Domain credibility means that your email address has a good reputation with email providers.
Credible domains send emails which are less likely to be marked as spam or filtered to a junk folder. A shining reputation is earned from the get-go, by establishing that you’re worth subscribing to: your content is not spam, and it is not overwhelming to readers’ inboxes.
So, that’s all well and good. But how do we do that?
⚡ ‘Warm up’ your domain #
Just like with exercising the body, you should slowly ease into email marketing campaigns, instead of firing off 10 emails in your first week and then burning out.
Your new email address needs to be broken in slowly, over the course of a few weeks, by:
- Sending emails manually to a small list of recipients—This can include friends, colleagues, or opted-in contacts from your websites. To get the ball rolling, we recommend people who are likely to engage with our emails.
- Gradually increase the number of emails you send – After a few weeks, start to increase the volume of emails you send out. Keep an eye on engagement rates, and monitor what seems to work well.
- Authenticating your email address – Implement good authentication protocols, which are covered in this article.
⚡ Build an organic subscriber list #
Buying a pre-made list of recipients is never a good idea. Sure, you’ll have a nice list of leads, but these email addresses tend to be unverified, outdated, or just plain uninterested.
Sending a bunch of marketing emails to someone who is not interested in receiving them won’t lead to conversions. It will lead to high bounce rates and increased spam complaints, which reduces your domain’s credibility.
There is also no way of being certain that purchased lists adhere to data protection laws. Recipients might not have consented, and that means your emails are deemed to be spam. Then it’s straight to the junk folder.
⚡ Create a working suppression list #
A suppression list is a list of people who have opted out of your communications and should not be contacted anymore.
Include simple opt-in, and opt-out procedures on every email that you send.
Do not:
- Email customers who have opted out, or anyone else who has not provided consent
- Email any address that is invalid or has bounced
- Email any customers who have complained about receiving email communications from you
- Email anyone who has been added to the suppression list.
You can set up an automated system to check if an email is part of your suppression list, so that you do not inadvertently contact suppressed addresses.
⚡ Segment your list #
There are many different ways to segment your list, but what matters is that you craft tailored and relevant content. This will encourage engagement from your recipients, without overwhelming their inboxes, reducing spam complaints and improving credibility.
⚡ Be consistent #
Create a consistent schedule for sending emails. This should be based on research, so that you know the optimal time of day for encouraging engagement, and which days of the week people are more likely to get involved.
Having a consistent schedule prevents either over, or under-sending, emails. You can automate the process using Klaviyo and Voodoo, saving you time, too.
⚡Avoid use of ‘spammy’ words and phrases #
Spam filters pick up on language that sounds too sales-y. They have a keen eye for special characters and unusual formatting.
As a guide, these phrases and characters should be avoided, especially in your subject line:
- ACT NOW
- Jackpot
- ! £ %
- ALL CAPS DEALS!
Instead, make sure your language is clear, calm, and professional. You can still provide a Call-to-Action, as well as all the information you need. You just need to work with the algorithms.
Build InCREDIBLE campaigns!
Get your emails where they need to go.
If you’re working out how to set up a credible email domain, or just getting started with your mailing list, you might enjoy these articles:
If you want more support, then drop us a message, and join forces with Zap to boost that domain and get chatting with customers.
