Boosting email deliverability in peak season

Even though we still have a few months to go, many email marketers are already well into planning their email programs for the upcoming holiday season. Whether or not the end of the calendar year is your busy season, we’ve got some tips and considerations for you to apply to your email program that will help you achieve deliverability success.

The foundation of deliverability — email authentication

Buildings need sturdy foundations to support them. Think of email authentication as your solid framework for deliverability. Valid DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records ensure that your email infrastructure is fundamentally sound. These components help validate that you are who you say you are in the email ecosystem. They help verify that email coming from your domain is really originating from you — from specific IP addresses that are yours to use — and they instruct mailbox providers on what to do with mail that fails these authentication checks. In fact, mailbox providers are getting stricter about email authentication, and it’s expected that this trend will only grow.

Embrace consistent testing for more insights

It’s best to know in advance of your peak email volume days which subject lines and special offers tend to generate the most interest from your subscribers. As email marketers, you’re likely doing some type of testing already to see what works and what doesn’t for your marketing program. Embrace executing subject line tests and content tests, and even experimenting with time-of-day send tests. Apply any learnings to your email marketing program ahead of the big day for optimal results.

Email reputation matters for deliverability

A good reputation is always an advantage. It’s especially important leading up to and throughout your busy period to have a handle on your deliverability and reputation. Generally, your overall bounce rates should be below 2%. Positive engagement with your email program — good open rates and click rates, and low complaint rates — will play a role in landing your emails in the inbox. This will increase the likelihood of customers opening and clicking through on your emails (and hopefully purchasing your products or services).

Focus on your biggest fans

No doubt you have a core group of subscribers who consistently engage positively with your email program. Typically, the most engaged subscribers are those who have opened your emails and clicked through in the past 6 months. The next most engaged group of subscribers would be those who have opened your emails and clicked through within the past 7 to 12 months. Focusing on these groups can help to keep you from getting on blocklists — and help you avoid the spam filter.

Slow and steady

Thinking about sending more email, more frequently, during this busy season? Remember that mailbox providers are tasked with preventing spam email from reaching their customers all year. During the active holiday season, this work is even more important and more challenging to mailbox providers. A thoughtful and strategic way to manage email volume growth is to gradually increase the volume each day, establishing a new pattern over time. Monitor reputation and engagement along the way and continue sending more email until you reach the new target volume.

Trim your list to maintain a healthy subscriber base

Mailing subscribers who have not registered any open or click activity in a while — usually 12 months or more — increases the risk of deliverability trouble for you. Lapsed engagement could indicate many issues, like waning interest in your brand, irrelevant messaging, or that the subscriber has abandoned the email address you have on file for them. Consider implementing a reactivation email strategy in the late summer or early fall to rekindle interest for these less-engaged subscribers. For those who still do not engage with your emails, it might be time to bid them goodbye from your subscriber list. You may also want to consider using an email list validation service to help identify and remove domains and addresses that should not be targeted any longer.