{"id":1925,"date":"2022-01-17T10:50:38","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T07:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/?p=1925"},"modified":"2022-01-17T10:50:38","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T07:50:38","slug":"why-do-your-business-emails-go-to-spam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/why-do-your-business-emails-go-to-spam\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do your business emails go to spam?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When your emails end up in the spam folder, your entire email marketing campaign takes a serious hit. From careful message design to personalized offers, all efforts are in vain unless the email lands in the recipient\u2019s inbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, many marketers make common mistakes that ruin their campaign\u2019s ROI. To make sure your messages always reach your audience, you have to spam-proof them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are asking yourself, \u201cwhy are my emails going to spam?\u201d, you may want to take a closer look at your email marketing strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Review the CAN-SPAM Act<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the main reasons why your messages are ending up in spam folders is the failure to follow the CAN-SPAM act. While you may think you are doing an excellent job, some tactics could be taking you closer to violating the act.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make sure you are in the clear:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Never use deceptive information in the header or subject lines. While it may seem appealing, grabbing a reader\u2019s attention by using deceptive tactics or spammy subject lines won\u2019t help secure any conversions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Be transparent about the nature of the message. If your marketing email is an advertisement, make sure it identifies itself as such. While there aren\u2019t strict guidelines on how you should let the recipient know about it, make sure you do.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Make sure the reader can always opt-out. Each email should have an opt-out option like an unsubscribe button or an unsubscribe link. By not giving the recipient an opportunity to say \u201cno\u201d to your marketing emails, you aren\u2019t just violating the act. You are leaving a low-potential email address on your list, thus hindering your email list hygiene. If the reader opts out, make sure to remove their address immediately.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you don\u2019t send spam, you can still violate the CAN-SPAM act. Each violation can result in<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/tips-advice\/business-center\/guidance\/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a fine that exceeds $40,000<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. So besides hindering your email marketing efforts, not following the act can take a serious toll on your budget.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Check Your Segmentation Strategy<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your emails are regularly marked as spam, you may not be reaching out to the right target audience. People on your email list could be interested in your products in general. However, they may not be getting the right offers from you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you aren\u2019t sending spam, your recipients may think you are. That\u2019s why they either delete messages or send them to the spam folder. Eventually, this behavior becomes suspicious to mailbox providers and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/how-to-get-removed-from-email-blacklists\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> they blacklist you<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The simple way out is to review your audience. Perhaps, the time has come to adjust your segmentation strategy and add more personalization to your messages.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Review Your Email List<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you are building an email list, you are likely to add as many addresses as possible. While it can improve your marketing efforts, this could also send your messages to the recipient\u2019s spam folder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People tend to change their addresses, adjust their preferences, and simply abandon their inboxes. In all these cases, your email message could end up in the spam box.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple way out is to implement robust email list hygiene. Add an<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/email-validator\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> email validator<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to your email marketing software toolbox. With this program, you can check your email list within minutes and find out how many invalid or inactive email addresses you are working with.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By cleaning your list, you are improving your marketing ROI, enhancing your sender reputation with the email service provider, boosting email deliverability, and avoiding the junk folder.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Avoid Spam Trigger Words<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the \u201cbest\u201d ways to trigger spam filters of a reputable email service provider is to use spam words. Many email marketers are very surprised by how simple, not-spammy words in legitimate emails or subject lines turn into email spam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t want to alert spam filters and upset email service providers, you have to take a closer look at common spam words. HubSpot did an excellent job collecting<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/blog\/tabid\/6307\/bid\/30684\/the-ultimate-list-of-email-spam-trigger-words.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> all of them in one place<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Take the time to check your content against the list. You may be surprised at what you find.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn\u2019t mean you have to avoid these words entirely. To bypass spam triggers, make sure not to overdo it and keep dangerous words out of the subject line.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Ask for Permission<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the easiest ways to drown in spam complaints is to buy an email list.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/permission-email-marketing-why-does-it-matter\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sending messages without permission<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is likely to help them settle in the spam folder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider using<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/what-is-a-drip-campaign\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> drip campaigns<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make sure that your email subscribers are actually happy to get your emails. As soon as someone signs up for your list, an automatic message must go out to confirm their decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This way you won\u2019t just avoid the spam folder. You can improve your email marketing efforts and keep the email provider happy.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Check Your IP Address<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your emails could be triggering spam filters simply because it has been compromised. If IP addresses are used to send spam emails, the IP reputation suffers. So even if you\u2019ve never sent a spam email before, you could still face reputation issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple way to avoid this problem is to work with a reputable email service provider. They usually have robust protocols in place to prevent these problems. Take the choice of email providers seriously. Their reputation can affect your entire campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Reconnect With Your Subscribers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it has been a while since you\u2019ve dropped anything useful in the recipients inboxes, they can easily forget about you. With large amounts of information and marketing materials people face in their inboxes daily, it\u2019s easy to forget who is who.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make sure your subscribers know who you are, you have to build close relationships with them. A solid marketing campaign involves seamless communication with your audience. Make sure to check your email list to see which subscribers you haven\u2019t connected with lately.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If they don\u2019t recognize you, they could be spending your messages to spam regularly, thus hurting your entire campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Work on the \u201cFrom\u201d Line<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the main reasons why your messages are going to spam is poor \u201cfrom\u201d data. The \u201cfrom\u201d line tells your subscriber where the email is coming from. It has to be as accurate as possible. You may be sending spammy-looking emails without knowing it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you set up an email marketing campaign, take a careful approach to designing the \u201cfrom\u201d field. It should reflect what your company is about without any misleading information. To make the email more personal, companies often use the first names of the senders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, a flower shop\u2019s \u201cfrom\u201d line can look like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jenny from Tom\u2019s Flower Shop<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Tom\u2019s Flower Shop<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Offers from Tom\u2019s Flower Shop<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t leave the from line empty either. While flowershop@gmail.com may be transparent, it doesn\u2019t sound friendly or personal. It will not send your email to spam but won\u2019t catch the recipient\u2019s attention either.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Work on Email Authentication<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A common reason your emails are going to spam is the wrong email authentication setup. Authentication authorizes the email services to send messages on your behalf. Once authenticated, they appear with your sending domain name even when mailed by another party.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A poorly set up authentication could send your messages directly into a spam box. While there are several email authentication methods, the most popular approaches are DomainKey Identified Mail, DMARC, and Sender Policy Framework.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are using an automated email service and notice that your messages are ending up in the spam folder, take care of proper authentication.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Rethink Your Attachments<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attachments are a thing of the past. Today, to send a marketing email, you don\u2019t need to attach any special offers as documents. All you need is to add a link or insert an image into the message\u2019s body. However, some companies keep attaching files because it seems like an easier thing to do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attachments are a big red flag for most spam filters. No matter how legit they are, a service provider could view them as spam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you must send an attachment, consider uploading the file to Google Drive or DropBox. This way it can pass the spam filters unnoticed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Streamline Email Engagement<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another important reason for spam issues is a lack of engagement. If your subscribers aren\u2019t opening your emails, your open rate suffers. Eventually, the email service decides that your emails aren\u2019t good enough to end up in their users\u2019 inboxes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work on your email marketing strategy to make your messages more appealing and ensure at least some engagement. You can also go back to reviewing the email list. The lack of engagement could mean that some of the addresses are inactive.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Takeaway<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The common reasons why your emails are ending up in spam folders include poor message design, spam-triggering words, bad IP reputation, and spam law violations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To fix the problem, take the time to rethink your approach to email marketing, review your email provider, and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/6-email-list-management-best-practices\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> manage your email list<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> well. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When your emails end up in the spam folder, your entire email marketing campaign takes a serious hit. From careful message design to personalized offers, all efforts are in vain unless the email lands in the recipient\u2019s inbox. Unfortunately, many marketers make common mistakes that ruin their campaign\u2019s ROI. To make sure your messages always [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1926,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1925"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1927,"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1925\/revisions\/1927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.byteplant.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}