3 S E C R E T S O F U N STO P PA B L E E M A I L D E L I V E R A B I L I TY

Managing Sender Reputation, Avoiding Blacklists, and Getting to the Inbox

EBOOK

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Every good marketer is committed to keeping audiences happy with carefully composed, highly personalized, and opportunely timed emails. But what if all these targeted and relevant messages still bounce back or land in the spam folder? And what if the number of unsubscribes and opt-outs suddenly skyrockets? Or if, in a worst case scenario, your IP appears on an international email blacklist? To no surprise, defense mechanisms are more watchful than ever, as 59.56 percent1 of the world’s email traffic now consists of spam messages. In some organizations, the number is up to 85 percent.

High time to take a hard look at email deliverability. Over the past years, deliverability has become an

increasingly complex issue. It’s not just about sender

reputation anymore, like it was five years ago. Today,

a multitude of factors on a micro and macro level

determine whether or not your messages enjoy

safe passage to recipients’ inboxes (see Step 1).

Consumers are also becoming more aware of their

right to cancel email communications, and it’s done in

two easy clicks thanks to legislation such as CAN-SPAM

and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation

(GDPR).

The good news is that email deliverability is not a high-

touch issue requiring attention at every turn. Once

marketers streamline their email infrastructure and

track a handful of metrics while growing their audiences,

they can enjoy the peace of mind that comes from

knowing their emails will be delivered. The bad

news is that, if neglected, email deliverability can take

a turn for the worse quite dramatically – sometimes

beyond repair – which is why we have created this

handy three-step guide.

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Email deliverability is the measure of how many messages actually reach the inboxes of their

intended recipients. Deliverability is not to be confused with similar-sounding metrics such as

delivery rate or delivered rate. These stats merely indicate that messages have been sent successfully

or reached the target server without bouncing, but they still may be filtered as spam.

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The path to the desired recipient’s inbox is patrolled by junk-filtering algorithms, littered with

spam traps, and full of guard posts ready to stop suspicious messages in their tracks. Your main

ticket for safe passage is your sender reputation.

Only a few years ago, sender reputation was synonymous with IP reputation and domain reputation,

but times have changed. A greater number of data points, based on user feedback and internet

service provider records, now factor into the equation. In 2018, Sender Reputation is an aggregate

of the following seven interconnected criteria:

a) IP/Domain ReputationISPs track trustworthiness on two levels: IP reputation is based on traffic sent

from your IP address, while domain reputation is a record of sender behavior

logged by domain name. If these metrics are favorable, your emails will arrive

almost constantly in your recipient’s inbox. Bad reputation leads to a drop in

delivery speed and climb in bounced messages. In the worst case, you can get

blacklisted.

b) Spam complaintsThis is the number of times users report messages from a domain as spam (also

known as Spam Reports). This can seriously hurts sender reputation all the way

to blacklisting.

c) BouncesThe percentage of email messages that failed to reach recipients are recorded in

two ways: As a soft bounce when the email address is temporarily unavailable (e.g.

mailbox is full, server is down). Recorded as a hard bounce if the address is

permanently unreachable (e.g. mailbox non-existent, typo in address).

d) Blacklist StatusBlacklists are international compendiums of IP addresses or domains suspected of

sending spam. They are maintained by ISPs and service providers like Barracuda,

Frontbridge, Invaluement, Spamhaus, etc.

S T E P 1: K N O W W H AT A F F E C T S

YO U R S E N D E R R E P U TAT I O N

1 https://www.statista.com/statistics/263086/countries-of-origin-of-spam/

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e) Open Rates and Click RatesYour reputation is also affected by actual engagement metrics such as email open

rates or clicks in a message. Higher rates of engagement signal that recipients

find your messages relevant.

f) Spam TrapsAfter receiving continuous hard bounces to an invalid email address, ISPs can turn

that address into a spam trap and report senders targeting the “dead” address as

spammers (avoided by email list hygiene). Landing in spam traps seriously hurts

reputation.

g) DKIM, DMARC, and SPF AuthenticationThe digital signature proving that a message actually originated from the domain

name in its email address (also see Step 2). These official Domain Name Server

(DNS) records indicate that an IP address or domain has permission to send

your email. A true must-have, as messages without SPF authentication will be

blocked categorically by most ISPs. Companies also craft their own Domain-

based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) policies

in order to prevent “spoofing” – when spammers impersonate a sender – of their

email addresses.

As you can see, many factors influence your reputation and deliverability. Also

keep in mind: Reputation is not a snapshot taken at one single moment in time. It is a continuous effort that should be constantly monitored and managed by

adopting best practices (see Step 3).

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S T E P 2: P R AC T I C E T R A N S PA R E N C Y

W I T H AU T H E N T I C AT I O N A N D

P E R M I S S I O N S /O P T- I N S

Maintaining an excellent sender reputation is fundamental to email deliverability. But it’s far from

the only factor. There’s a human element involved, as recipients ultimately have the last word on

which messages may reach their inbox. In order to win their trust, marketers need to be transparent

at all times about their own sender identity and obtain explicit permission to send marketing

messages. Here’s how:

a) Email authentication is integral to preventing phishing and other online fraud.

On the consumer level, 68 percent of Americans consider an email’s “from” name to

decide on opening2 or reporting it as spam. Authentication allows the receiver of an

email and the ISP to confirm the identity of the sender. If the identity of the sender

cannot be authenticated, ISPs may reject the message or put it through additional

filters. As a legitimate business, authentication is not optional. It is essential to securing your brand and online reputation.

Authentication can be realized with the setup of SPF and DKIM records in the Domain

Name System (DNS): The Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email validation system

designed to prevent spam by detecting email spoofing, a common vulnerability,

through verification of sender IP addresses. SPF allows administrators to specify

which mail servers are permitted to send email on behalf of a given domain. This

creates a specific SPF record (or TXT record) in the DNS, which is then used by ISPs

to validate emails.

Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a method for associating a domain name

with an email message. It allows a person or organization to claim responsibility

for the message. The association is set up by means of a digital signature which

can be validated by recipients. Responsibility is claimed by a signer, which acts

independently of the message’s author or recipient, by adding a DKIM-Signature

field to the message’s header. This field is the mark of an authenticated email, as

opposed to a sender address that has been forged by spammers. Bringing protection

by SPF and DKIM full-circle, security-conscious domains publish a Domain-based

Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) policy. It specifies

clearly which SPF and DKIM mechanisms a domain employs and under which

circumstances a sender email address should be considered legitimate.

2 https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/high-performing-email/

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b) Explict permission to receiving marketing emails is now mandatory according

to CAN-SPAM and GDPR. As stated specifically in the GDPR, effective in May

2018, implied consent or silent consent (by using a service or app) no longer

suffice. Marketers must obtain “given, specific, informed and unambiguous

consent” from consumers, who must be aware of what they are signing

up for (i.e. marketing emails versus a newsletter), and who must

demonstrate definite consent such as clicking a subscribe button. As

marketers thrive for more transparency, “double opt-in” confirmation is

becoming the norm. When a person completes the subscribe form, a confirmation

email is immediately sent to the email address provided. This email contains a

verification link to confirm true ownership of the email address. The email address

is added to the subscriber list only when the verification link is clicked.

c) Use Opt-In to learn about consumers. Be careful of deterring subscribers by

asking for too much information during the opt-in process. A customer isn’t likely to

feel comfortable, for example, to share more than a name and email address to win

a contest. However, you could take advantage of the opt-in process to request more

information in certain cases in exchange for more personalization. Just follow these

guidelines:

• Keep it simple. Avoid cluttering the page with any unnecessary

information - your goal is to get the site visitor to subscribe. The sign-

up form should be easy to readable and to fill in.

• Explain what you plan to do with their data. This guideline is

not optional – once the GDPR takes effect, this will become mandatory

in May 2018.

• Be clear on the intended communication frequency (e.g. twice a week),

so customers are aware of the messaging they can expect. Offer an

option to edit opt-in preferences and where a customer can unsubscribe.

• Provide a sample of previous newsletters so that subscribers can see

what to expect.

• Communicate your data security practices using your brand voice, not

“legalese”. Instead of providing all your practices at the outset, consider

linking to the expanded version of your brand’s privacy policy (as

required by GDPR) from your opt-in page. The policy should describe

how you handle the data you collect and how people can contact you

in case they have concerns or questions.

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You could put an opt-in form in many places. However, the more relevant the

positioning, the better the results will be. Subscription forms are best placed in the

following locations:

• Homepage. If you want to draw the attention of all

site visitors, add an opt-in form on your home page,

or provide a clear link to it from the home page.

• During the registration process. If you have a registration-

based website, ask for opt-in permission during the

registration process.

• During download. If you are providing something

valuable enough that a user is taking the effort to

download it, then they will likely be willing to subscribe

as well.

• During checkout. Providing an opt-in during a checkout

process is a good idea, especially if you offer something

valuable to those that opt-in during checkout (e.g. a discount

on a future purchase).

W H E R E TO U S E O P T- I N F O R M S

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S T E P 3: P U T T I N G I T I N TO P R AC T I C E

Time to put it all into action and boost your email deliverability by following these

unstoppable deliverability strategies:

Always ask for permission. Laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR require consumers’

explicit agreement to receiving emails (see Step 2). Best practices include clear

language explaining data collection policies, plus double opt-in by confirming a

welcome email. Pros also provide preference centers allowing users to fine-tune email

topics and dosage.

Make opt-out seamless and easy. The GDPR requires that it must be as easy to

withdraw consent as it is to give it. The accepted best practice is a one-click opt-out

with no further questions asked. Painless. Legally, the unsubscribe should be possible

within two clicks, so make sure all your emails include unsubscribe links to prevent

complaints. Also keep in mind: According to GDPR, requests for opt-outs must be

heeded within 10 days.

Participate in feedback loops. A feedback loop is an inter-organizational system

by which an ESP forwards complaints from their mailbox owners to the sender’s

organization. These complaints are registered when a user clicks the “Report spam”

button in their email client. Remember to unsubscribe the complainers (see list

hygiene).

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Better to be safe. Although spamming is the last thing on your mind, it never hurts

to check whether your IP or domain has ended up on DNS-based blacklists.

Use authentication. Marketers using their own domain for email marketing need

to set up SPF, DKIM and Reverse DNS (rDNS) records. Using your own DKIM

signature helps build domain reputation independent of other users of the same

IP (see Step 2).

Practice email list hygiene. The key to staying out of spam traps lies in maintaining

email lists with valid addresses, e.g. by deleting hard bounces, non-respondents,

and opt-outs. In Selligent Marketing Cloud, you can activate “Email Quality” and

configure the level of strictness. We recommend setting the email quality to

“minimal” and bounce information on the very first mailing as “aggressive”.

Buying email lists is never a good idea. Sending emails without

permissions opens the floodgates to spam complaints and can ultimately

result in blacklisting. For Selligent Marketing Cloud, purchased email

lists are not allowed on the email Grid. So forget purchased lists

and only use permission-based email sending.

Adopt a consistent sending pace. Spikes in email volume

may alarm spam filters. Adopt a consistent sending pace,

also known as marketing pressure or email cadence.

This also helps avoid subscriber weariness and

churn.

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Control your send volume. Spam filters track the amount of traffic originating from

a single sender. Sudden spikes in traffic or high volumes of emails are red flags for

spam filters.

Maintain a recognizable identity. Create a consistent look and tone for your emails

and avoid rotating “From” addresses to send campaign emails. Stick to a few

human-sounding addresses – like marketing@selligent.com – and build great

reputations around them (and absolutely don’t use free Google, Hotmail, etc.

accounts for campaigns).

Test deliverability in a small run first. Use built-in QA tools and deliverability

monitoring to test-drive small batches of emails before sending to

entire segments.

Keep it error-free. Whether it’s email content or formatting, too many mistakes

will also get emails blocked. Cardinal sins include broken HTML, URL shortening

(use hyperlinks instead), dubious link destinations, and broken images. Avoid

deceptive language or symbol use in subject lines (“Cl@im Ur $Million Tick3t”), as

well as too many exclamation marks or a high image VS. text ratio.

Maintain permissions over time. When someone gives you permission to

communicate with them, the clock starts ticking. Start by communicating right away

and then settle into a regular send frequency. You might want your subscribers to

re-subscribe if they have not engaged with an email during the last six months, or

nudge them to adjust their settings. By giving subscribers control, you reduce the

chance of spam complaints.

Remind people that they subscribed. This can easily be done by including a

standard message in the header or footer of each email you send, for instance:

“You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from Selligent

Marketing Cloud.” Such a short note can go a long way. You are reminding your

subscribers that you are not sending unsolicited content but catering to their needs

as part of your ongoing relationship.

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As you track the ongoing success of your optimized email marketing program, make sure to cut

through the clutter by focusing on the metrics that really make a difference:

Click-to-open rate reflects clicks in relation to amount of emails opened

(tracks engagement better than just open rates).

Unsubscribe rate of users opting out of email lists. Ask why it happened:

Too many emails? Not relevant to individuals?

Complaint rate reflecting dissatisfied users. Higher complaints than

unsubscribes? Maybe your opt-out process needs fixing.

Hard bounce rate because it can be caused by poor list hygiene.

Email server uptime stats where there’s a huge difference between 99%

and 99.9% availability.

P R O T I P : D E L I V E R A B I L I T Y M E T R I C S

T H AT AC T UA L LY CO U N T

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A B O U T S E L L I G E N T

M A R K E T I N G C L O U DSelligent Marketing Cloud is a marketing automation platform that

enables B2C brands to engage consumers across all critical channels.

Built for the relationship marketer, Selligent Marketing Cloud is the only

marketing cloud built on a single code base, featuring artificial intelligence

and a Customer Data Platform with a universal consumer profile at the core

of every action.

More than 700 brands across retail, travel, automotive, publishing, and

financial services rely on Selligent Marketing Cloud’s proven platform. With

10 offices across the United States and Europe and more than 50 agency

partners, Selligent Marketing Cloud serves over 30 countries with local,

personalized service.

Learn more at www.selligent.com and connect with the team at Twitter,

LinkedIn, and our blog.

@SelligentNEW YORK | 1 Whitehall Street, 19th Floor | New York, NY 10004

USA HQ | 1300 Island Drive | Suite 200 | Redwood City, CA 94065