We explained the reasons why your emails go to spam and the corresponding ways to fix this problem.

Email marketing is around 40 times more effective and leads to a buying process three times faster than social media, according to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company. However, churning out emails is not enough to grow your business, after all, up to 20% does not make it to the recipients’ inbox but in their spam box. 

Keep in mind that the emails marked as spam represent missed opportunities since email marketing has been found to generate a 122% return on investment rate. 

Here, we compiled the most common reasons why your emails go in the spam box and the corresponding ways to fix the problem. 

You don’t have permission to send emails

If you send automated email series to people who have not subscribed to your email newsletter, your message will not just go directly into their spam box, but you also run the risk of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act. 

To get permission, create an opt-in form on your website where visitors can subscribe to your email list.

• DO NOT buy a list of email addresses.

• DO NOT add emails from business cards you collected at a conference or event.

You are targeting the wrong audience

When you use an opt-in form to get people to subscribe to your email list, more often than not, they are the right audience because they have already demonstrated a great deal of interest and engagement. 

By contrast, a “bought” email list only provides numbers but not engagement, which could lead to your emails being marked as spam. 

Low engagement means one thing: you are wasting your time and money targeting the wrong people. 

You have low engagement rates

Even if you send emails to people who have explicitly agreed to be part of your email list, low engagement still happens. Oftentimes, they are caused by vague subject lines, incorrect timing, low-quality content, and messages that look “robotic” and unnatural. 

Here, we compiled a list of foolproof ways to increase your email open rates and overall engagement.

• Keep your list fresh. This means you should remove inactive subscribers or people who have not engaged with your email in the past six months.

• Know when to send your email. The right timing depends on a myriad of factors: the age, occupation, and location of your recipients; the date or season (for example, summer promos should be sent in June, July, and August); and the type of emails (work-related content is likely to be checked during business hours, whereas hobby-related content is often viewed earlier in the morning or late at night.

• Segment your list. This means your emails should differ between a paying customer and a site visitor who hasn’t purchased anything yet.

• Humanize your email. A good rule of thumb is to mention the recipient’s name and make the message as if a close friend wrote it rather than a salesperson. Additionally, add some humor or “sympathy” to the content.

• Write a catchy subject line. The goal is to entice the recipient’s curiosity without being cryptic and misleading.

Your subscribers erroneously marked your emails as spam

It is not uncommon for some subscribers to erroneously mark your emails as spam even though they opted in your email list. It usually happens because they don’t remember or recognize you. 

To prevent being marked as a spammer, make sure that each email reflects your brand, meaning it should have your company name, font, logo, icons, and other visual elements. 

Additionally, ensure that the “from” line bears your company name so your email will not be flagged as spam. 

Other ways you need to keep in mind:

• Make every email catchy and memorable.

• Mention the recipient’s name to make the email look more personalized and intimate.

• Include an “Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of your email so anyone who is no longer interested can simply opt out of the list rather than report you as a spammer.

Your subject lines are misleading

Just like click baits, misleading subject lines can hurt your email marketing efforts. Remember, if your subscribers feel that they are being tricked or cheated into opening an email, the vast majority will toss it in the spam box, or worse, unsubscribe to your list. 

When writing your subject line, it should reflect the content of the email. In this way, the subscribers get what they expect.

Your IP address has been used for spam

If you use a sketchy email marketing service whose IP address has been used for spamming, your emails could get flagged even though the recipients have opted into your list. 

To prevent this from happening, stick to reputable email service providers like mailchimp, HubSpot, and Sendinblue.

You don’t follow the HTML best practices

If you include HTML in your emails, make sure you follow the best practices explained below:

• Avoid JavaScript and Flash because they are generally seen as vectors for attack by spam filter technology.

• Stick to clean and light codes (for example, CSS).

• Don’t use images contained within media elements.

• Make sure that your email’s maximum width is between 600 and 800 pixels.

• Use web-safe and readable fonts--e.g., Arial, Courier, Palatino, Georgia, Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, etc.

• Use thumb-friendly buttons and mobile-friendly images.

• Avoid source-hogging images.

You are sending attachments

Most spam filters “see” email attachments as easy vectors for malware and viruses. As a result, avoid sending them, especially in newsletters. 

But if you really need to send attachments, the best advice is to upload them to a cloud storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive. Then, simply include the links in your email to prevent spam filters from flogging your message.

Your email authentication is not correctly set up

Email authentication allows your service to send emails on your behalf; hence, they appear with your domain name attached. But if it is not correctly set up, your messages may go straight into the recipients’ spam box.

If you use third-party email service and experience delivery-related issues, make sure that your authentication is properly set up.

Your “from” information is misleading or wrong

The “from” line tells the recipients who sent the email, and thus it should be accurate and true. A good rule of thumb is to include your personal name, your company name, or both. 

Meanwhile, avoid shady practices where the email has a “from” field that is falsely credited to governing bodies, private organizations, and private/public individuals.

Your email does not include a physical address

All US companies, including solo entrepreneurs and side hustlers with home-based businesses, are legally required to include their physical address when sending emails to recipients.

• If you don’t want to use your home address, get a PO box for business purposes.

• Place your business address above the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email.

If you want to learn more about email marketing’s best practices, call LOJO Marketing at (916) 303-4080 and schedule your free consultation with our chief inbound marketing expert Stephen.