Summary
Several organizations are recognized for their strong email deliverability. These include brands like Sephora, Home Depot, Toyota, Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Etsy, Booking.com, Airbnb, The New York Times, and BBC. Key factors driving their success include: personalized email experiences and relevant content tailored to user behavior; strong domain reputations; well-run CRM programs; strict list control; adherence to best practices like permission-based marketing and consistent email frequency; visually appealing and mobile-optimized emails; a focus on list hygiene; adherence to authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC); prioritizing customer consent and data privacy; and building consumer trust. Internal business processes are also very important. Technical documentation and expert opinions consistently emphasize these points.
Key findings
- Personalization and Relevance: Personalized email experiences and relevant content are crucial for maintaining high deliverability by increasing engagement.
- List Management and Hygiene: Strict list control, regular list hygiene, and permission-based marketing improve sender reputation and deliverability by targeting engaged subscribers.
- Strong Reputation and Trust: A strong domain reputation, built through well-run CRM programs and valuable content, contributes to better inbox placement. Consumer trust is also a factor.
- Adherence to Best Practices: Following email marketing best practices, such as consistent email frequency, mobile optimization, and engaging design, enhances overall deliverability.
- Authentication and Compliance: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication protocols and complying with data privacy regulations is essential for improving deliverability and trust.
- Internal Processes and User Focus: Prioritizing internal processes which are user-centric and that are not just blindly following others is an important factor.
Key considerations
- Relevance and Value: Ensure emails are highly relevant to subscribers, providing value and meeting their needs to encourage engagement.
- Obtain Explicit Permission: Only send emails to subscribers who have explicitly opted in, providing easy opt-out options to respect their preferences.
- Monitor and Maintain Reputation: Actively monitor sender reputation, addressing any deliverability issues promptly to prevent negative impacts.
- Prioritize Mobile Experience: Optimize emails for mobile devices, ensuring a seamless user experience to enhance engagement.
- Comply with Regulations: Adhere to data privacy regulations and email marketing best practices to maintain subscriber trust and avoid penalties.
- Focus on Ethical Practices: Adopt ethical marketing practices at all times to earn and maintain trust.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Several companies across various industries are recognized for their strong email deliverability practices. These include brands like Sephora, Home Depot, Toyota, Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Etsy, Booking.com, Airbnb, The New York Times, and BBC. Common themes among these companies include personalized email experiences, relevant content tailored to user behavior, strong domain reputations, well-run CRM programs, strict list control, adherence to best practices like permission-based marketing and consistent email frequency, visually appealing and mobile-optimized emails, and a focus on list hygiene.
Key opinions
- Personalization: Personalized email experiences and relevant content are critical for maintaining high deliverability.
- List Management: Strict list control, regular list hygiene, and permission-based marketing improve sender reputation and deliverability.
- Strong Reputation: A strong domain reputation, often built through well-run CRM programs and valuable content, contributes to better inbox placement.
- Adherence to Best Practices: Following email marketing best practices, such as consistent email frequency and mobile optimization, enhances engagement and deliverability.
- Segmentation: Segmenting email lists and tailoring content based on user behavior leads to better engagement and deliverability.
Key considerations
- Relevance: Ensure emails are highly relevant to subscribers based on their interests and behaviors.
- Engagement: Focus on driving positive engagement metrics (opens, clicks) through compelling and valuable content.
- Permission: Obtain explicit permission before sending emails and provide easy opt-out options.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitor sender reputation metrics and address any deliverability issues promptly.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure emails are optimized for mobile devices to provide a seamless user experience.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus highlights brands like Netflix and Spotify, emphasizing their personalized email experiences and relevance to subscribers as key to maintaining high deliverability.
8 Feb 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor discusses brands that excel in creating visually appealing and mobile-optimized emails, resulting in increased engagement and improved deliverability metrics.
22 Jun 2024 - Campaign Monitor
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Experts emphasize that strong email deliverability stems from respecting users, prioritizing customer consent and data privacy, building a good sender reputation, maintaining consumer trust, and adhering to responsible email marketing practices, especially staying compliant and focusing on permission-based marketing. Rather than blindly following others, focusing on internal business processes is also critical.
Key opinions
- Respect for Users: Prioritizing customer needs and respecting user preferences is crucial for deliverability.
- Responsible Practices: Responsible email marketing, including compliance and permission-based marketing, is essential.
- Reputation & Trust: Building a good sender reputation and maintaining consumer trust are key indicators of excellent deliverability.
- Internal Processes: Focusing on internal business processes and not just blindly following trends is important.
- Data Privacy: Data privacy practices and gaining proper customer consent improves deliverability.
Key considerations
- Compliance: Ensure all email marketing activities comply with relevant laws and regulations.
- Transparency: Communicate transparently with subscribers about data usage and email practices.
- Data Privacy: Implement robust data privacy measures to protect subscriber information.
- User-Centric Approach: Adopt a user-centric approach to email marketing, focusing on providing value and respecting subscriber preferences.
- Ethical Practices: Engage in ethical marketing practices at all times to earn and maintain trust.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks focuses on internal business processes and respecting users, advising to focus on customer needs rather than blindly following others.
1 Sep 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of responsible email marketing practices, highlighting companies that prioritize customer consent and data privacy as examples of those with strong deliverability.
19 Jan 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Technical documentation from Google, Microsoft, RFC Editor, SparkPost, and M3AAWG consistently highlights the importance of adhering to email authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining low complaint rates, actively managing sender reputation, monitoring reputation metrics, practicing effective list management, and establishing feedback loops as critical factors for achieving improved email deliverability. Following sender guidelines provided by mailbox providers like Gmail and Outlook.com is also emphasized.
Key findings
- Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication protocols is essential for improving deliverability.
- Reputation Management: Actively managing and monitoring sender reputation is critical for inbox placement.
- Low Complaint Rates: Maintaining low complaint rates signals good sender behavior to mailbox providers.
- List Management: Effective list management practices are necessary for sending to engaged subscribers.
- Feedback Loops: Establishing and monitoring feedback loops helps identify and address deliverability issues.
Key considerations
- Compliance with Standards: Ensure full compliance with industry-standard email authentication protocols.
- Proactive Monitoring: Proactively monitor sender reputation using available tools and resources.
- Complaint Handling: Develop a process for promptly addressing and resolving subscriber complaints.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean email lists to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers.
- Sender Guidelines: Adhere to the specific sender guidelines provided by major mailbox providers like Gmail and Outlook.com.
Technical article
Documentation from M3AAWG (Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group) outlines best practices for email senders, focusing on authentication, list management, and feedback loops to ensure high deliverability rates.
3 Sep 2024 - M3AAWG
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor details the importance of adhering to established email authentication standards like SPF (RFC 7208), DKIM (RFC 6376), and DMARC (RFC 7489) to improve deliverability and reduce spoofing.
7 Jul 2021 - RFC Editor
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