can now efficiently send useless junk emails to spam folders. In some cases, important emails may end up in the spam folder, which can be frustrating for senders.
Contrary to popular belief, the reasons why emails end up in spam folders are not completely out of our control. Both controllable and uncontrollable factors trigger spam filters.
This blog details the reasons and factors that cause email to end up in your spam folder, and provides tips on how to prevent spam from ending up in your spam folder.
Why is my email marked as spam?
There are several reasons why an email may be moved to the spam folder, including low engagement, sender reputation, content-related issues, and email deliverability issues.
1. Sender Reputation
One of the most important factors in determining whether an email ends up in the spam folder is the sender’s reputation. Email service providers such as Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook use complex algorithms to evaluate sender trustworthiness. If the sender has a bad reputation, there’s a high chance that the email will be flagged as spam.
Workaround:
- Maintain a good sender reputation by sending quality content, avoiding spammy language, and respecting email marketing best practices.
- Monitor your sender score using tools like Senderscore.org and Sender Score by Effectiveness.
2. Content and spam triggers
The content of the email is very important. Certain keywords and elements within emails can trigger spam filters. This includes excessive use of capital letters, too many exclamation points, and certain words commonly associated with spam.
Workaround:
- Craft your email content carefully and avoid spammy language and tactics.
- Use a spam checker such as SpamAssassin or Email on Acid to assess your email content for potential problems.
3. Insufficient email verification
Email authentication methods such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help recipients verify the sender’s authenticity.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is used to prevent email spoofing by allowing email ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to identify which mail servers are allowed to send email to a particular domain. This is the email authentication method used. This email verification allows businesses and brands to ensure that their domains are not being used by spoofers, scammers, and phishers to send malicious emails.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) uses the DKIM signing and encryption process to ensure the integrity of sent emails. If someone tampers with the email, the DKIM signature will fail the verification step.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance) provides a mechanism by which email senders provide email recipients with guidelines on how to handle incoming emails that fail the sender’s email verification process. .
SPF and DKIM help verify emails, ensuring that the email sender is genuine and that the email came from the sender itself. DMARC also guides recipients on what to do if they receive an unauthenticated email.
Without proper authentication, your email is more likely to be treated as suspicious.
Workaround:
- Make sure your domain’s SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are configured correctly.
- Regularly check your email verification status using online tools or email verification services.
4. High complaint rate
If recipients frequently mark your emails as spam or unsubscribe from your mailing list, your reputation will be negatively affected. This can happen for a variety of reasons, the recipient may forget they opted in to receive your email, or they may feel the email is a waste of their time.
Workaround:
- Send emails only to people who have opted in.
- Make unsubscribing from emails easy and clear.
- Make sure your email is interesting and useful to your recipients.
- If the email is found in a spam folder, encourage recipients to move the email there.
5. Sending bulk emails
Sending a large amount of email can raise red flags for spam filters, especially if you don’t follow bulk email best practices.
Sending bulk emails has many benefits, including the ability to reach a wide range of people in a short period of time in the most economical way possible, but it also increases the chance that your emails will end up in spam folders. This reduces open rates and click-throughs, damages the sender’s reputation, and reduces brand credibility.
Bulk emails aren’t suitable for all email marketing campaigns. They need to be introduced strategically on specific occasions or to announce major changes.
Workaround:
- Use a reliable email marketing service like SendGrid to help you manage and optimize your high-volume email campaigns.
- Segment your email list to send relevant content to specific groups.
How can I prevent my email from going to spam?
1. Follow email marketing best practices
Following best practices is essential to maintaining a good sender reputation.
This includes sending emails only to those who have opted in, providing valuable and relevant content, and keeping your email list clean and up to date.
2. Verify your email
Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to ensure your email is authenticated and trusted by your email service provider.
3. Monitor sender reputation
Regularly check your sender score and reputation using online tools and services. This helps you identify and address issues before they impact email deliverability.
4. Avoid spam content
Craft your emails carefully to avoid spam triggers and keep the content relevant to your recipients. Please use a spam checker such as mailmeteor to scan your email before sending.
5. Partner with a reliable email hosting provider
Email hosting plays an important role in preventing emails from ending up in spam folders. This helps verify email legitimacy, provide dedicated IP addresses, manage IP reputation, filter content to avoid common spam triggers, help maintain a clean email list, and This is done by setting email sending speeds, providing tools for monitoring, and establishing feedback loops. Ensure compliance with major email providers, email regulations, and implement security measures to stop spam.
6. Test your email
Before launching a large-scale email campaign, send a test email to yourself and a few colleagues to see how it looks and whether it’s marked as spam. Adjust as necessary before final submission.
Let’s make your email campaign even better!
By understanding why emails are marked as spam and taking proactive steps to prevent it, you can avoid the frustration of important messages being missed.
By following best practices, maintaining a good sender reputation, and using authentication methods, you can increase your email’s chances of reaching your inbox.
Email deliverability is a critical aspect of successful communication in the digital age, so don’t let your messages get lost in spam folders.
