How do I set up automated list management techniques in SFMC to keep deliverability high?

Key findings

• List hygiene: Regularly removing unengaged subscribers, bounces, and spam complaints from your active sending lists is paramount.
• Engagement monitoring: Automate the process of identifying subscribers who haven't opened or clicked emails within a specific timeframe (e.g., 3-6 months, or up to a year at most).
• Suppression data extensions: Use SFMC automations to move unengaged or problematic subscribers to a suppression Data Extension (DE) that can be applied to all future sends.
• SFMC's native handling: SFMC automatically handles unsubscribes and immediate moves to a 'Held' status for spam complaints and hard bounces from trusted domains.
• Bounce rules: Soft bounces and hard bounces from untrusted domains are typically attempted up to three times before the subscriber is moved to a 'Held' status.

Key considerations

• Automation studio: Leverage SFMC's Automation Studio to create scheduled workflows for list segmentation and cleaning. For example, you can create a query activity to identify unengaged subscribers and then a data extract activity to move them to a separate DE.
• Subscriber retention: Before removing unengaged subscribers, consider a re-engagement campaign. Learn how to manage deliverability when re-engaging inactive email subscribers.
• Data extensions vs. lists: SFMC primarily uses Data Extensions for contact management, providing more flexibility for segmentation than traditional lists.
• Bounce management details: Understand the specific rules SFMC applies to email bounces, including different bounce types and how they impact subscriber status. Salesforce provides detailed information on bounce mail management.

Key opinions

• No purchased lists: A fundamental rule is never to buy email lists. This practice consistently leads to poor deliverability and reputation issues.
• Opt-in only: Only send to subscribers who have explicitly opted into your email communications or have an existing customer relationship with your brand.
• Remove inactive users: It is critical to stop emailing subscribers who show no engagement (no opens or clicks) over a defined period, typically 3-6 months. Contacts older than a year are often detrimental.
• Relevant content: Sending content that your audience genuinely wants and finds valuable is essential for sustained engagement.
• Frequency control: Avoid over-emailing subscribers, as this can lead to fatigue, unsubscribes, and spam complaints.

Key considerations

• Automation for suppression: Set up automations in SFMC to move unengaged subscribers to a suppression Data Extension, which will prevent them from receiving further emails.
• Handling spam complaints: SFMC automatically moves subscribers who file spam complaints to a 'Held' status, ensuring no further sends to them.
• Bounce management: SFMC also automatically manages hard bounces, moving them to a 'Held' status after the first bounce from trusted domains or after three bounces for other types.
• Deliverability impact: Recognize that consistent email list quality directly impacts your sender reputation and overall deliverability.
• Proactive cleaning: Don't wait for deliverability issues to arise. Implement a routine list cleaning strategy, potentially including email list cleaning services for maximum efficiency.

Key opinions

• Engagement signals: Sending to unengaged subscribers signals poor list quality to mailbox providers, directly impacting your sender reputation and increasing the likelihood of landing in spam folders. It's often more beneficial to remove unengaged contacts than to continue sending to them.
• Permission is key: True opt-in is the bedrock of good deliverability. Any method of list acquisition that deviates from explicit consent will lead to higher bounce rates, spam complaints, and blacklisting.
• Automated re-engagement: Before removal, an automated re-engagement series can be a valuable last-ditch effort to revive inactive subscribers, but it must be carefully managed to avoid further deliverability issues. Re-engaging stale subscribers requires specific strategies.
• Spam trap avoidance: Old, unengaged email addresses are prime candidates for conversion into spam traps. Automated removal or suppression prevents hitting these reputation pitfalls.

Key considerations

• SFMC automation specifics: While SFMC handles some bounce and complaint management natively, custom automations using SQL queries in Automation Studio are essential for proactive unengaged subscriber removal based on your specific engagement definitions.
• Data accuracy: Ensure that the data used for identifying unengaged subscribers (e.g., last open/click dates) is accurate and up-to-date within SFMC to avoid suppressing active contacts.
• Segmented suppression: Consider segmenting your suppression lists, for instance, distinguishing between hard bounces, unengaged, and unsubscribes, for more granular control and reporting.
• Monitoring impact: Continuously monitor your deliverability metrics (open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, complaint rates) to assess the effectiveness of your automated list management techniques. Refer to sources like Salesforce Ben for general SFMC deliverability insights.

Key findings

• Automated unsubscribes: When a subscriber clicks the unsubscribe link, SFMC automatically ceases sending emails to them.
• Spam complaint handling: Upon receiving a spam complaint, SFMC immediately moves the subscriber to a 'Held' status, preventing any future sends to that address.
• Hard bounce management: For hard bounces from 'trusted domains,' SFMC automatically moves the subscriber to 'Held' status after the first bounce.
• Soft and block bounce rules: For soft bounces and block bounces (and hard bounces from 'untrusted domains'), SFMC applies a 'three bounce rule' before moving the subscriber to 'Held' status.

Key considerations

• Understanding 'Held' status: Subscribers in 'Held' status are effectively suppressed from future sends, which is crucial for maintaining a clean and deliverable list.
• Distinguishing bounce types: Familiarize yourself with the different categories of bounces (e.g., hard, soft, block, technical) as defined by SFMC to better understand their impact.
• Custom suppression: While SFMC handles basic suppression, documentation supports creating your own custom suppression lists and automations (e.g., based on inactivity) to complement native features and further refine your audience.
• Reference documentation: Always refer to the official Salesforce documentation for the most accurate and up-to-date information on bounce and subscriber management. Best practices for email verification are also essential.