1. Do
not use an enhanced email signature: If your email signature (your
name, contact info, etc.) uses a large font, is boldfaced, or appears in a
different color, this is called "shouting" in email jargon and
Outlook Junk Mail filters and corporate email filters don't like this. Your email
is more likely going to arrive in a spam filter or email junk folder. This is
true for large scale eMarketing campaigns and your individual personalized
emails.
2. Don't
use an HTML email: These
days text base emails stand a better chance at getting past junk mail and
corporate email filters than HTML emails. Besides, if you're using HTML, you're
more likely to take advantage of special fonts, invoking some of the issues
noted in rule #1.
3. Avoid
words like "free": It's one of the most common words activating
junk mail and corporate email filtering. It's right up there with the
prescription dysfunction drug names and other spam alert words and phrases.
4. Don't
use colored fonts: Spam
filters will sometimes filter these out because they think it is an
advertisement, it's similar to rule #1.
5. Don't
italicize, underline or use exclamation points: Again, this is
a form of shouting.
6. Avoid
rush words or phrase: "Act
now, offer good today, respond soon, or sale ends tomorrow" are all
examples of rush words or phrases. This is a big red flag for filters, sounds
like a sales ad and shouldn't be used.
7. Avoid
using your personal email for business communication: AOL, Yahoo or
Gmail type accounts can cause two issues for spam filters. These personal email
accounts are often the source of "spammy" emails (you've probably
seen these in your junk mail folders), as they are free to set up and easy to
abandon. Thus, if you use any type of special characters (shouting) or
accidental use of rush words from these types of accounts, your personal email
(which is why it should not be used for business) is more likely to appear as
spam. Set up a business email - even if you are a small home office operation.
It conveys a more professional image than a personal email.
8. Avoid
Bayesian Poisoning: Odd
or complex phrasing can invoke something called Bayesian Poisoning, which
appears to be an attempt to bypass Bayesian spam filtering and results in your
email looking like spam. The best way to avoid this is the old, "simpler
is better" rule. Keep your eMarketing campaign emails simple and succinct
whenever possible, which isn't a bad idea for general business correspondence
either.
9. Avoid
Graphics when possible: Graphics often display poorly, especially for
text base email clients. When sending B2B eMarketing Campaigns, use multipart
mime to ensure optimum rendering. When sending individual emails, don't assume
what you see is what they get. WYSIWYG may be true for the email you're looking
to send, but what arrives can be a completely different story. Remember all the
retail advertisements you receive and the blank real-estate and little red X's
which appear everywhere? Not only can graphics create a poor look and feel,
they can increase the likelihood of appearing as spam. Graphics often connote
an advertisement.
10. Don't include too many graphics above
the fold: When
you deem it necessary to send graphically rich emails, like newsletters, make
sure the delivered email can render professionally if the graphics are
stripped. The best way to check this is to send a test email to a text based
email client and observe the results. In some cases it may be important to use
graphics (newsletter, photographs for architects or photographers, schematics
for engineers, etc.). These could be conveyed as a link to a landing page, or
if you deem it important, you can embed the images. Just make sure that the
email is professional and recognizable if these are not displayed in a text
client.
Posted by Get Free
