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What is Email Deliverability and Why Does It Matter?

Okay, let's dive into email deliverability. Ever wonder why some of your carefully crafted emails end up in the abyss of the spam folder? It's a common headache, but understanding deliverability is the first step to fixing it.

Simply put, email deliverability is whether your email actually reaches the recipient's inbox—you know, the place where people are likely to see it. It's not just about hitting their server, it's about bypassing those pesky spam filters and landing in the right spot, whether that's the primary inbox or a promotions tab.

• Think of it like this: you could send a package (your email), but deliverability determines if it gets left on the doorstep (inbox) or tossed in the neighbor's trash (spam).
• For SaaS providers, good deliverability is crucial for everything from onboarding new users with helpful tips to sending out important product updates, and even for basic customer support.
• If your emails aren't getting through, you're not just missing out on potential conversions—you're damaging your brand's reputation.

For SaaS businesses, email is often the lifeblood of customer communication. A recent study highlights the criticality of email, noting that 81% of smbs use email as their primary channel to communicate with clients. This makes deliverability even more important, so it's a good thing to keep front of mind.

It's easy to mix up delivery rate and deliverability, but they're not the same.

Think of delivery rate as whether the post office accepted your package. Did it make it to the recipient's local facility?

Deliverability, on the other hand, is whether the recipient actually got the package in their hands. Did it make it into their mailbox?

A high delivery rate but low deliverability means your emails are technically being "sent," but they're not reaching their intended destination. That's a problem!

As a SaaS provider, fixing this may mean investing in better email marketing tools. ActiveCampaign is one of the platforms that can provide great service.

Key Factors Influencing Email Deliverability

Okay, so you're sending emails, but are they actually landing where they should? Deliverability is way more complex than just hitting "send." It's about navigating a minefield of spam filters and inbox algorithms.

Think of your sender reputation as your email credit score. ISPs (internet service providers) assign this based on your sending habits. If, for instance, you suddenly crank up your email volume, it's like maxing out a credit card. Red flag!

• Consistency is key. Sending emails regularly helps build trust. If you are in healthcare, this might mean consistent updates on new regulations, and for retail, sending out weekly promotional offers.
• Engagement matters. Opens, clicks, and replies tell ISPs people want your emails. Spam complaints? Those are major dings to your score.
• Volume also plays a part. Don't go from sending 100 emails a week to 10,000 overnight. That looks super suspicious.

Email authentication is like showing your id to get into a club. It proves you are who you say you are.

• SPF records authorize which servers can send emails for your domain. It's like a list of approved addresses.
• DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, verifying that the content hasn't been tampered with.
• DMARC tells email providers what to do with emails that fail authentication. Reject them? Quarantine them? It's your call.

Imagine you're hosting a party, but half the guests are no-shows or crashers. That's what a dirty email list is like.

• Regularly prune your list. Remove invalid or inactive subscribers. They're just weighing you down.
• Double opt-in is your friend. Confirming subscriptions weeds out bots and typos.
• Never buy or rent lists. Seriously. Just don't. Those lists are usually full of spam traps and uninterested people.

Your email's content is just as important as who's sending it.

• Subject lines matter. Be clear, relevant, and avoid those spammy words that trigger filters.
• Text-to-image ratio is key. Too many images and not enough text? That looks suspicious.
• Value, value, value. Make sure your emails offer something useful to subscribers.

Actionable Strategies to Improve Your Email Deliverability

Alright, let's talk email deliverability – this stuff can be a real pain, right? You spend hours crafting the perfect email, only to have it vanish into the digital ether. What gives? Turns out, there's a lot more to it than just hitting "send."

Let's get straight to it, implementing a double opt-in process is like having a bouncer at the door of your email list. You're making sure only the real partygoers get in.

• This means that when someone subscribes, they get a confirmation email they have to click. It's that extra step that confirms they actually want to receive your emails, ensuring subscribers actively confirm their subscription.
• Think of it this way: it's like asking, "Are you sure you want to hear from us?" This weeds out typos, bots, and people who signed up accidentally.
• For a SaaS company, this can mean the difference between sending onboarding emails to engaged users vs. a bunch of dead email addresses. It reduces the risk of spam complaints and invalid email addresses.
• Plus, it means your list is full of people who actually want to hear what you have to say. That's good for engagement right from the start. It improves list quality and engagement from the start.

Think of your email list like a garden. You gotta weed it regularly, or it'll get overrun with stuff you don't want. Weeding the email list means that you are removing hard bounces, inactive subscribers, and spam traps.

• Hard bounces are emails that will never go through because the address is invalid. Get rid of 'em.
• Inactive subscribers haven't opened your emails in ages. Time to say goodbye (or try a re-engagement campaign!).
• Spam traps are fake email addresses used to catch spammers. If you've got these, it's a bad sign.
• Tools can validate if the email addresses are correct. You can validate email addresses by using email verification tools.
• You can send targeted re-engagement campaigns and segment your list based on engagement. This will help you to catch their attention.

Okay, so you've got a clean list of engaged subscribers. Now, what do you send them? Optimizing email content is about crafting compelling subject lines that avoid spammy words and phrases.

• Subject lines are your first impression. Don't be clickbaity or deceptive. Be clear, concise, and relevant.
• Personalization goes a long way. Use their name, reference past purchases, or tailor content to their interests. I mean, who doesn't like feeling special?
• Make sure your emails look good on any device. Nobody wants to squint or scroll horizontally on their phone. Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly and accessible. To do this, use responsive design, optimize images for faster loading, and always test your emails across different devices and email clients before sending.

This is where things get a little technical, but trust me, it's worth it. Setting up and monitoring authentication protocols is about configuring spf, dkim, and dmarc records correctly.

• SPF records say which servers are allowed to send emails on your behalf.
• DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, proving they haven't been tampered with.
• DMARC tells email providers what to do with emails that fail authentication.
• Regularly monitoring your sender reputation and addressing any issues promptly is key. It's like checking your credit score – you want to catch any problems early.
• You can verify your authentication setup by using tools.

Alright, let's talk solutions. Mailazy's Email api and smtp integration can help you send transactional emails with high deliverability.

• Utilize Mailazy's logs and analytics for performance monitoring and identify deliverability issues. For example, detailed logs can show you exactly why an email failed to deliver, allowing for quick correction.
• Implement webhooks for real-time notifications to stay informed about email events. This means you can be alerted instantly to delivery failures or bounces, enabling prompt action.
• Mailazy's powerful infrastructure for scalable email sending is perfect for saas providers. It can handle the volume without sacrificing deliverability.

So, there you have it – a few actionable strategies to boost your email deliverability. It might seem like a lot, but trust me, it's worth the effort.

Tools and Resources for Monitoring Email Deliverability

Ever wonder if your emails are actually doing their job, or just vanishing into the void? Turns out, keeping tabs on your email deliverability is kinda crucial, and there's a whole bunch of tools to help you do just that.

These tools are like detectives for your emails, helping you figure out if they're hitting the mark or getting lost along the way. They analyze your email content, authentication, and where your emails land across different providers.

• Mail-tester is a free tool that dives deep into your email's content and authentication setup. Send an email to the address they give you, and it'll give you the lowdown on what's working and what's not. A score above 8/10 is generally good, with specific attention paid to authentication and spam trigger words.
• Glockapps takes it a step further, checking where your emails actually end up—inbox or spam—across a bunch of different email providers. It's like having eyes in all the inboxes. Look for a high inbox placement rate and low spam folder percentage.
• MXToolbox is like a health inspector for your domain. It keeps an eye on your domain's overall health and lets you know if you're on any blacklists. Nobody wants to be on a blacklist, trust me. Being off all major blacklists is the goal.

It's not just about the emails themselves; it's about who's sending them. Your sender reputation is like your email credit score, and these tools help you keep it in good shape.

• Google Postmaster Tools is your go-to if you're sending to Gmail users. It gives you the inside scoop on your sender reputation, spam complaints, and other key metrics. Pay close attention to your IP and domain reputation scores, and keep spam complaint rates as close to zero as possible.
• Other third-party services keep an eye on your blacklist status and sender score. They're basically like credit monitoring for your email sending.

Dirty data will kill your deliverability, its true. Like, if you're sending to a bunch of dead or fake email addresses, it's gonna hurt your reputation.

• BriteVerify and ZeroBounce are like bouncers for your email list, validating email addresses and kicking out the invalid ones. Aim for a very low bounce rate (ideally under 1-2%) after using these tools.
• These tools help you keep your list clean and engaged, which is great for the long haul.

Using these tools, you can ensure your emails are actually reaching the people who want them, and that you're not damaging your sender reputation in the process.

Common Email Deliverability Mistakes to Avoid

Alright, let's wrap things up. Deliverability, it's not just a buzzword, it's the difference between your emails being seen and being ignored. Mess it up, and well, your carefully planned campaigns are essentially invisible.

• Sending Emails Without Permission: Look, nobody likes spam. Sending emails to purchased lists is a surefire way to get marked as a spammer. Always get explicit consent; it's not just good practice, it's the law, especially with regulations like can-spam and gdpr breathing down your neck. These laws require clear consent and provide recipients with easy ways to opt-out, and failing to comply can lead to hefty fines and severely damage your sender reputation.
• Ignoring Email Authentication: Not setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC? That's like leaving your front door wide open. You're practically inviting spoofing and phishing attacks, which hurts your sender reputation badly. Proper authentication tells inbox providers that you are who you say you are, significantly increasing trust.
• Neglecting List Hygiene: An outdated email list is a liability. Failing to remove hard bounces and inactive subscribers is a recipe for deliverability disasters and makes it difficult to meet the standards expected by inbox providers like Gmail, Yahoo!, Outlook, and Apple Mail. These providers monitor engagement and bounce rates closely.
• Using Spammy Language and Tactics: Misleading subject lines, excessive caps, and sales pitches that are too aggressive? Those are red flags for spam filters and subscribers alike. Keep it real, keep it relevant, and don't shout.

These mistakes? They're more common than you think, even among seasoned marketers.

These mistakes can have vastly different impacts depending on your industry. For example, imagine a finance company bombarding potential clients with emails promising unrealistic returns – that's a fast track to the spam folder. On the other hand, a healthcare provider sending regular, consented updates on health regulations? That builds trust and keeps them out of trouble.

It's about respect, relevance, and responsibility.

And remember, email marketing is a long game. Focus on building trust, providing value, and keeping your lists clean, and you'll be well on your way to email deliverability success.