Email marketing delivery solutions.

During your email marketing practice you can run into some problems with email delivery. All those problems can be divided by three categories: email image blocking & HTML problems, bounced emails, spam/junk mail filters.

Image blocking & HTML problems.

Such problems may arise with some ISP’s (especially AOL). They are caused by different filters a particular ISP is using. Most filters ban emails with large number of images considering them a way of transmitting different viruses. The HTML code of your messages also should be perfect, so that it wouldn’t be considered spam. Here are some tips on fixing the image setback:

• Most image filters do not apply for those addresses added to whitelists, which can be moderated as by system operators so as by users (mostly in B2C environment).
• Include a text link for the “view web version” for users who still experience some troubles with image download and desire to get access to the message.
• Use ALT tags to describe the images you use in your messages.
• Some mail clients have the function of message preview. Try your message on such mail clients to know if it would be readable for them.
• Design also text-based versions of your messages. Though the HTML versions look more attractive, text-based ads and messages are guaranteed of different filters and for sure will reach the user. Statistics also show that CTR’s are higher for text-based messages.

Spam/junk mail filters.

This problem is also on top. Too often a lot of commercial emails get caught by spam filters. The clue to this problem is to get rid of those words so beloved by spammers, like “free”/”right now”/”buy today” etc. The Outlook will place your email to “Delete” folder right away. To assure make your emails get through all these filters try to convince your subscriber to add your email address to his/her Address Book. The AOL can also block your email if considers the HTML code has errors in it (some spammers do add extra tags, actually not needed in HTML code to mask the same message as different). We suggest you to use any HTML validator. Too huge volume of emails sent from one email address may also cause troubles in delivery. Spam filters will probably jam them or send them in the bulk.

If you don?t want to be added to a blacklist, pay attention how your “abuse@” and “postmaster@” addresses are valid and are able to receive email. Make sure that you have access to those addresses and can review incoming mail. These addresses are recommended by Internet standards set by IETF for reporting of complaints.

Bounces reduce.

Soft and hard bounces are frequent events in email marketing. Both arise while your message gets the status of undeliverable. Soft bounce presupposes the message is undeliverable only temporary, while hard bounce alarms of a not valid or not existing any more email address. To fix this problem you should instantly check your email marketing list and update data on it, that could be done by your or by your subscribers and customers themselves.

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 : Email Marketing : No Comments