Internet Marketing Blog

We talked about words that trigger filters to mark your emails as spam. Spam filters don’t just stop there.

We know that some words instantly get spam filters backs up, but did you know that even sending an email out with the subject line in capitals is enough to stop your mail getting through? And you thought that you were making your point!

It is worth bearing in mind that there are several factors that go into making your email appear as though it is spam. Some of these will no doubt be a surprise and others will be obvious.

We are not about to tell you that there is a way to get around spam filters, so that your recent promotion for Viagra gets to your mailing list. What we do want to do is impart some information on how to produce an email campaign that works – and doesn’t get stuck in someone’s spam folder.

Don’t trigger the spam filter

• Carefully consider your content and make sure it is relevant to your subject matter and not pushy or ‘spammy’. Making a blatant pitch for something like mortgage products or mentioning ‘money’ repeatedly in your content really riles spam filters. The filters know the email is unsolicited and that the content is unlikely to be of any help to the recipient. Straight to the spam box, do not pass GO, do not collect £200.
• Avoid calls to actions like ‘click here’ and ‘buy now’.
• Don’t use all capital letters, especially in the subject line. You are shouting and no one likes a big mouth.
• Avoid using bright red or green fonts in the email.
• Do not use the HTML that you find in Word to create your email (yes, some people think that they can). It is not compatible. Always validate your email code – there are guidelines for a reason.
• If the ratio of images to text is not equal or worse the email content is one big image, your email is likely to head away from the inbox of your potential customers.
• Don’t go crazy with the exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (See what I mean, it is annoying).

Once your perfectly coded email, with considered copy and design, is ready to test then there are some things that you should remember too.

If you send a test email to several recipients within the same company at once, a spam filter will often think that this is an attack. Therefore perform individual tests periodically. In addition, using the word ‘test’ in the subject line is also a way to send your email directly to the spam box.

The score with spam

Spam Score – the number assigned by the spam-scanning rules. If you set a spam threshold of 6, any message scoring 6 or higher is flagged as spam, depending on your settings. So generally speaking anything below 5.0 points is not considered as spam

Points to consider

• Shouting in your email, or using capital letters will give you a score of 0.21 points.
• Keep your HTML tags down to a minimum. You could score anything between 0.31 to 1.78 points based on the frequency of your HTML tagging.
• Ensure that you use the http:// prefix in hyperlinks, or this will cost you 1.28 points. Substitute a URL for an IP number and you will tot up 3.1 points.
• Getting fancy with your ‘unsubscribe’ link could cost you up to 2.70 points – just tell it how it is. Everyone knows how one works.
• There are triggers that lower your spam score if, for example, sending newsletter and saying it is a newsletter in the subject PLUS including a date could reduce the spam score by -1.60 points!
• Finally, if your message is between 20k – 40k in size then you will find that you reduce your spam score again. Get too big or too small and it will have the opposite effect.

Every time we send out our emails, they are tested to ensure that they are not deemed as spam. If you are not getting into the inboxes of your customers and want to know why, then give us a ring today on 0845 838 7435 email me directly on jen@juretic.com

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When you send out your beautiful email, you want to make sure that it gets to the recipient. If you are about to carry out an email marketing campaign then it is important to consider, not only your design and message, but also if your email is going to trigger any spam filters that could stop it from getting to the inbox of your potential customers.

How much spam mail do you get on a daily basis? Thankfully since our move over to Google Apps we no longer get any emails for Viagra. This does however indicate our desire to protect ourselves against spam and to put powerful safeguards in place against unsolicited emails.

The last thing that anyone who is embarking on an email marketing campaign wants is to have their carefully crafted email considered as spam, however this can happen regardless of whether individuals on your mailing list are part of an opt-in list.

ISP’s use routers to detect where an email has come from and can block it. This is usually because the particular domain has been blacklisted and it can also block emails that use ‘Spam Trigger Words’.

Whenever we send out an email, we run a test using our email software to analyse the email’s spam score. Anything under 5.0 is generally not considered spam therefore it is worth knowing which words can increase your spam score and stop you getting through to the people that matter to your business.

We have compiled a list of known spam trigger words to help ensure that your email marketing campaign reaches your target audience.

The major spam filter trigger word offenders:

$$$
100% free
Ad
Affordable
Amazing stuff
Apply now
Auto email removal
Billion
Cash bonus
Cheap
Collect child support
Compare rates
Compete for your business
Credit
Credit bureaus
Dig up dirt on friends
Double your income
Earn $
Earn extra cash
Eliminate debt
Email marketing
Explode your business
Extra income
F r e e
Fast cash
Financial freedom
Financially independent
Free
Free gift
Free grant money
Free info
Free installation
Free investment
Free leads
Free membership
Free offer
Free preview
Guarantee
‘Hidden’ assets
Home based
Homebased business
Income from home
Increase sales
Increase traffic
Increase your sales
Incredible deal
Info you requested
Information you requested
Internet market
Leave
Limited time offer
Make $
Mortgage Rates
Multi level marketing
No investment
Obligation
Online marketing
Opportunity
Order Now
Prices
Promise you
Refinance
Remove
Reverses aging
Save $
Search engine listings
Serious cash
Stock disclaimer statement
Stop snoring
Thousands
Unsubscribe
Web traffic
Weight loss

Other spam filter trigger words to be aware of:

4U
Accept credit cards
Acceptance
Accordingly
Act now! Don’t hesitate!
Additional income
Addresses on CD
All natural
Amazing
Apply Online
As seen on
Auto email removal
Avoid bankruptcy
Be amazed
Be your own boss
Being a member
Beneficiary
Beverage
Big bucks
Bill 1618
Billing address
Billion dollars
Brand new pager
Bulk email
Buy direct
Buying judgments
Cable converter
Call free
Call now
Calling creditors
Cancel at any time
Cannot be combined with any other offer
Can’t live without
Cash bonus
Cashcashcash
Casino
Cell phone cancer scam
Cents on the dollar
Certified
Check or money order
Click below
Click here link
Click to remove
Click to remove mailto
Compare rates
Compete for your business
Confidentially on all orders
Congratulations
Consolidate debt and credit
Copy accurately
Copy DVDs
Credit bureaus
Credit card offers
Cures baldness
Dainty
Dear email
Dear friend
Dear somebody
Diagnostics
Different reply to
Dig up dirt on friends
Direct email
Direct marketing
Discusses search engine listings
Do it today
Don’t delete
Dormant
Drastically reduced
Earn per week
Easy terms
Eliminate bad credit
Email harvest
Email marketing
Expect to earn
Fantastic deal
Fast Viagra delivery
Financial freedom
Find out anything
For free
For instant access
For just $ (some amt)
Free access
Free cell phone
Free consultation
Free DVD
Free grant money
Free hosting
Free installation
Free investment
Free leads
Free membership
Free money
Free offer
Free preview
Free priority mail
Free quote
Free sample
Free trial
Free website
Full refund
get it now
Get paid
Get started now
Gift certificate
Great offer
Guarantee
Have you been turned down?
Hidden assets
Home employment
Human growth hormone
If only it were that easy
In accordance with laws
Increase sales
Increase traffic
Insurance
Investment decision
It’s effective
Join millions of Americans
Laser printer
Limited time only
Long distance phone offer
Lose weight Spam
Lower interest rates
Lower monthly payment
Lowest price
Luxury car
Mail in order form
Maintained
Marketing solutions
Mass email
Medium
Meet singles
Member stuff
Message contains disclaimer
MLM
Money back
Money making
Month trial offer
More Internet traffic
Mortgage rates
Multi level marketing
Name brand
New customers only
New domain extensions
Nigerian
No age restrictions
No catch
No claim forms
No cost
No credit check
No disappointment
No experience
No fees
No gimmick
No inventory
No investment
No medical exams
No middleman
No obligation
No purchase necessary
No questions asked
No selling
No strings attached
Not intended
Off shore
Offer expires
Offers coupon
Offers extra cash
Offers free (often stolen) passwords
Once in lifetime
One hundred percent free
One hundred percent guaranteed
One time mailing
Online biz opportunity
Online pharmacy
Only $
Opportunity
Opt in
Order now
Order status
Orders shipped by priority mail
Organization
Outstanding values
Paste
Pennies a day
Percent
Perpetual
Please read
Potential earnings
Presently
Print form signature
Print out and fax
Produced and sent out
Profits
Promise you …!
Pure profit
Real thing
Reciprocal
Refinance home
Removal instructions
Remove
Remove subject
Removes wrinkles
Reply remove subject
Requires initial investment
Reserves the right
Reverses aging
Risk free
Round the world
S 1618
Safeguard notice
Satisfaction guaranteed
Save $
Save big money
Save up to
Score with babes
Section 301
Sincerely
Somebody
Special promotion
Statements
Stop snoring
Urgent

Next: Avoiding the spam box

If you want to talk to us about your email marketing, then pick up the phone and dial 0845 838 7435 or email me directly on jen@juretic.com

There are four main rules when it comes to email marketing, which are governed by the Privacy and Electronics Communications Regulations Act 2003 (EC Directive) and Data Protection Act ’98.

1. Permission and Consent

You must have permission to contact the person that you are emailing i.e.: they must have opted in at some point. There are three ways in which they could have opted-in:

» Their email was collected in the course of a sale or negotiation – this could have been whilst making an online quote or filling in a survey. The sale does not have to have been completed, but they have to have been given the opportunity to either opt-in or opt-out at some stage in the process.

» They have agreed to receive emails regarding a similar product or service.

» They simply did not opt-out – they must have been given this option in the first place.

2. Who

If you are emailing then you must not conceal who you are – the recipient must know who the email is from.

3. Valid

The email that you are sending must have a valid originating email address via which they can contact you for opting-out purposes.

4. Unsubscribe

You must provide the facility to unsubscribe from your emails.

Consumer Data and Business Data

The ‘grey areas’ of email marketing apply to consumer data and business data. If you have had a relationship with a company or organisation then you can market directly to them. You can even collect data on companies from resources like open directories (or even Yellow Pages) and use this data to directly market to. This does not, however, apply to consumer data where they have to at some point agreed to receive emails from you. Whether you are talking to a consumer or corporate audience you must always follow points 2,3 and 4.

Buying Data

The data that you buy could have been collected one of many different ways including surveys, telephone interviews, online questionnaires or from a 3rd party. If you are buying data then you can be assured (as long as the company is reputable of course) that it has passed all of the checks for consent and permission and now all you have to do is make sure that they know who you are, allow them to opt-out and make sure that they can contact you should they so wish to do so.

If you are at all confused by email marketing, then why not contact us and we’ll be more than happy to explain the opt-ins from the opt-outs.

We are often asked what the ideal open rate should be for a particular client email campaign. To answer this it is important to consider several factors about the people that you are talking to.

Do you know your audience and do they know you?

If you are in regular contact with the people in your database and this list is compiled of people who have opted-in to receive your correspondence or have made a purchase from you, you can expect a higher open rate than if you are ‘cold-call’ emailing them.

How often do you speak to them and do they want to hear from you?

If these lucky people receive interesting and compelling emails from you on a monthly basis (and you know they want to), then you can expect to have a good open rate and bit of interaction with your target audience.

If this is the first time that you have spoken to this audience, either because the list has never been used because it has sat around for a few years (and the addresses have possibly expired) or because they are part of a bought list, then you cannot expect to have a high open rate. Equally, if you have been spamming them – sending them loads of emails every week – then they are less likely to want to open your emails.

Email Marketing works as three different marketing tools. Firstly, it helps you to cleanse your database for people that actually want to hear from you, getting rid of those who don’t, and ultimately giving you a higher open rate.

Email Marketing also acts as a marketing ‘brand’ exposure tool, getting your brand ‘out there’ to the masses. If this is the first time that you have emailed a particular group of people you cannot expect a huge reaction from them straight away. You have to build a relationship and trust associated with your brand, which takes time.

For every email that you send out asking someone to buy something there will be those who make a purchase straight away and those who don’t need your service right now, but will remember who you are and make a purchase at a later date. There are even those who one day are surfing the web and stumble across you and feel a certain tie to your brand because of the email that you once sent to them and there are those who will begin to see your brand name synonymous with what you do.

The results that you get from your email should be measured by the reaction that you were hoping for (sales, enquiries etc) and the remit of your email. Remember that if you are asking people to do something, such as fill in a form, you should make this process as simple as possible; the simpler the process, the more likely you are of a result.

B2B emails have a higher open rate than B2C emails and the more that you send, the more of a reaction you will get. If we have to talk figures, and I know that is what you want, then I would say that on a B2B email anything between 10% – 20% is a sound open rate and on a consumer email you can expect to see a much lower percentage of around 5 – 10%, but again, this is down to the receptiveness of your audience in the first place.

If you want to talk to us about your email marketing, then call us on 0845 838 7435 or email us here.

These are my top tips for creating an effective email marketing campaign. This is by no means the law, but hopefully it is something that you can take away and will give you some food for thought.

1. Understand your Audience

Get inside the mindset of your audience. This will give you an idea of what they would find interesting and what will grab and hold their attention. This is the fundamental underpinning of email marketing and determines your message and how you are going to say it. Get this right, and you are halfway there.

2. What is your subject line

This is the second most important factor in email marketing and is the difference between an opened email and a deleted email. Appeal to the individual in your audience and inspire them to take action. Think about the group of people that you are emailing; what they have got in common and personalise the email to interest them, even split the email database by their interests and personalise the subject accordingly.

3. Consider who the email is from

Are the recipients going to recognise who the email is from? Do they know your brand? If they do, then why not consider sending the email from someone that they would know from within your organisation. If they don’t know who you are, then remember that email marketing also works as a brand exposure exercise, so if they don’t know you that well right now, they soon will.

4. Your Message

Make sure that your message is clear, worth reading and original and not just someone else’s words regurgitated. Make it worth the recipient’s while to open your newsletter; whether it is a discount, some top tips or a recipe for treacle tart.  Give them something to think about.

5. Consider your email design

Once you have got people to open your email, you want them to read what you have got to say. A well thought-out email, with a nice design and clear layout will do just that and can even inspire them to visit your website. If you want them to visit your website, then emulate the look and navigation of your website to get some coherence, which will help them to work their way around your site.

6. Personality

Emails with a personality and an actual person behind them help to build an affinity between your business and your audience. If you are sending a newsletter, then keeping it corporate might not be the way to go, so why not try and introduce a human element into it that people can identify with. One of my favourite examples of this has to be Innocent Smoothies who are fun, not only in the way that they look, but also in the language that they use, inviting you to read and learn more about them.

7. Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

This sounds obvious, but check for typos, spelling mistakes and that the links work. My favourite email faux pas is a ‘branded’ email, gone wrong. You know the kind I mean. ‘Dear Jen’ reads ‘Dear [company name]‘ etc. Not good for your image. Everybody makes mistakes, and everyone knows that, but it does make you look a bit daft, so test it and send it to your colleagues.

8. Signing up

There are several ways in which your email database could have signed up to receive your newsletter. They could have gone to your site and opted-in, in which case they are probably counting down the days until they get your next newsletter or they bought something from your site and never opted-out. Make sure that you manage your database and give people the ability to opt-out should they so desire to do so. Give them the option to tell a friend about you with a ‘forward to a friend’ facility, always allowing your database to grow. A well-maintained database is an engaged database and a strong platform from which to talk to your audience.

9. Sending

There are lots of myths about when to send out your email.  When is a bad time?  When the best time is?  There is no real ‘general’ good day or perfect time; it just has to be right for your audience. If you are a B2B type of business, then try sending out an email on a Tuesday mid-morning or look at when your existing audience is hitting your site and that should give you a good indication.

10. Spamming and Filters

There are certain words that are looked for when you send an email that will inhibit an email from getting into someone’s inbox, so don’t spam your email. Equally do not spam your database, emailing them every week. In the same vein, if you are emailing your audience every month, then keep them engaged by varying what you have got to say.

If you would like a bespoke email marketing campaign, then why not pick up the phone and give us a call on 0845 838 7435, or why not drop me a line?