Why do email clients argue with deliverability experts about email marketing advice?

Key findings

• Validation seeking: Clients often seek validation for their existing strategies, even if those are problematic, rather than embracing corrective advice.
• Misaligned goals: Marketers frequently prioritize immediate acquisition and list growth, which can conflict with an expert's focus on long-term sender health and engagement.
• Resistance to change: Businesses are often reluctant to abandon methods they perceive as working or have heavily invested in, even when these practices are detrimental to deliverability.
• Ignorance of technicalities: A lack of deep understanding of underlying email authentication (like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM) and mailbox provider algorithms can lead marketers to question restrictive advice.
• Perceived insult: Refusing to work with problematic list acquisition methods (e.g., purchased lists) can be interpreted as a personal slight by clients.

Key considerations

• Educate clients: Experts should prioritize educating clients about the principles of deliverability and the long-term impact of non-compliance.
• Set clear expectations: Clearly define the scope of deliverability advice and the necessary changes required for success from the outset.
• Focus on data: Present deliverability advice backed by data and case studies to demonstrate the real-world impact of best practices, such as how email deliverability works in practice.
• Address business objectives: Frame deliverability advice in terms of achieving sustainable marketing goals and return on investment, aligning with the client's business perspective.
• Acknowledge investment: Recognize that businesses have invested in their current strategies, and gently guide them towards better practices, highlighting the potential ROI of deliverability improvements. More information can be found on Only Influencers.

Key opinions

• Validation over advice: Many marketers primarily seek confirmation for their existing strategies, rather than guidance that might require a significant shift in their approach.
• Resistance to external authority: Some marketers are accustomed to dictating strategy internally and find it difficult to accept challenging opinions from external consultants, unlike their own staff.
• Everyone does it mentality: There's a common belief that certain problematic practices (like using third-party lists) are widespread and therefore acceptable, despite expert warnings about their impact on domain reputation.
• Acquisition methods are sacred: For some businesses, email acquisition is viewed as non-negotiable, leading them to prioritize list growth over the health of their deliverability.
• Distrust of consultants: A suspicion exists that consultants may not genuinely want to help, or are holding back secrets to deliverability, rather than providing straightforward advice.
• Cost vs. value perception: Marketers may be reluctant to invest in common sense guidelines, expecting a quick fix for delivering undesirable content successfully.

Key considerations

• Consequences of bad practices: Marketers need a clear understanding of the direct impact of using purchased lists on their sender reputation and inbox placement, leading to failed email delivery.
• Long-term perspective: Emphasize that short-term gains from aggressive tactics often lead to long-term deliverability problems and financial losses for the business.
• Ethical data collection: Highlight the importance of consent-based list building for sustainable and effective email marketing campaigns.
• Resource reallocation: Guide marketers on how to reallocate resources from problematic acquisition strategies to engagement and list hygiene for better inbox placement.
• Reputation impact: Stress that poor deliverability (due to bad practices) can damage overall brand reputation beyond just email, affecting customer trust and perception. More on why deliverability matters from Higher Logic.

Key opinions

• No compromise on opt-in: Experts firmly believe that effective deliverability is unattainable without legitimate, explicit opt-in methods for list acquisition.
• Clients seeking secrets: There is a common misconception that experts possess some hidden trick to successful email delivery, rather than relying on established best practices.
• Managing DMARC skepticism: Experts often encounter clients who are resistant to implementing critical protocols like DMARC, viewing it as unnecessary or an attempt to upsell.
• Dealing with misinformation: Experts frequently debunk common deliverability myths that are prevalent among marketers, which can create initial friction.
• Focus on long-term health: The primary focus for experts is always on sustainable, long-term sender reputation and inbox placement, even if it means sacrificing immediate, high-volume sending.
• Educating on algorithmic behavior: Experts stress that their advice is based on how mailbox providers actually work, which often contradicts anecdotal marketer experience.

Key considerations

• Clear communication: Experts must articulate the why behind their recommendations, clearly connecting technical advice to tangible business outcomes.
• Managing expectations: Proactively communicate that quick fixes for deep-seated deliverability issues are rare, and significant improvement requires consistent effort.
• Ethical boundaries: Be prepared to decline engagements where client practices fundamentally undermine deliverability principles, such as the use of purchased lists that lead to blacklisting.
• Demonstrate value: Show how adherence to best practices leads to better ROI and overall marketing success, not just compliance. More information can be found on SpamResource and Word to the Wise.
• Patience and persistence: Educating clients often requires repeated explanations and consistent reinforcement of core principles, especially when challenging long-held beliefs about email marketing.

Key findings

• Consent is paramount: Mailbox providers prioritize explicit user consent for email reception, with unsolicited mail being heavily filtered and often leading to blacklisting.
• Authentication is essential: Strict adherence to authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for email to be recognized as legitimate and not spoofed.
• Engagement metrics matter: Mailbox providers use engagement signals (opens, clicks, replies, deletions, spam complaints) as key indicators to determine inbox placement.
• Reputation is cumulative: Sender reputation is built over time based on consistent, positive sending behavior and adherence to policies.
• Clear unsubscribe options: Documentation consistently stresses the necessity of easy-to-find and functional unsubscribe mechanisms to protect user experience.

Key considerations

• Interpretive challenge: Official documentation can be highly technical, making it difficult for non-experts to fully interpret and apply its implications without specialized knowledge.
• Dynamic policies: Mailbox provider algorithms and policies are constantly evolving, requiring continuous monitoring and adaptation beyond static documentation.
• Holistic approach: No single piece of documentation holds all the answers. A comprehensive understanding of various guidelines, like those found in Google Postmaster Tools, is necessary for effective deliverability.
• Penalties for non-compliance: Documentation often outlines the severe consequences of violating policies, including blocklisting, filtering, and impacting transactional emails. SendLayer provides further insight.
• User experience focus: The overarching goal of mailbox provider documentation is to protect user experience by minimizing unwanted mail and ensuring legitimate emails reach the inbox.