Many of our users ask about why their emails land in “spam” but not in the inboxes. Deliverability remains an issue that is hard to figure out. How exactly the system works? Your deliverability depends on three factors:

• Your infrastructure (for recognition and authorization)
• Your reputation (the IP ratings of the domains you send your emails from)
• Your content

Let’s look at how to deal with spam filters and how to take control of your deliverability and optimize your content.  

Your Email May Seem Like Phishing

Phishing means identity theft in digital language. That’s something you encounter all the time in your inbox; but probably don’t give any chance to fool you. That’s because you act so protective which is actually a good thing. That’s also what other people do. They suspect any message they receive and if they don’t know and trust the sender, they simply delete the message or doesn’t take any action, at all. Sometimes, you may receive emails that seem to be coming from a bank you have been working with or another source that you have interacted before. Such phishing efforts are quite successfully prepared and they make it harder for people to know what is a real marketing effort and what is a message to risk their digital identities. As long as these efforts continues, the ISSs (Internet Service Providers) will enhance their protection and make their spam walls thicker. Therefore, it is important to understand the algorithms behind the spam filter and create your email content in compliance with it. Why would you look like a phishing?

• If your email contains sentences like “Verify now”, the spam filters perceives you as phishing. So, don’t use such sensitive triggers with an implication that your email provides or demands sensitive information; unless you are a bank.
• Shortened links make you look like spam; since these shortened links are to hide the real identity of the sender. Use your own web-site links instead.
• Sending emails from a domain name that is not under your control. This is also why your emails don’t reach to their target and you fall into the blacklists if you send from your free webmail accounts. You need to carry out your campaigns from a certified email marketing service to make mass sending.
• HTML coding is another very important determinant for you to pass through the spam filters. A message that is not codded appropriately and compatibly in its HTML codes most probably bumps the wall; because the spam filter cannot read it and sends it to the spam box just to be secure.

Solution? To overcome such problems, it is highly recommended to use mobile-optimized and ready-to-use templates and make your sending from a certified email marketing service. Start your free plan at INBOX and discover more now!  

Use of Language is Important

Most spam filters make spell checks and detect unexpected words and spelling errors. Therefore, using a professional and correct language is also important to climb over the spam barriers. Special names (such as brand and product names) are generally prone to be tackled; since they are not at the vocabulary. So, it is advised that you don’t use such names too often in an email. Moreover, if you have an international mailing list, it is better to create sub-lists for different languages and make sending in the subscribers’ language for each list. The spam filters act on the basis that if a person receives an email that is not the language of the user, it is most likely to be a spam; so, they place it in the spam box. One thing to note here is that you should avoid using letters other than Latin alphabet; unless you send to a certain group of a certain language.  

Focus on Valuable and Informative Content, Not on Sales

Words that evoke ‘sales’ (i.e. buy, add to basket etc.) can land you in the spam boxes, too. When it comes to deliverability, what matters is the interaction between you and your subscribers. Hence, even if you pass through the spam filters, if your subscribers find it irritating when you insist on an ambitious sales strategy, they may manually place you in the spam box and your deliverability rate drops significantly. What you need to do is to create informative content for your emails and let your subscribers click-through when they are interested. There are millions of other ways to advertise your products and services and encourage your subscribers for a sale. Constantly emphasizing a sales-related language is not one of them. Personalization here is an important strategy and asset for email marketers to follow. You should offer your subscribers what they are interested in. Using list segmentation and combining web track with email marketing is a way to increase personalization for your campaigns.