Uh-oh! I got delivered to the Spam Folder.. Now what!?
You’re diligent at what you do, and as always, you sent tests of your Campaign to the top 5 ISP’s. But alas!! This time you found that one of your tests was delivered to a Spam folder!! Naturally, your next question is Now what?
Because there are several pieces of the puzzle to Inbox Delivery (Review Delivery 101), today I’m breaking them down into two major categories; “Things you can fix on your own today” vs. “Things that may take some time and require you to contact your Email Marketing Consultant”. Follow these basic steps to see where you land and what your next step should be!
Category 1: This something I can fix on my own!
Test another Creative that has content verified for Inbox Delivery to the ISP which delivered you to the SPAM folder. In EmailDirect, we advise testing the Default Notification Welcome Email Creative provided to all new clients.
Hooray! I can fix this on my own today!
If this content-verified Creative reaches the troubled inbox, then you have isolated the trigger to something within your control! This tells you that either the Content, Code or Subject Line of the Campaign you are planning to send needs inspection.
If this content-verified Creative did not go to the inbox, Skip down to the 2nd Category.
The next easiest thing to test from here is your Subject Line. So test your Draft Campaign with the Subject Line “News & Updates – [Today’s Full Date]”. It’s not flashy, but it’s also free of triggers. If your Campaign reaches the troubled inbox with this Subject Line, you’ve isolated the trigger to something in your original Subject Line, and you can test alternative versions of your Subject Line to see what works!
If using “News & Updates – [Today’s Date]” didn’t help you reach the inbox, you’re left with a bit more to analyze. Review the Content of the body of your email, section by section. Send tests of the Campaign with only one section removed per test, and if you finally reach the troubled inbox with one particular section excluded, you have isolated the problem to that section and need to dissect it.
The triggers within your Content that cause a mail client/filter to route you to the SPAM folder can vary over time, but it’s not limited to just the copy within your Creative. It can also be bad code. If you coded this email using your own HTML, there’s a chance that there was bad code in this Creative that should be rewritten. Here’s a helpful PDF in optimizing your email for delivery: Email Optimization.
I might need to contact my Email Marketing Consultant on this one!
Category 2: This may take some time and require me to contact my Email Marketing Consultant.
So you’ve tested a content-verified Creative to the troubled inbox, and you still didn’t get in. This indicates that something outside of your Campaign is sending you to the SPAM folder. It could be due to your sending frequency, low user-engagement, high-complaint rates, list hygiene…all effecting Sender Reputation, but most likely a couple of those combined!
There’s no definitive answer to what is causing the problem without exploration, so contact your EMC who will take a deeper look at your sending practices, subscriber-engagement, and IP and domain reputation, and then advise you on how best to proceed.
Failing inbox delivery during your testing process is a chance to improve your email marketing program. Take the opportunity and don’t let it slip by before it’s too late!