A Legitimate Marketer’s Arch Rival: Inbox Filters

As email marketers, our ultimate goal is to deliver impactful, valuable messages to our audience. However, this endeavor can become an uphill battle due to a formidable adversary: the SPAM folder. Email service providers (ESPs) and inbox filtering services like Barracuda, Palo Alto, and CloudMark, use advanced algorithms to protect users from unsolicited messages, but these can sometimes ensnare legitimate marketing emails. This blog post will outline best practices that can help email marketers avoid the dreaded SPAM folder and keep on the right side of email filters.

1. Seek Permission First

One of the most effective ways to prevent your emails from ending up in the SPAM folder is to obtain explicit permission from recipients. This ensures they’re expecting your emails, reducing the chances of being flagged as SPAM. Double opt-in is a best practice as it requires new subscribers to confirm their email address before they start receiving your emails, reducing the likelihood of complaints.

2. Keep Your List Clean

Regularly purge your email list of unengaged subscribers. These are recipients who haven’t opened or clicked through your emails in a while. Continuing to send emails to them can lead to a high bounce rate or even spam complaints, which are red flags for SPAM filters. Clean lists show a higher level of engagement, which improves your sender reputation.

3. Consistent ‘From’ Address

Ensure your ‘From’ address is consistent and easily recognizable. Changing your sending address frequently or using misleading addresses can hurt your sender reputation and trigger spam filters. Your ‘From’ address should reflect your brand and be a name your subscribers will recognize.

4. Craft Your Content Carefully

Spam filters scrutinize the content of your emails. Avoid using spammy phrases, excessive capital letters, too many exclamation points, or overly promotional language. Make sure your subject lines are relevant and not misleading. Also, avoid heavy use of images and ensure your email contains a good text-to-image ratio.

5. Authenticate Your Emails

Email authentication protocols like Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) help verify the sender’s identity. These protocols help prevent email spoofing and phishing, improving your chances of bypassing spam filters.

Navigating Specific Filtering Services

Inbox filtering services such as Barracuda, Palo Alto, and CloudMark, have their own sets of rules and considerations. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Barracuda

Barracuda uses a combination of sender reputation, content analysis, and anomaly detection to filter emails. To remain in good standing with Barracuda:

• Ensure you have strong email authentication.
• Keep your email lists clean and engage only with active subscribers.
• Avoid sending too many emails in a short period to avoid triggering anomaly detection.

Palo Alto

Palo Alto uses machine learning to determine if an email is spam, employing a technique called behavioral fingerprinting. To get past Palo Alto’s filters:

• Consistently send quality content to keep the engagement high.
• Use a reputable ESP that is known for following best practices.
• Follow email authentication protocols to prevent being mistaken for a phishing email.

CloudMark

CloudMark uses advanced threat intelligence to filter emails. Its machine learning model looks at various features of an email, including the sender, content, and even embedded URLs. To fare well with CloudMark:

• Avoid including too many URLs or links from domains with poor reputations.
• Send your emails through verified domains and servers.
• Regularly monitor your feedback loops to catch and address any issues before they escalate.

Navigating the intricate web of email filters can be challenging, but by following these best practices and understanding the unique requirements of different filtering services, you can greatly improve your chances of reaching your audience’s inboxes instead of their SPAM folders. Remember, the key to successful email marketing isn’t just about avoiding SPAM filters, it’s about delivering value and building trust with your subscribers.

INFORMATION ON ADDITIONAL EMAIL FILTERING APPLICATIONS ON THE MARKET –

• Proofpoint Protection Server: A machine learning-based application that utilizes dynamic reputation analysis, it is crucial to consistently maintain a good sending reputation to navigate Proofpoint’s filters successfully.
• Symantec Email Security.Cloud: This application uses Skeptic predictive technology to identify new threats, making it imperative for marketers to use clean lists, good content, and follow authentication protocols.
• Cisco Email Security: Known for its advanced phishing and domain protection features, email marketers must strictly adhere to authentication protocols and avoid spammy content to ensure delivery.
• FireEye Email Security: FireEye specializes in detecting and blocking advanced threats, hence consistent email content quality, and authenticated sending practices are key for email marketers.
• Trend Micro Hosted Email Security: This cloud-based application relies heavily on machine learning for spam detection, requiring marketers to regularly engage subscribers with relevant content and to keep email lists clean.
• Forcepoint Email Security: With its strong threat intelligence, consistent sending of high-quality, non-spammy content is vital for marketers to ensure their emails are delivered through Forcepoint.
• SolarWinds Mail Assure: This application uses collective intelligence from processing large volumes of email data, so marketers should maintain a good sender reputation and avoid sending practices common in spam emails.
• Zix Email Security: Zix specializes in threat protection and email encryption, making it crucial for marketers to authenticate their emails and maintain transparent, non-deceptive content practices.

The Slogan Tech Team –