GetResponse is an email marketing platform that helps small and large companies create a mailing list and send campaigns or e-newsletters that purportedly drive marketing ROI.

Thanks to GetResponse’s email intelligence feature, an email marketing campaign effort can likewise be maximized.

But with all the great features that the platform has to offer, some marketers still complain that their open rates are low and others are not even making it to their subscribers’ inboxes!

What’s going on here? you wonder.

Don’t worry as it may have nothing to do with the GetResponse platform and have something to do with your email marketing practices that cause your emails to end up in the spam folder.

And since a lot of factors contribute to why your emails are going to spam, we will deconstruct each of them in this article and we’ll also share tips on how you can get out of the spam box for good!

This blog post is full of love and it’s all for you. So, go ahead and scroll down to learn more about this topic.

Reasons Why Your GetResponse Emails Go to Spam

Consent is Something You Took For Granted

Putting data protection and privacy laws, such as the CAN-SPAM Act, aside, consent is one thing that should always be at the forefront of your mind if you truly want to succeed in email marketing.

That’s why if you’ve taken it for granted, it will be the red light for your email marketing.

Consider sending a campaign to two people. One has actively given you his or her consent to receive marketing emails. The other one hasn’t. What will be the outcome of that campaign?

To the person who did not give his or her consent. It is clear that there is no relationship between you two. So, there’s no reason on his or her part to actively open your email and engage with it.

In fact, they may say, “I did not sign up for this” and wondered how you got hold of their email address. As a result, they are more likely to mark it as spam or just delete it.

How about the person who gave you their consent? Well, as long as you fulfill what you promise, they will be looking forward to your content. They will trust you more and it is unlikely they will complain or unsubscribe.

Now back at you. Which situation do you want your email marketing campaign to be in? Surely, the main point here is that consent will make you a better marketer.

We encourage you to learn more about GetResponse Consent fields so you can view all the consents that your list has given you.

You’re Not Transparent Early in the Subscription Process

Sprout Social’s research found that 86% of Americans consider transparency as something more important than ever before.

In fact, customers are more likely to be loyal to a brand that provides transparency and the majority of consumers are willing to pay more for a product or service that offers complete transparency.

That is why when your potential list is signing up for their form, they should be fully aware of the kind of communication they are going to receive in the future. Be clear about what you will talk about in your newsletters and deliver that promise.

Your Email Design Does Not Follow the Protocols

From header to footer, your email design should funnel your readers’ eyes naturally. It should create a desire for them to read more and motivate response.

As such, when you do not maintain a balanced text to image ratio, use image-only emails, don’t have a “Plain Text” view option to every email, or don’t use alt text when embedding your photos, there’s a chance that your emails will land in the spam folder.

You Make it Hard to Unsubscribe From Your Emails

When love grows cold and your subscribers want out, you still make it difficult for them to unsubscribe is one sure way to increase your spam complaints.

Sure, it sucks when someone unsubscribes from your list. But really, at the end of the day, there’s no point in retaining a recipient who does not want to engage or even open your email. Gradually, it will just negatively affect your email deliverability.

Instead, what you can do is to…

Make unsubscription an opportunity

How? It’s a chance for you to learn. Along with making your unsubscribe link noticeable, you can also set up a survey for your unsubscribers to know why they left.

Or you may want to provide them a chance to change their relationship with your campaigns instead.

Some ideas include offering a lower frequency option, resubscribing if they changed their email address, switching to HTML format, or channel to other platforms to still connect with you, like on social media, and email RSS feed, or direct mail.

You’re Using the Wrong Email Marketing Tool

The email marketing software you use is a significant factor in whether your email message will land in the inbox or spam folder.

At best, pick an email marketing tool that helps manage your IP reputation, repair your damaged sender domain, fix your deliverability, or help warm up a domain or IP address.

Know that email marketing does not have to be an expensive activity as there is plenty of affordable email marketing software or services out there to choose from!

Interested to cut down on your email marketing cost? Contact us today to find out how you can send your campaigns at a minimal cost.

8 Steps to Ensure Your Emails Stay Clear of the Spam Folder

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1. Test the Inbox Placement of Your GetResponse Email Campaign

Whether you run your business online, are an online marketer, or you simply like keeping in touch with your customers through emails/newsletters, testing the inbox placement of your GetResponse email campaign can help you prevent the spam folder.

You can test via seed list with any email service provider.

A seed list is a group of test email addresses that includes email accounts with popular providers, like gmail.com, hotmail.com, yahoo.com, aol.com, outlook.com, GoDaddy, etc.

The delivery test report often shows your email spam score, design of the received message, delivery duration, and message placement at various providers.

You can likewise improve your deliverability by scanning your campaign through the major spam filters before you send it.

2. Check If Your Domain is in a Blacklist

A domain blacklist is a directory of domains that are involved in suspicious behavior online.

Even if you run a clean email marketing campaign and your subscribers are collected the right way, your IP address could still get blacklisted.

To fix this problem or avoid it in the first place is to see whether your site is currently on the list. Here are some services you can use:

  • Spamhaus;
  • MX Toolbox;
  • Sender Score;
  • UltraTools, etc.

3. Run Your Own Dedicated Servers

 

Many marketers think that for their recipients to get a bulk email, they can forever rely on a free or common SMTP server. Well, it’s a mistake and could be the reason why your Getresponse emails are going to spam.

First of all, if you use a normal SMTP server, there are limitations. For example, you are only allowed to send a certain number of emails to a certain number of recipients per day.

Aside from not being designed to send mass emails, it cannot guarantee good email deliverability. Your emails will often run the risk of being rejected by ISPs or anti-spam filters.

Running your own dedicated server is essential, especially if you require a large volume of space, use a lot of bandwidth, or have a large number of targets.

4. Keep Your Email List Healthy

If you don’t want your email marketing campaigns to end up in your subscribers’ spam folders, there are a few things you can do. One of those important things is to perform email hygiene regularly.

This ensures that you are emailing only to individuals who truly want your content. Moreover, having a bad email list will only slow your deliberate rate because receivers may completely block you or throttle your emails.

Another important reason why you should keep your email list healthy is for increased ROI. After all, there is no chance of a sale if you are sending campaigns to a bad address, right? Worse, your email campaigns could backfire if you are sending messages to spam traps or invalid email addresses.

After focusing on your email list hygiene, you should also consider lead nurturing. What does it mean?

Instead of sending your new subscribers the same stream of messages that everyone else receives in their buying journey, you should treat them in a more personalized way.

5. Boost Your Sender Score

Email deliverability depends on several factors and that most especially includes your sender reputation and domain reputation.

A high sender score means that email service providers will more likely put your email in the inbox.

6. Make Your Subscribers Happy

You may not be able to please all of the people all of the time, but you should do your best to keep as many of your subscribers as happy and engaged as possible with your email campaigns.

You can do this by sending relevant information, giving them control over the types and frequency of emails they receive from you, and segmenting your list to help you personalize campaigns.

7. Configure DKIM for Your Domain

DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) is an authentication technique meant to detect forged sender email addresses.

ALthough custom DKIM is not really required to send messages via GetResponse (you can send emails using the “from field” on your domain), configuring your DKIM will give you a significant boost in email marketing communication.

This is because you authenticate campaigns using your domain. Doing this will build your deliverability reputation and hide references to GetResponse in the emails you send (always visible for Microsoft and Gmail).

To generate your DKIM key in GetResponse, go to GetResponse Dashboard, click the profile icon, click the Manage Account, and then the email addresses.

There, you will find Authenticate next to the domain name. Copy the TXT record and value from the pop-up window.

8. Avoid Common Spammer-Behaviors

Lastly, avoid common spammer behaviors to avoid landing in the spam box. Some of these spammer behaviors include writing having bad spelling and grammar, spammy subject lines that contain words, like “unlimited,” “$$$,” and “free,” and image-only emails.

You should also avoid having spam trigger keywords in the email content, including unsafe attachments, and not including an unsubscribe link.

As much as possible, be compliant with the CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing) Act, especially if you are in the United States.

A rundown of the Act’s requirements are:

  • Avoid misleading or false header information
  • Avoid deceptive subject lines
  • Identify your email as an ad
  • Include a clear explanation of how your recipients can opt-out of getting newsletters/emails from you in the future should they want to
  • Honor unsubscribe requests promptly
  • Tell your subscribers where you are located (physical address of the company)

Always Reach the Inbox

These are all pretty much the general email marketing best practices you can do so your GetResponse email will no longer end up in the spam folder.

If you ask us, these became the best email marketing for a reason. And that is, they work. Keep in mind that the Internet Service Providers who decide whether or not to land your emails in the inbox are only trying to do their job.

ISPs wanted to keep spammy, love-value emails out of their customers’ inboxes. So, as long as your emails are not treated as low value or spammy, they won’t hassle you.

If your emails are loved, opened, read, clicked on, and forwarded to, the ISPs may even end up as your allies so you can always reach the inbox!

How about you? Are you happy with your inbox placement rate? Feel free to give us a call at (347) 997-1661 or ask us in a chat if you need help with email deliverability!