Mailchimp is an email marketing service provider that gets so much buzz nowadays. However, despite being a good email marketing tool, Mailchimp emails may land in your subscribers’ junk or spam folders instead of their inboxes. And you are left wondering, “Why are my Mailchimp emails going to spam?”
Well, that’s what we’re going to find out today. So, let’s dive into Mailchimp emails going to spam and ways to fix and avoid it from happening to streamline your email marketing efforts!
Why are My Mailchimp Emails Going to Spam?
Your SPF/DKIM records are not set up correctly
One reason why spam filters flag your Mailchimp emails is that you have not set up your Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKey Identified Mail (DKIM) records correctly.
In a nutshell, SPF enables senders to determine which IP addresses are allowed to send email campaigns for a particular domain. Meanwhile, DKIM provides the digital signature and encryption key that verifies that the message was not altered or forged.
Both of them are essential email authentication techniques.
Therefore, correctly setting them up means that you (the domain owner) are giving required permissions to a third-party email service provider (ESP) to send your campaigns on your domain’s behalf.
That is why your email may not transit through the proper server if you don’t get both SPF and DKIM right. As a result, it can lead to your emails going to spam.
Your domain reputation is poor
Domain reputation is the most crucial factor in email deliverability. Think of it as something similar to the reputation we build as individuals, affected by who you are associated with and what you’ve done.
Regarding email marketing, domain reputation is your credibility towards the receiving mailbox providers. Some factors affecting your domain reputation include spam complaint rates, bounce rates, spam traps, and engagement.
If your domain reputation is poor, it also decreases your Mailchimp campaign’s deliverability.
You used spam trigger words In your email
When your email content contains spam trigger words, there’s a high chance it won’t reach your target audience’s inboxes.
This is because you’ve used words in the subject line or email body that classify as pushy, sleazy, manipulative, or evoke negative emotions in potential readers.
A few examples of these are:
- Act Now
- Call Now
- 100%
- All-New
- Bonus
- Prize
- Will not believe your eyes
There are grammar and spelling errors
This may not seem like a big deal, but having a poorly written email is another reason your Mailchimp emails land in the spam folder.
Scammers historically don’t bother perfecting the grammar and spelling of their emails when attempting to exploit people. However, this gap is closing, raising the bar on your email copy even more essential to avoid spam filters.
Aside from giving priority to your email design, we suggest you avoid all of these:
- Flashy color and big fonts
- A lot of “$” signs and exclamations (!!!!!!), and
- Poorly written email copy
You have low email marketing engagement
Once you’ve crafted good content, perfected your email design, and hit “send,” tracking your email engagement is essential.
Email marketing engagement measures how the recipients interact with your email. Did they open it? How many of them read the content? Were there clicks on the links? Do they follow your call to action?
If most users don’t open your Mailchimp email, ESPs may have a solid reason to send you to spam since your emails are not adding value.
How to Stop Mailchimp Emails From Getting Trapped in Spam Filters
Now that you know the reasons why your Mailchimp emails go to spam, here are some quick solutions to avoid it:
Check campaign content
You must follow their anti-spam guidelines to stop Mailchimp emails from going to spam. If done right, this will provide a high-quality signal to spam filters.
Let’s say your emails are in HTML form, then have a proper HTML email body that will trigger fewer warnings from different email services and follow other best HTML practices.
Get whitelisted
Even if your intended subscribers or email recipients are already your customers (or people you met, colleagues, etc.), do not assume you have gained their permission to send them promotional emails.
This is where the importance of whitelisting comes in. To do this, add a sign-up form on your website or allow customers to sign up for your list when they purchase something from your eCommerce website.
Have a double opt-in list
A double opt-in list (DOI) happens when a user signs up for an email list, and they will send a link to the user that contains the link to confirm their subscription.
Although your email marketing list will be smaller (faster growth of address book if it’s a single opt-in), a double opt-in list can help your future emails land in your subscribers’ inboxes.
Recheck SPF/DKIM records
As discussed above, setting up your SPF/DKIM records is essential. You can log in to Mailchimp and check your SPF/DKIM settings to set them up.
Most users often have settings verified at the start, but sometimes, they change their DNS settings and tamper with their SPF and DKIM settings.
So, do some double-checking.
Test email score
To prevent your Mailchimp campaigns from going to the spam folder, test the “spammy-ness” of your email first before hitting send.
Just use a free email spam checker online. Some platforms give a score out of 10 (being the highest).
To get closer to 10, take the hints the email spam checker gives you, whether in your content, related links, product resources, or subject lines.
Maintain a healthy audience
Another way to improve the deliverability of your Mailchimp campaigns is to maintain a healthy audience. These are people who have good email subscription practices.
So, go through your subscribers and clean up your lists if some email addresses have gone cold or you accidentally added them.
Remember that ESPs take spam complaints seriously and would likely block you if you’re sending emails to people who have not allowed you to send emails to them.
Do a subscriber outreach
When not used regularly, your mailing list may go obsolete even if a double opt-in obtains your subscribers.
If you send transactional emails on a different subdomain, remind recipients to manually check if your marketing emails are in the spam folder and mark them as not spam.
Your goal should be to “warm the room” and let the targets know you exist. You could also share industry trends and inspiring stories or use email outreach templates of your choice!
Check spam databases
To fix Mailchimp emails going to spam and drive more sales, you can manually check spam databases.
Check the IP address and URL to know if you triggered any warnings or anything that caused your recipients to press the report spam button.
Use merge-tags
An audience field with a merge tag, which is a unique identifier, stores the data you import into Mailchimp.
This provides extra information about the subscriber, regardless of whether they use a Mailchimp account. Use as many merge tags as you can.
For more tips on troubleshooting merge tags, visit Mailchimp’s guide.
Consider your marketing campaigns as a brand-stretching
Another practice to help you avoid Mailchimp spam is considering your campaigns as a brand extension or stretching.
Your clients already know the design features, graphics, and content to expect from you. So, avoid wandering too far, which may risk your domain’s acceptance factor.
Looking for real-life inspiration and guides to market your small business using Mailchimp? Check out this link for films, podcasts, and original series celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit!
Final Thoughts On How to Avoid Your Subscribers’ Junk Folders
We hope you find these tips helpful. One important note to remember: whether you’re sending through Mailchimp or other email platforms, a key to successful email marketing is to keep your target market or audience at the core of all your efforts.
Ultimately, your marketing campaigns should not be about your business but what’s in it for your audience.
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