Summary
Pharma companies using Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) often face unique email deliverability challenges, especially when operating with lower email volumes or managing specialized recipient lists. The core issue frequently revolves around shared IP reputations and the specific nature of pharmaceutical communications.
Key findings
- Shared IP issues: Deliverability problems, such as emails landing in spam folders or low open rates (under 10%), are often attributed to the negative reputation of shared IPs within Salesforce Marketing Cloud, sometimes due to blocklistings.
- Industry specifics: The pharmaceutical industry (pharma) frequently encounters distinct deliverability hurdles, often related to the stringent nature of recipient lists (e.g., healthcare professionals) and the potential use of purchased or shared lists, which can negatively impact sender reputation.
- Low volume concerns: For companies sending a maximum of 5,000 emails per month, a dedicated IP might pose challenges in establishing and maintaining a consistent, positive sending reputation due to insufficient volume for proper IP warmup and ongoing activity.
- Cyclical problems: Switching to a new IP, even a dedicated one, might only offer a temporary fix if underlying issues like list quality or content remain unaddressed. Problems can recur as the new IP builds its own reputation.
Key considerations
- Deep dive into issues: Before making assumptions about shared IP issues, it's crucial to diagnose the specific deliverability problems (e.g., Gmail spam, Outlook spam, blocklists) and examine metrics from tools like Google Postmaster Tools. This can help diagnose and fix SFMC deliverability issues.
- List hygiene: For pharma companies, list permission and cleanliness are paramount. Eliminating shared or purchased lists is often the first step to improving deliverability, as these can lead to high bounce rates, spam complaints, and spam trap hits.
- IP strategy: Evaluate whether negotiating for better shared IPs or opting for a dedicated IP is viable. For lower volumes, a dedicated IP requires careful warmup, which can be challenging and slow.
- Authentication setup: Ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is in place, especially with a private domain or Sender Authentication Package (SAP) in SFMC. This is fundamental for sender reputation.
- Platform suitability: Consider if Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the most appropriate platform for current needs, especially if volumes are low and more personalized support is required for complex deliverability challenges. Salesforce provides resources for email deliverability best practices.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often express frustrations with deliverability issues on shared IPs, particularly within large ESPs like Salesforce Marketing Cloud. They frequently highlight the challenges of managing low-volume sends and the critical importance of list hygiene, especially for niche industries like pharma.
Key opinions
- Shared IP challenges: Many marketers report experiencing shared IP problems with SFMC, leading to emails going to spam in major inbox providers like Gmail and Outlook.
- Root cause beyond platform: The consensus is that while shared IP issues can be a factor, poor list quality (e.g., purchased lists) is a primary contributor to deliverability failures, particularly for pharma clients.
- Overkill for low volume: For low sending volumes (e.g., 5k/month), SFMC might be excessive, and smaller ESPs could offer more dedicated support and potentially better deliverability management.
- Cyclical nature of IP issues: Even with a new IP, deliverability problems can reappear if fundamental issues like list quality are not addressed, making it a temporary solution at best.
Key considerations
- Verify specific issues: Before concluding it's solely an IP issue, investigate precise symptoms such as specific inbox placement failures or blocklist appearances.
- List permission audit: Thoroughly review subscriber acquisition methods and list permissions. Pharma clients are particularly prone to using non-opt-in or shared lists, which severely harm sender reputation.
- Authentication standards: Ensure that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured for your sending domain within SFMC. This is foundational for inbox placement. Suped provides a simple guide to email authentication.
- Strategic ESP choice: For ongoing deliverability success, especially for lower volume or highly sensitive sends, consider if SFMC's large-scale shared IP infrastructure is optimal or if a dedicated service could offer more control. The Trailhead community discusses deliverability best practices.
- IP warming for dedicated IP: If a dedicated IP is chosen, create a robust warming plan to gradually increase sending volume and establish a positive reputation. Low volume can make this process particularly challenging. Learn about common issues during IP and subdomain warmup.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks describes observed problems, stating that all Gmail was going into spam, test emails to Outlook were landing in spam, the shared IP was on a blacklist, and open rates were well below 10%.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks asks for clarification on the specific issues being observed, indicating that a detailed understanding of the problem is essential for troubleshooting.
What the experts say
Experts emphasize that while issues with shared IPs on large platforms like SFMC are common, the core problem for pharma companies often lies in list hygiene and acquisition practices. They advocate for a deeper investigation into sending metrics and adherence to best practices, rather than solely focusing on IP changes.
Key opinions
- List quality is paramount: Experts frequently observe that pharma clients often lack super clean lists, commonly using shared or purchased data, which are significant contributors to deliverability problems.
- Purchased lists are problematic: It is widely acknowledged that purchased lists, despite being a common practice in some sectors, do not magically deliver well and consistently lead to deliverability issues.
- Utilize analytics: Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) is a critical resource. High complaint rates in GPT, combined with proper DKIM signing, strongly indicate that the client's list data is the problem, not necessarily the sending platform.
- Deeper investigation needed: While shared IP issues with SFMC are recognized, experts advise against quick assumptions. A deeper dive into the specific context, especially with pharma clients, is necessary to uncover the true root cause.
- IP changes are temporary: Moving to a new IP is often a temporary solution. If underlying list quality or sending practices remain unaddressed, the deliverability issues will likely recur in a cyclical pattern.
Key considerations
- Assess list permissions: Prioritize evaluating the permission status and cleanliness of the client's subscriber list. This is often the most impactful area for improvement in pharma email deliverability.
- Leverage Postmaster Tools: Implement and regularly monitor Google Postmaster Tools. This provides crucial insights into spam complaint rates, IP and domain reputation, and authentication errors, helping to understand Google Postmaster Tools V2.
- Ensure proper authentication: Verify that a private domain (or Sender Authentication Package) is properly set up with robust authentication mechanisms, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Suped offers DMARC monitoring to help.
- Monitor sender reputation: Actively monitor sender score and overall IP reputation for quick insights into potential problems. Also, perform regular blocklist checks.
- Long-term strategy: Focus on sustainable improvements in list management and content relevance rather than just seeking short-term IP fixes. This proactive approach helps prevent recurring deliverability issues.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks highlights that their experience with medical and pharma clients at SFMC shows that lists are often not super clean. They note that shared and purchased lists are common and should be eliminated first to improve deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks consistently hears about deliverability problems with pharma clients involving purchased lists. They emphasize that the commonality of this practice does not equate to good deliverability outcomes.
What the documentation says
Salesforce documentation and related resources highlight that email deliverability success on their platform hinges on adherence to best practices, particularly regarding list quality, sender reputation, and proper authentication. They provide guidelines for optimizing email performance and troubleshooting common issues.
Key findings
- Reputation management: Salesforce emphasizes that monitoring sender reputation is critical, including analyzing email content for spam triggers and avoiding sending to inactive or redundant subscribers to prevent poor performance.
- List hygiene importance: Sending to long-term inactive subscribers is cited as a common cause of deliverability issues, leading to high bounce rates, spam complaints, and spam traps.
- Authentication standards: Salesforce encourages the implementation of robust authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to ensure emails are recognized as legitimate and avoid being blocked.
- Engagement optimization: Features like 'send time optimization' within SFMC can help increase email opens and click-throughs, which positively impacts sender reputation and deliverability.
Key considerations
- Comprehensive deliverability strategy: Develop a holistic deliverability strategy that includes list management, content quality, authentication, and monitoring. Salesforce provides essential email deliverability tools and services.
- Proactive troubleshooting: Regularly check for signs of deliverability issues, such as high bounce rates or low open rates, and use available tools to troubleshoot. This includes understanding why Salesforce emails are blocked or refused.
- Compliance and content: For pharma, ensure all email content complies with industry regulations and avoids elements that could trigger spam filters. Understanding best practices for overcoming B2B deliverability challenges is vital.
- Campaign monitoring: Implement continuous monitoring of email campaign performance and use Salesforce Marketing Cloud's reporting features to track deliverability metrics and identify areas for improvement.
Technical article
Documentation from Salesforce states that email deliverability tools and services often include features for monitoring sender reputation, analyzing email content for potential spam triggers, and checking email blocklists. These are fundamental for maintaining inbox placement.
Technical article
Documentation from Trailhead explains that the most common cause of poor email performance is repeatedly sending to long-term inactive and redundant subscribers and mailboxes. This practice directly leads to high bounce rates and spam complaints.
Related resources
4 resources
Related pages
Why are SFMC shared IPs having deliverability issues specifically with Microsoft domains?
How can I diagnose and fix deliverability issues in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Why your emails are going to spam in 2024 and how to fix it
How email blacklists actually work: a simple guide
Ultimate guide to google postmaster tools V2
A simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM
What are common email deliverability issues during new IP and subdomain warmup after ESP migration?
What happens when your domain is on an email blacklist?
Email deliverability issues: getting your messages to the inbox in 2025
How to resolve Microsoft domain deliverability issues from Salesforce?
