Archive for the ‘spam filters’ Category

By now virtually everyone has some kind of spam filter on their computer, plus their email programs have spam filters.  Emails go through an amazing number of servers on their way from you to your recipients, and they do it sometimes in seconds.  There are two main gatekeepers (filters) to get through – the primary email server on the recipient end (like gmail or a domain where their email goes to) and the recipients’ email settings on their computers (like Outlook).  So how can your email get through the spam filter maze and be considered "deliverable"?

Here are some tips:

1. Avoid using spam words and phrases
Here are just a handful of words and phrases are flags to the spam filters:  free, legal, act now, limited time offer, call now, click here (and worse yet, click here now).  I’m sure you’ve seen the emails that use "free" with * like F*R*E*E*  but you could also choose other words, like complimentary, bonus, no cost…   When I absolutely need to use the word "free"  I might add the * at the end of it but change the color of the * to match the background, which is usually white.  It keeps the appearance of the email clean, but slides through the filters better.

2.  Avoid using the color red in your copy and headlines.
Red is loud! Email studies show that mixing colors in your fonts, even bright greens or yellows, will hurt not only deliverability but also conversion! If you can’t resist and must use color, use bold, rich colors like navy and maroon, which gives the punch of red without the flag.

3.  Avoid Excessive Punctuation Marks ??!!!
Excessive punctuation is simply not good email etiquette and is a sure red flag for filters.  One ? or ! will do the job. Promise.

4.  Don’t copy and paste from a Word document into your HTML email editor.
Now this is where I really want to use a lot of !!!!!   But this is a blog post, not an email  

MS Word uses a lot of hidden coding that simply doesn’t translate anywhere else.  It messes up web pages and spam filters hate it in email. Not to worry – there’s a way around the ugly coding.

Best practice is to type your content directly into the body of the email editor. If you need to copy text from a Word document,  first paste it into a text editor like Notepad. This usually removes the coding from your Word document. It also strips all formatting, like bold and font sizes or colors.  You must then copy the content that you put into Notepad and paste that into the email editor window (the body of your email).  Then reformat it. Formatting simply means adding the bold, color, size, paragraphs, etc.

5.  Don’t Use ALL CAPS
I understand how we want to put the most emphasis on the words that we think are most important. WHEN YOU USE ALL CAPS, IT COMES ACROSS AS YOU’RE SHOUTING OR ANGRY.  Fight the temptation to shout! There are several other ways to get your point across. Try capitalizing just the first letter of the word and putting it in Bold. Use italics (sparingly).  Or underline a word or sentence to show the reader that "this is the part of my letter I really want you to get!"

6.  Beware of Symbols
The number one spam symbol is the dollar sign. Whether it’s in your subject line or in the body doesn’t matter. Many email users have spam filters that will send anything containing this symbol or others directly to the trash. This doesn’t mean you can’t use the $ sign when appropriate, but be very careful how and where you do this.  It should only be used with an actual dollar amount, never  something like "make $$$$$ now" – I guarantee that email will have a tough time getting to your reader!   Remember the punctuation caution?  Those are symbols too, which compounds the flags. Another way symbols are abused is in trying to be clever such as "L@@k at this"  This might be ok for a single email from you to a friend, but not if you’re trying to send an email to more than a couple people at a time.

So there you have it - definitely not an exhaustive list, but these six tips will help you increase your email delivery rates. You want your emails to not only make it past the initial email server spam filters – you also want them delivered into the inbox.  While you can’t control the recipients’ inbox filters, sticking with good email etiquette will definitely improve your delivery rates!

Ever hear the expression ‘The cobbler’s kids have no shoes’?  Well, I’ve felt like that, except in my case, the webmaster had no (updated) blog!   I started this blog over two years ago with a sporatic mixture of personal stories and business information, but  I was more focused on client sites and just didn’t work on my own site . 

So I decided to start over. 

New look, new posts.  I actually took down the other posts and did a total redesign.  My goal is to share information about working online, Internet tips, cool tools, and other success strategies, online and offline. 

I’ve already posted one new article about how to avoid having your emails get caught up in spam filters.  I’ve been successfully writing autoresponder email campaigns since 2002, and it’s amazing how common words and seemingly basic information can flag your email as spam.  In this case, the ‘web’ isn’t just interconnected sites but the spam filter web that can catch the good email with the bad.

But there are steps you can take to get your email into the intended inbox.  Sometimes a simple word substitution will make all the difference.  Read the article below to learn more, and check back often for more tips and information. 

Feel free to share your comments. Thanks!

Marian

Nearly everyone hates spam email, and it seems like every day there’s more of it. After all, it only costs a little to send millions of emails, and if one person responds, a spammer has made a profit. But what about legitimate marketers who are sending newsletters, sales, and important information to people who want it?  You don’t want your opt-in list missing what you have to say because their spam filters accidentally got your email. Here are a few tips on how not to look like spam.

It can be tricky to deal with a spam filter, especially if your product or service has key terms similar to those used by shady marketers. No one wants their medical newsletter binned along with the "cheap pharmaceuticals" ads, after all! So, what can you do? The first step is looking at how you got the email addresses and the types of information you’re sending out. Using terms that are similar to spam messages,or collecting emails without an opt in is sure to get you marked as undesirable.

Remember that customers and potential customers are more interested in information than in your sales talk. So stick to including real information, and keep the promotional stuff to a minimum. This will increase your conversion rate, as well as the rate of emails that escape the spam filter.

So, what should you look for? First, make sure you’re not including trigger words, phrases, or other information in your email. For instance, if you include the words "click here now", you’re email is likely to be treated as spam. Most spam filters using this term to filter emails get only about a one percent false postitive rate. Opt out phrases such as "to be removed"  and "unsubscribe" are other flags for a spam filter. 

Even text colors in HTML email, such as FF0000 (that’s HTML for bright red) may get flagged.  Avoid multiple fonts and sizes, and never send an attachment unless it’s been requested.

If you’ve taken a look at your newsletter and you’re worried about it, post it online. Then, give your mailing list a link to the rest of the newsletter. The ones who are interested will click through, and the email won’t get banned. Avoid mentioning gifts, special offers, toll free numbers, and similar things, as well. It doesn’t take much to do it – just reword the most common phrases uniquely. ‘Free’ can become ‘Bonus’ or ‘No Cost’.  Certainly you can use those words in a website, but be careful when creating an email campaign or newsletter.   Weight loss and MLM marketers may face special challenges. 

Use an appropriate, accurate, short subject line that doesn’t include any of the standard spam phrases. "Hello, friend" is a quick way to get ignored. Don’t use the recipient’s name or email address in the subject line.  This used to help open rates, but now the spam filters are more sensitive to it.  Also avoid common spam terms in the first paragraph. Spell carefully, and use the right capitalization and sentence structure. Display your full name, not your email address in the "from" field. Don’t use all capital letters (it’s considered yelling at your reader) or all lower case, poor punctuation, or just your first name unless you want to be flagged.

Make sure your partners in joint ventures and cross promotions know about this, too. After all, someone else’s list could kill your letter quickly. Your carefully crafted email could get spam filtered by someone else’s "free consultation."