Summary
Pharma companies using Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) face numerous deliverability challenges, stemming from list management, content creation, technical configurations, and compliance. Poor list hygiene, often due to purchased or outdated lists, is a primary concern. Non-compliance with regulations like HIPAA and CAN-SPAM can lead to filtering and legal issues. Content relevance and engagement are crucial; generic content results in low open rates. Proper audience segmentation is necessary for targeted messaging and compliance. Technical issues include inadequate IP warming, incorrect SFMC setup (e.g., domain authentication), and poor email design/rendering. Sender reputation must be actively monitored, and high complaint rates require immediate attention. Security measures, like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are essential to prevent phishing attacks. Finally, excessive sending frequency leads to subscriber fatigue and damages reputation.
Key findings
- List Quality & Permission: Purchased, shared or outdated lists are a major issue, needing proper list cleaning to ensure deliverability.
- Compliance: Strict adherence to healthcare regulations (HIPAA) and email marketing laws (CAN-SPAM) is critical to prevent legal and deliverability problems.
- Content & Engagement: Generic or irrelevant content lowers engagement, so personalized messaging tailored to audience segments is crucial.
- Segmentation: Lack of audience segmentation can lead to irrelevant content, hurting deliverability.
- Technical Configuration: Improper SFMC setup, missing IP warming, and poor email design can lead to immediate deliverability issues.
- Sender Reputation: Sender reputation must be actively monitored, including complaint rates, sender score, and engagement metrics.
- Security: Phishing attacks and list bombing are threats that require technical security measures.
- Sending Frequency: Sending frequency needs to be monitored so as not to cause subscriber fatigue.
Key considerations
- Clean & Permissioned Lists: Implement stringent list cleaning practices and avoid purchased lists.
- Compliance Adherence: Establish protocols to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations.
- Personalized Content: Create personalized and relevant content that caters to specific audience segments.
- Improve Segmentation: Refine audience segmentation strategies to improve content relevance and targeting.
- Optimize Technical Setup: Properly configure SFMC, implement IP warming, and optimize email design for all devices.
- Monitor Reputation: Establish systems for continuously monitoring sender reputation.
- Implement Security Measures: Implement security measures like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and be vigilant against list bombing.
- Control Sending Frequency: Consider sending frequency to avoid tiring out your audience.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Pharma companies using Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) face several common deliverability issues. These include poor list hygiene (such as outdated or purchased lists), non-compliance with healthcare regulations like HIPAA, lack of engaging and personalized content, inadequate audience segmentation, high complaint rates, and improper SFMC setup (including domain authentication). Sending frequency and the relevance of content to the audience are also critical factors.
Key opinions
- List Quality: Poor list hygiene and purchased lists significantly harm deliverability due to high bounce rates and damaged sender reputation.
- Regulatory Compliance: Strict adherence to healthcare regulations is essential; non-compliance can lead to filtering and legal issues.
- Content Relevance: Generic or irrelevant content leads to low engagement and increased unsubscribe rates.
- Segmentation: Inadequate audience segmentation results in irrelevant messaging and compliance issues.
- Complaint Rates: High complaint rates directly and negatively impact deliverability; feedback loops are needed.
- SFMC Setup: Improper SFMC configuration, like incorrect domain authentication, causes immediate deliverability issues.
- Sending Frequency: Excessive sending frequency contributes to subscriber fatigue and damages sender reputation.
- Authentication and Reputation: Failing to set up private domain/SAP or check Sender score hurts deliverability
Key considerations
- List Maintenance: Regularly clean email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
- Compliance Checks: Ensure all email marketing practices comply with healthcare regulations (e.g., HIPAA).
- Personalization Strategy: Develop personalized and engaging content tailored to specific audience segments.
- Segmentation Improvement: Improve audience segmentation strategies to ensure relevant messaging.
- Feedback Loops: Establish feedback loops with email providers to monitor and address complaint rates.
- SFMC Audit: Regularly audit SFMC setup and configuration to ensure proper settings.
- Sending Cadence: Optimize sending frequency to avoid subscriber fatigue.
- Monitor Reputation: Ensure authentication is setup correctly, and actively monitor Sender Score, PMT and IP Reputation
Marketer view
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum emphasizes the need for careful audience segmentation in pharma email marketing. Because pharma sends often have mixed audiences, it’s important to segment based on patients, doctors, other providers to ensure the messaging is compliant and relevant.
13 Aug 2022 - EmailGeeks Forum
Marketer view
Email marketer from Reddit discusses the challenge of creating engaging and personalized content for pharma emails. She suggests that generic or irrelevant content can lead to low open rates and high unsubscribe rates, ultimately harming deliverability. Focusing on audience segmentation and tailored messaging can improve results.
8 Jan 2023 - Reddit
What the experts say
6 expert opinions
Experts identify several deliverability issues for pharma companies using Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC). These include the use of purchased lists, which often lead to problems, and high complaint rates, which can indicate issues with list data. Concerns about shared IP issues require deeper investigation before assumptions are made. Additional problems include list bombing, phishing attacks, and failure to comply with HIPAA and CAN-SPAM laws.
Key opinions
- Purchased Lists: Use of purchased lists is a common factor in deliverability problems for pharma clients.
- High Complaint Rates: High complaint rates, when authentication is properly set up, usually indicate issues with list data.
- Shared IP Assumptions: Assumptions about shared IP issues should be investigated further.
- List Bombing: List bombing (subscribing an email address to many lists at once) is a problem that ESP abuse desks handle.
- Phishing Attacks: Lack of protection against phishing attacks, like failing to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, impacts deliverability.
- Regulatory Non-Compliance: Failure to comply with HIPAA and CAN-SPAM laws affects deliverability.
Key considerations
- Avoid Purchased Lists: Do not use purchased lists for email marketing.
- Analyze Complaint Data: Analyze the cause of high complaint rates and address issues with list data or email content.
- Investigate IP Issues: Thoroughly investigate potential shared IP issues before drawing conclusions.
- Implement Security Measures: Protect against phishing attacks by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
- Ensure Regulatory Compliance: Comply with HIPAA and CAN-SPAM laws when sending pharmaceutical mail.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that every time they've heard of a pharma client with deliverability problems, purchased lists were involved.
23 Dec 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests to dig deeper before making assumptions about shared IP issues with SFMC and pharma deliverability problems.
2 Mar 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Documentation from various sources highlights key aspects of deliverability for pharma companies using Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC). Proper IP warming is essential when using a dedicated IP. Utilizing a Sender Authentication Package (SAP) enhances sender reputation through domain authentication and branding. Actively managing subscriber engagement, monitoring metrics like open rates, and segmenting engaged subscribers are critical. Poor email design and rendering problems can negatively impact deliverability. Continuously monitoring sender reputation through tools and services is also crucial.
Key findings
- IP Warming: Gradual IP warming is essential to build sender reputation and avoid being flagged as spam when using a dedicated IP in SFMC.
- Sender Authentication Package (SAP): SAP enhances sender reputation and trust with email providers through features like a dedicated IP, domain authentication, and account branding.
- Subscriber Engagement: Actively managing subscriber engagement, monitoring metrics, and segmenting engaged subscribers are key to deliverability.
- Email Design and Rendering: Poor email design and rendering issues can cause deliverability problems.
- Sender Reputation Monitoring: Actively monitoring sender reputation using tools and services is crucial for identifying and addressing potential issues.
Key considerations
- Implement IP Warming: Implement a gradual IP warming strategy when using a dedicated IP address.
- Utilize SAP: Utilize a Sender Authentication Package (SAP) to improve sender reputation.
- Manage Engagement: Actively manage subscriber engagement, monitor key metrics, and segment engaged subscribers.
- Optimize Email Design: Ensure emails are properly formatted and render correctly across various devices and email clients.
- Monitor Reputation Regularly: Regularly monitor sender reputation using appropriate tools and services.
Technical article
Documentation from Salesforce Help advises pharma companies to actively manage subscriber engagement. The documentation specifies that monitoring open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates is important. Regularly segmenting and targeting engaged subscribers helps to improve deliverability and sender reputation.
5 Aug 2021 - Salesforce Help
Technical article
Documentation from ReturnPath emphasizes the importance of actively monitoring sender reputation. They recommend using tools and services to track IP and domain reputation, identify potential issues, and take corrective actions to maintain a positive sending reputation and ensure deliverability.
9 Feb 2024 - ReturnPath
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