Summary
Improving email deliverability for a client with a dormant list and low sending volume requires a comprehensive strategy that encompasses sender authentication, list hygiene, re-engagement, segmentation, content relevance, reputation monitoring, and adherence to email best practices. Crucial steps include ensuring compliance with DMARC, DKIM, and SPF; warming up the IP address; cleaning the list of invalid and inactive addresses; running a targeted re-engagement campaign (such as a 'why you want to get our mail' campaign); segmenting based on engagement, email client, and subscriber expectations; delivering relevant and valuable content; using email verification tools; monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints; avoiding spam triggers; providing an easy unsubscribe option; and leveraging Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft Sender Support for insights and guidance. Experts advise against using outdated metrics (like past clicks) and including irrelevant segments (like friends and family).
Key findings
- Authentication: DMARC, DKIM, and SPF are essential for authenticating emails and preventing spoofing.
- IP Warmup: Gradual IP warming establishes sender reputation with ISPs.
- List Cleaning: Removing invalid addresses reduces bounce rates and complaints.
- Re-engagement: A 'Why get our mail' campaign can re-engage subscribers.
- Segmentation: Segmentation by engagement, client, expectation improves targeting.
- Content: Relevant content boosts engagement, reduces spam.
- Verification: Email verification tools identify invalid addresses before sending.
- Monitoring: Monitoring bounce rates, complaints informs adjustments.
- Spam Triggers: Avoiding spam triggers prevents filtering.
- Unsubscribe: Easy unsubscribe options improve sender reputation.
- Sender Reputation Tools: Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft Sender Support offer insights
- Updated Metrics: Historical metrics (like past clicks) can be misleading.
- Relevant Segments: Including family/friends on a marketing list is rarely helpful
Key considerations
- Implementation Complexity: Authentication (DMARC, DKIM, SPF) configuration requires technical expertise.
- Warmup Strategy: IP warming must be gradual to avoid triggering filters.
- Tool Selection: Choosing a reliable email verification tool is essential.
- Campaign Appeal: Re-engagement campaigns should provide compelling value.
- Segment Accuracy: Segments must be defined with current and relevant information.
- Content Relevance: Tailoring content to specific segments is crucial.
- Threshold Setting: Setting appropriate thresholds for bounces/complaints is vital.
- Regular Review: Email content should be regularly reviewed for spam triggers.
- Management System: Unsubscribe requests must be promptly and correctly managed.
- Analysis Expertise: Interpreting data from reputation tools requires skill and experience
- Alternative Segments: Explore and exploit new sources of lead-generation to increase the number of prospects on your marketing list.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Improving email deliverability for a client with a dormant list and low sending volume requires a multi-faceted approach focusing on list hygiene, sender authentication, engagement, and reputation monitoring. Key strategies include ensuring compliance with authentication protocols (DMARC, DKIM, SPF), warming up IP addresses gradually, thoroughly cleaning the list by removing invalid addresses, running re-engagement campaigns, segmenting the list based on past engagement, providing relevant content, using email verification tools, monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints, avoiding spam triggers, and providing an easy unsubscribe option.
Key opinions
- Compliance & Authentication: Ensuring compliance with DMARC, DKIM, and SPF is crucial for authenticating your emails and preventing spoofing.
- IP Warm-up: Gradually warming up your IP address helps establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs, especially for dormant lists.
- List Hygiene: Thoroughly cleaning the list by removing invalid and inactive addresses reduces bounce rates and spam complaints.
- Re-engagement Campaigns: Running re-engagement campaigns allows subscribers to confirm their interest, improving list quality and engagement.
- Segmentation: Segmenting the list based on past engagement helps target active users first, improving initial engagement rates.
- Content Relevance: Providing relevant and valuable content increases engagement and reduces spam complaints.
- Email Verification Tools: Using email verification tools identifies and removes invalid addresses before sending, improving deliverability.
- Reputation Monitoring: Closely monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints allows for timely corrective actions to protect sender reputation.
- Spam Triggers: Avoiding spam triggers in email content reduces the likelihood of emails being flagged as spam.
- Unsubscribe Option: Providing an easy and prominent unsubscribe link reduces spam complaints and improves sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Authentication Implementation: Correctly configuring DMARC, DKIM, and SPF requires technical expertise and careful attention to detail.
- Gradual Ramp-Up: Warming up the IP address needs to be done methodically and carefully, avoiding sudden spikes in sending volume.
- Verification Tool Selection: Choosing a reliable email verification tool is crucial for accurate list cleaning.
- Re-engagement Offer: Crafting a compelling re-engagement campaign that provides value is essential to encourage subscribers to stay on the list.
- Segment Size: Ensuring segments are large enough to provide meaningful data for analysis is important for effective segmentation.
- Content Quality: Consistently delivering high-quality, relevant content is critical for maintaining subscriber engagement over time.
- Bounce Rate Threshold: Setting appropriate thresholds for bounce rates and spam complaints is necessary for proactive reputation management.
- Content Review: Regularly reviewing email content for potential spam triggers helps ensure deliverability.
- Unsubscribe Management: Implementing a system for promptly processing unsubscribe requests is essential for compliance and reputation management.
- Monitoring Tools: Setting up and monitoring google postmaster tools is essential for tracking reputation.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus Blog recommends avoiding spam triggers in your email content. Using certain words, phrases, or formatting can increase the likelihood of your emails being flagged as spam. Review your email content carefully and make necessary adjustments to improve deliverability.
9 Feb 2025 - Litmus Blog
Marketer view
Email marketer from ZeroBounce Blog discusses the need to monitor bounce rates and spam complaints closely. High bounce rates and spam complaints can significantly damage your sender reputation and negatively impact deliverability. Regularly review your sending metrics and take corrective actions as needed.
15 Oct 2024 - ZeroBounce Blog
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Improving email deliverability for a client with a dormant list and low sending volume requires focusing on subscriber re-engagement, relevant metrics, list segmentation, and expectation management. Experts advise against trying to revive a dormant list with old methods. Instead, they suggest a 'why you want to get our mail' campaign to re-engage subscribers, avoiding irrelevant segments like 'friends and family'. Using metrics like past clicks might not reflect current interest, particularly for low-volume senders. Segmentation by email client (Gmail, Yahoo) is essential due to differing spam rules, and managing subscriber expectations through re-permission campaigns is crucial.
Key opinions
- Re-engagement Strategy: A 'why you want to get our mail' campaign is more effective than attempting to resurrect a dormant list directly.
- Segmentation Importance: Excluding irrelevant segments like 'friends and family' improves targeting and reduces spam complaints.
- Relevant Metrics: Past click metrics may not accurately reflect current subscriber interest, especially for low-volume senders.
- Email Client Segmentation: Segmenting by email client (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) is vital due to varying spam filtering rules.
- Subscriber Expectations: Managing subscriber expectations through re-permission campaigns enhances engagement and reduces spam complaints.
Key considerations
- Campaign Content: Crafting a compelling 'why you want to get our mail' campaign is crucial for re-engaging subscribers.
- Segment Definition: Defining relevant segments based on current interest requires identifying what resonates with subscribers.
- Email Client Variations: Understanding the specific spam filtering rules of different email clients is necessary for effective segmentation.
- Re-permission Campaign: Designing a re-permission campaign that provides value and updates subscriber preferences is essential.
- Alternative metrics: Understanding what alternative metrics there are to ensure you have the most appropriate measurement of success.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks advises against trying to resurrect a dormant list and suggests running a 'why you want to get our mail' campaign instead. Also, recommends excluding friends and family from this campaign.
20 Jun 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes the importance of managing subscriber expectations. Sending emails that align with what subscribers signed up for can reduce spam complaints and improve engagement. For a dormant list, consider sending a re-permission campaign to confirm subscribers' interest and update their preferences.
8 Sep 2021 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Improving email deliverability, especially for dormant lists and low sending volumes, requires diligent monitoring and authentication. Sender reputation should be tracked using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to understand how Gmail views your sending practices. Implement SPF records to authorize sending servers, DKIM for digital signatures verifying email integrity, and DMARC to instruct receiving servers on handling authentication failures. Adhering to best practices from providers like Microsoft (implementing FBLs and monitoring sender reputation) is also critical for reaching inboxes.
Key findings
- Sender Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation via Google Postmaster Tools is crucial for identifying deliverability issues.
- SPF Implementation: Setting up SPF records authorizes sending servers and prevents domain spoofing.
- DKIM Implementation: Implementing DKIM adds digital signatures to emails, verifying their authenticity and integrity.
- DMARC Implementation: Implementing DMARC instructs receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks, combating spam and phishing.
- Provider Best Practices: Following best practices from providers like Microsoft (FBLs, reputation monitoring) improves deliverability.
Key considerations
- Postmaster Tools Setup: Setting up and regularly monitoring Google Postmaster Tools requires dedicated effort and analysis.
- SPF Configuration: Correctly configuring SPF records to include all authorized sending sources is essential to avoid legitimate emails being flagged.
- DKIM Key Management: Managing DKIM keys and ensuring proper implementation is critical for maintaining email authentication.
- DMARC Policy Enforcement: Setting an appropriate DMARC policy (none, quarantine, reject) requires careful consideration of potential impact on legitimate emails.
- FBL Implementation: Implementing feedback loops requires technical setup and ongoing monitoring to identify and address spam complaints.
Technical article
Documentation from DKIM.org details how DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to your emails, allowing receiving mail servers to verify that the email was indeed sent from your domain and hasn't been tampered with. Implementing DKIM is crucial for establishing trust and improving deliverability.
24 Nov 2021 - DKIM.org
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools Help explains that monitoring your sender reputation via Postmaster Tools is crucial. It helps you identify potential deliverability issues and understand how Gmail views your sending practices, which is even more important with low sending volumes where issues can be harder to detect.
7 Mar 2024 - Google Postmaster Tools Help
Are email list cleaning services useful for improving email deliverability, and how do they work?
Do I need to warm up my email list of 100k contacts?
How can I improve email deliverability and open rates for a client with a bad domain reputation, especially with Gmail, and what strategies should I use for unengaged users?
How can I improve email deliverability for a client with a poor sender reputation and questionable email acquisition practices?
How do I start emailing a large list with no engagement history?
How do I warm up a new subdomain for low volume B2B email sends?
How should I re-engage a dormant email list with high spam complaints?
How to re-warm a low volume email domain after high spam complaints due to an errant send?
How to warm up an old email list that hasn't been used in a while?
