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How does Salesforce Marketing Cloud handle email bounces and what are the best practices for bounce management?

Summary

Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) employs a nuanced system for handling email bounces, distinguishing between hard and soft bounces to protect sender reputation and optimize deliverability. Unlike some platforms that might immediately suppress an address after a single hard bounce, SFMC's default logic can be more lenient, leading to confusion among users.

What email marketers say

Email marketers frequently discuss Salesforce Marketing Cloud's bounce management, often highlighting the nuances and frustrations related to its default settings. While SFMC offers powerful automation and segmentation tools, its standard bounce handling logic can sometimes deviate from industry best practices, particularly concerning hard bounces. Marketers emphasize the importance of understanding these intricacies and taking proactive steps to ensure optimal email deliverability and maintain a clean subscriber list.

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks indicates that Salesforce Marketing Cloud's bounce handling policy is a common point of confusion. They were told that daily bounces over two weeks might not lead to an undeliverable status, but three bounces within two weeks would, if memory serves correctly. This policy seems counterintuitive compared to typical bounce management practices.

10 Jan 2019 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Uplers emphasizes that hard bounces necessitate immediate removal from the email list, as sending to them again is detrimental. This ensures proper list hygiene and prevents further damage to sender reputation.

20 Jun 2020 - Email Uplers

What the experts say

Deliverability experts emphasize that effective bounce management is critical for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and achieving strong inbox placement. They generally advocate for aggressive handling of hard bounces, often recommending immediate removal, while acknowledging that soft bounces may warrant a more lenient, temporary suppression approach. The challenge lies in accurately classifying bounces and implementing a system that intelligently responds to different bounce types to minimize negative impacts on deliverability.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks states that the general rule for bounce management is based on a certain number of bounces occurring within a specific timeframe. They offer to conduct training on how ESPs should ideally handle bounces and the underlying reasons, highlighting its complexity.

10 Jan 2019 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that the initial statement about SFMC's bounce logic sounds incorrect. They clarify that if the rule is "3 consecutive times within 3 weeks" for soft bounces, it would be more understandable. Hard bounces, conversely, should be removed immediately from mailing lists.

10 Jan 2019 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says

Official Salesforce Marketing Cloud documentation and related resources detail the system's automated bounce handling mechanisms and the implications of different bounce types. They explain how SFMC categorizes bounces and subsequently manages subscriber statuses, aiming to balance deliverability optimization with list integrity. The documentation also provides guidance on best practices for marketers to complement SFMC's built-in features for comprehensive bounce management.

Technical article

Documentation from Trailhead suggests that activating the "Exit on Hard Bounce" and "Exit on Soft Bounce" automations is a recommended practice. These features allow for better management and reporting on email cadences within Salesforce Marketing Cloud, ensuring timely suppression.

12 Mar 2023 - Trailhead

Technical article

Documentation from Digital Marketing on Cloud explains that SFMC automatically adjusts subscriber statuses based on bounce patterns. For instance, if a subscriber consistently bounces, SFMC will update their status accordingly to prevent continued sending, which helps maintain list integrity and deliverability.

20 Nov 2022 - Digital Marketing on Cloud

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    How does Salesforce Marketing Cloud handle email bounces and what are the best practices for bounce management? - Tools - Email deliverability - Knowledge base - Suped