Beating the Spam Monster

If you have an email account then chances are you receive spam, but did you know you more than likely send it too?  GASP!  What I mean to say is that… even the most valid of emails can get trapped inside of a vicious email spam program or filter.  

Yes, sad but true, even when you send emails, even if just to your Mom to say thanks for the card, depending on the wording, subject, and possibly your email provider your email may be swiftly moved to the JUNK/SPAM folder without her ever seeing the note.  And boy, imagine that pain when you don't say thank you to Mom.

Below we have gathered some tips to help you get your emails to their intended recipient!  Remember, these tips work for not only the day to day emails you send, but emails generated by your online system, for example in many of our clients' case: FortyFourFish.  Ok, here goes:

1. Every email must have a recipient.  You know, the person you are sending it to.  Ok, that was a no-brainer but hey we had to start somewhere.
2. Every email must have a sender. While it may be true you can skip the FROM field in some of the best email or communication systems on the market, if you want to increase an email's deliverability you must have a FROM.  Now there are some things you can do to increase not only the chances for delivery but chances of the email being opened and read:
   
   a.    Use a PERSON not an ORG.  If you can, make your newsletter, email announcements, system notices, receipts, etc. all come from a human or, if you must, a fake human.  For example, emails sent from ANTHARIA, LLC are less likely to be read than emails sent from Jordan Dossett.  
   
   b.    In using a person, add to the FROM your organization name.  We do this in case your name does not carry a load of name recognition.  For example, the FROM on our emails is: Jordan Dossett [ANTHARIA], thus quickly identifying the sender (person) and company.
3. The from email address matters!  Research shows that emails with generic email addresses such as noreply@antharia.com, marketing@antharia.com, sales@antharia.com have an increased likelihood of being marked as spam.  In item 2 we talk about sending your email as a person.  Surly, someone in your organization can make the personal outreach (even if in namesake only).
4. Craft your subjects.  Learning how to craft a great email subject is part right brain and part left brain behavior.  You have to be practical and at the same time creative.  Think about the audience you are reaching out to.  For example, if reaching out to people you already know you can be a tad more whimsical and show your character, where reaching out to potential clients you have to be a little more forthright and clear.  Now, what you actually "say" is going to really depend on what you are sending.  Is it a newsletter? a receipt? a confirmation for joining your website list? What it is will help you decide what to say.  Here are some tips to help you along the way:
   
   a.    The "50 Character" Rule: remember most people don't read.  Yeah, I know silly in that we are sending an email we hope they read, but keep it simple.  Limiting your subject line to 50 characters will catch your reader's eye.
   
   b.    Test Subjects.  There is an AMAZING tool out there that will show you what your email subject is going to look like on a number of email applications.  EmailLabs: Testing your "From" & "Subject" Lines will help you craft a clear message seen on a variety of applications.
5. My last suggestion for this installment on how to beat the spam monster is to consider: white listing or email certification.  If your organization sends a larger volume of email (say over 1000 a month) it is worth the time and money to monitor your organizations white/black and gray listing status.  For example, being on AOL's gray or black list means any emails sent to any person on aol.com's server will yield those emails being delayed and/or simply not delivered at all.  One economical solution would be GoodMail's CertifiedEmail Accrediation this certification will help ensure that your emails reach their intended recipients ☺

Good luck! ~ Jordan

«BACK