Best Practices for Sending Emails: Boost Your Deliverability

Sending emails is a vital part of any business communication strategy, but ensuring your messages land in the right inboxes can be challenging. Whether you're reaching out to customers, clients, or colleagues, following best practices for email can significantly improve your deliverability and engagement. Here are essential tips to help you craft effective emails.

1. Set Up DNS Records Correctly

Properly configured Domain Name System (DNS) records can greatly improve your email deliverability. Here are the essential ones:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Ensures only authorised servers can send emails from your domain, preventing email spoofing.

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to verify that an email hasn't been altered in transit, building trust with recipients.

• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Helps receiving servers know what to do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks and provides you with reports.

2. Avoid Block Lists

Ending up on a block list can hinder your email delivery. To avoid this:

• Monitor Your IP Reputation: Use tools to check the reputation of your sending IP address regularly.

• Follow Opt-In Best Practices: Make sure you’re only emailing people who’ve given you permission to do so.

• Regularly Clean Your Email List: Remove invalid addresses to reduce bounce rates and improve deliverability.

3. Prevent Emails from Landing in Junk

To ensure your emails reach the inbox and not the spam folder:

• Personalise Your Emails: Add personal touches that show your email is intended for the recipient, such as their name or referencing previous interactions.

• Avoid Spammy Language: Phrases like "free" or excessive exclamation marks can trigger spam filters.

• Encourage Engagement: Higher engagement (opens, replies, clicks) improves your sender reputation. Write compelling subject lines and clear CTAs.

4. Clean and Segment Your Email List Regularly

Maintaining a clean email list is crucial for effective communication. Here’s how:

• Remove Unengaged Subscribers: Regularly prune your list to ensure that only interested recipients receive your emails.

• Segment Your Audience: Tailor your emails based on preferences and behaviour to send targeted content that resonates with each group.

5. Personalise Your Emails

Personalisation can significantly enhance engagement and deliverability. Implement these tactics:

• Use Recipients' Names: Incorporate names in the subject line and body of the email for a personal touch.

• Tailor Content: Customise content based on past interactions to increase relevance and engagement.

6. Monitor and Respond to Email Performance

Email performance data offers valuable insights into how well your email campaigns are doing. To make the most of this:

• Track Key Metrics: Use email marketing platforms to monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates.

• Segment Your Audience: Send more relevant emails by segmenting your audience based on past behaviours or preferences.

• Analyse Bounce and Spam Complaints: Quickly address any issues that arise from bounce rates or spam reports to avoid damaging your reputation.

Conclusion

Implementing these best practices can help you enhance your email strategy and ensure that your messages reach their intended recipients. By focusing on authentication, engagement, and the overall quality of your content, you can significantly improve your email deliverability and strengthen your business communication efforts.