Email has become an essential communication tool for both personal and business purposes. Whether you’re sending out marketing campaigns, business updates, or even a casual message to a friend, there’s nothing more frustrating than finding out that your carefully crafted email has ended up in the spam folder.
But how do you ensure that your emails land in the inbox where they belong, and what is the best email management system you should be using to help with this? Let’s dive into the details…
- Choosing the right email management system
- Why do emails end up in spam?
- How to prevent emails from going into spam
Choosing the right email management system
Mailchimp
If you’re sending bulk emails or newsletters, Mailchimp is a highly popular choice in the UK, they are the No. 1 AI-powered email marketing and automation platform currently. It's specifically designed for email marketing and offers a range of features such as automated campaigns, audience segmentation, and analytics.
Mailchimp’s email management system is designed to help you stay within email best practices, which is important when trying to avoid the spam folder. In addition to this, they also recommend ways to get more opens, clicks and sales, and have an SMS platform. If you choose Mailchimp you also have the opportunity to use their AI to create effective marketing campaigns, which can help you write the first draft, create branded content at scale with an AI creative assistant or drive sales with AI-powered product recommendations.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo is another option for email marketing, and a SaaS solution. It provides a user-friendly interface and advanced automation tools, making it easy to send targeted campaigns. Brevo also has strong deliverability rates and compliance tools to help ensure your emails land in the inbox rather than spam.
Whether you’re using their email management system to share professional emails and newsletters that look great on all screen sizes, prefer to build from scratch with a drag and drop editor or choose a ready-made template, they have a range of options to choose from. They also use AI to help boost efficiency with AI-generated subject lines and email content, if needed.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact is an email marketing platform that focuses on ease of use and strong customer support. It offers robust templates, automation, and analytics to help businesses optimise their email campaigns. Its deliverability tools help prevent emails from being marked as spam, ensuring your messages reach your audience effectively. They have tools designed to make your life easier, whether you’re starting out or opening a new location, choose from email, social media posts to text messages and more. Their tools are conveniently fully integrated with apps you may already use like Canva, Vimeo, Shopify and Stripe, and you can access reporting and data analysis to review what’s working and what’s not.
Hubspot
HubSpot provides an email management marketing solution as part of its broader customer relationship management (CRM) platform. It offers powerful automation, personalisation, and tracking features. HubSpot’s system is designed to help businesses improve engagement while maintaining strong deliverability standards. They have lots of different product options that include additional marketing tools or other tools to help with sales and customer service.
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is a popular choice for businesses looking for a sophisticated, yet, user-friendly email marketing platform. It offers visually appealing templates, automation, and segmentation tools to enhance email performance. Their solutions are designed for your specific size, industry and maturity, giving you the technology and expertise you need to grow the relationships that grow your business, from customer acquisition to engagement to loyalty.
Why do emails end up in spam?
Understanding why emails end up in spam is the first step in preventing it. There are several reasons why emails might be flagged as spam…
- Poor subject lines
Subject lines that seem suspicious or overly promotional are more likely to trigger spam filters. Phrases like "Free", "Guaranteed", or excessive use of exclamation marks can raise red flags, and get your email sent straight to the dreaded spam folder.
- Sending from an unverified domain
If you're using a new or unverified email domain, your emails are more likely to be flagged as spam. Spam filters use domain reputation to determine whether or not to trust an email.
- Lack of authentication
Emails that aren’t properly authenticated, for instance, missing DKIM or SPF records, are more likely to be flagged as spam. These authentication methods help prove the legitimacy of the email’s sender.
- Content and links
Emails with content that contains too many links or attachments, or that resemble phishing attempts, are often marked as spam. This includes emails with misleading or irrelevant content.
- Inconsistent sending patterns
Sudden spikes in email volume, particularly from new senders, can make spam filters suspicious. It’s best to gradually increase email volume over time if you're running a campaign.
- High bounce rates
If a lot of your emails bounce back (because of invalid addresses or incorrect domains), it can negatively impact your sender reputation and increase the likelihood of future emails being flagged as spam.
How to prevent emails from going into spam
Now that you know why emails end up in spam, here’s how to avoid it and get on top of your email management system.
1. Verify your domain
Make sure your domain is authenticated with SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). These methods help prove that your emails are legitimate and not from a malicious source.
2. Check your email list
Make sure you’re sending emails to valid addresses. Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid addresses and minimise bounce rates. Also, avoid purchasing email lists, as they often result in high bounce rates and spam complaints.
3. Write clear, relevant subject lines
Write subject lines that clearly reflect the content of the email. Avoid overly salesy language and steer clear of using all caps or excessive punctuation, which can trigger spam filters.
4. Personalise your emails
Emails that feel personal and tailored to the recipient are less likely to be marked as spam. Use your recipient’s name, and make sure the content is relevant to them.
5. Include an unsubscribe option
Always provide recipients with an easy way to opt out of receiving further emails. Not only is this a legal requirement in many countries, including the UK, but it helps maintain a good sender reputation.
6. Monitor your email performance
Keep track of how your emails are performing. High open rates and low bounce rates signal to email providers that you’re a legitimate sender. If your emails consistently go unopened or are marked as spam by recipients, it can harm your sender reputation.
7. Avoid spammy content
Stay away from excessive links, large attachments, and phrases that might look spammy (like "free gift", "limited time offer", or "urgent"). Keep your emails clean and focused on the recipient’s needs.
Choosing the right and best email management system, taking proactive steps to prevent your emails from being flagged as spam, and knowing the common mistakes to avoid, can greatly improve your email deliverability.
Whether you’re using Gmail, Outlook, Mailchimp, or another service, following these best practices will help ensure your messages land where they should, in the inbox. At Rawww, we have years of experience helping clients maximise their communications through powerful email marketing. Get in touch with us to help keep your email communication flowing smoothly, without worrying about your emails getting lost in the spam folder.
