Did you know 70% of the email messages marked as spam by users are actually legitimate marketing messages? Your spammy exterior just may be hiding stellar copywriting, beautiful images, and money saving offers. To be fair, some of this is beyond our control. Research shows a lack of understanding by many as to what truly constitutes spam. For example, 72% of email users will report a message as spam if they simply don’t want to receive it, even if they opted-in to receive the messages previously and even when there was an unsubscribe button in the message. Or, don’t you hate when your mail lands in their junk mail automatically. (That hurts.) Many of us delete junk folders without checking them first. (Keep reading to find out how to stay out of there.) Being wrongly pinged as a spammer is unfortunate, especially considering the implications it can cause. Frequent offenders are penalized and even banned from marketing using email, a tough blow for legit marketers.
Here are some things you can do to make your messages look more authentic and less spammy:
- Check your frequency: Email messages sent too often turn people off, but too infrequently cause people to forget you and unsubscribe. Depending on the type of content between once a week and once a month is a good rule of thumb.
- Don’t Hide the Unsubscribe: Make your unsubscribe button easy to find. Don’t hold people hostage by forcing them to keep receiving your unwanted your email marketing.
- Watch your words: Words like “free” and “cash” and “cheap” in your subject line will banish you to the pits of junk mail folder hell. HubSpot has a great list of trigger words.
- Include a plain text version: Make it the same as you HTML so that anyone can read it.
- Make sure your links work: Links should go to legit landing pages and content.