Email marketing solutions

Top tips for beating the spam filters

To run a successful email marketing campaign, you need to make sure your messages won't get marked as spam.
This can seem like a minefield of potential problems but these invaluable tips will help make sure your messages arrive intact.

• Get your subject line right

Good subject lines reduce the risk of being considered spam and can improve open rates by 5-10%. Test which work best – create at least three and use the PureResponse Automatic Subject Line Selector.

If your 'from' address doesn't identify your company name, include it in the subject line. Also make sure your subject line is relevant to the content of your email – tricking people into opening your email is sure to get you marked as spam.

• Always send relevant messages

Deliver messages relevant to recipients' personal information or interests and you'll get better results – use the filters in PureResponse to break your lists down into targeted segments.

Email marketing provides great feedback – use it to get to know your recipients. The PureResponse Event Notification automatically updates your list with people's responses and Intelligent Time Sending will deliver each email when it's most likely to be read.

• Don't go for style over substance

Always include a balance of plain text and HTML in your email design – a disproportionate amount of HTML to plain text risks automatically heading for your recipients’ junk folders.

Always use the PureResponse spam checker, which checks your email against the rules most popular spam filters use, and consider the Deliverability Checker to see what your HTML will look like in different email clients (Outlook, Hotmail etc).

• Don’t just push your sales message, earn their trust

Use 'Trust Earning Text' – showing who you are and your full contact details (it's illegal in the EU not to do this). If you bought your list, explain where you got the recipient's email address and why you think it's valid for you to send them an email.

Make it as easy as possible to opt-out. If people opt-out using the spam button on their email client instead of your unsubscribe link, it registers a complaint against you with their ISP, damaging your reputation and reducing the chances of future campaigns getting through.

For more hints and tips on email marketing contact your Account Manager or call 0870 765 7222.