Email is not like real estate. In real estate it’s "location, location, location", but with email marketing it’s "reputation, reputation, reputation." And, short of moving a house its location is fixed; the same is not true of your email sender reputation. So here are some reputation maintenance tips to help keep you in good standing with the internet service providers and your email subscribers.

1) Use double opt-in for your email subscriptions. Why?  Because:

a) bad email addresses can’t confirm a subscription;
b) spam traps won’t either.

Read: Permission Email Marketing: "Permission" Is Not Optional
and Email-Deliverability Trouble Spots

2) Create feedback loops.
Read: Field Guide to North American Feedback Loops

3) Get whitelisted.
Read: How to Get on a Whitelist

4) Minimize complaints:

a) Be sure your emails are easily identified as yours.
Read: Recognition is the New Email Must-Have

b) When you get spam complaints - analyze them - they provide valuable feedback.

c) Clean your mailing lists. Weed out the poor performers. If they never open or never convert - are they really worth your effort?
Read: Why (List) Size Isn't Everything

d) Make the unsubscribe process visible and easy to use. This may seem counter-intuitive, but if the ‘spam’ button is easier to find – that's bad.
Read: Unsubscribing: Marketers Can Get More Out of Goodbye

e) Segment your lists. Send most frequently to recipients who open your emails, click on your links or buy your products - they want your email. Stay in touch with others if you must, but remember: old email addresses that are inactive can be spam traps.
Read: Getting Better Results with Segmenting

f) Keep your recipients engaged and wanting your emails. Interestingly, an email marketer who previously struggled with delivery issues found only two things of importance for improving open rates and conversions: the offer (aka ‘call to action’) and the creative, which was a distant second. When did his rates peak? When he made a 25% off offer. This isn’t to say that offering a discount is the answer to engaging your recipients, but that a compelling call to action is. And it's extremely important for establishing, maintaining, and improving your sender reputation.
Read: 8 Tips for a Stronger Call to Action

g) Encourage your recipients to use the "not spam” button if your mail ends up there. ISPs pay attention to that as well. They are always testing your recipients' (re)actions to your emails.

5) Use sender authentication tools: SPF, DK, DKIM, and SenderID. For now I recommend using them all.
Read: Why Bother with DomainKeys?

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About the Author

Bill Rauch is a technical account manager at Lyris. He helps his clients with all aspects of their interaction with Lyris products to ensure maximum satisfaction: from hands-on assistance with how-to questions, to coordinating the activities of other departments.

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