How to get out of the Spam folder and increase open rates

One problem continues to dog email marketers, twenty years after the first email accounts were opened: deliverability. Too many mailings wind up in Junk or Spam folders or, even if delivered correctly, aren't opened for one reason or another. Here's how you can improve deliverability and open rates.

by Kristina Knight

First, ask for recipients support - include wording within email messages and sign-ups that remind the message list to mark incoming messages from the company as 'not spam' and to add the sending/from address to their list of contacts.

"[This] puts a big seal of approval on everything you send. If at some point you change your sending address, be sure to let your recipients know -- they'll have to add that address, too," writes Colleen Petitt, Aprimo.

Second, in the open category, you might consider adding social functionality to emails to improve open rates. Data from Experian CheetahMail finds emails including Pinterest capabilities - Pin It buttons, etc. - are generating up to 25% higher clicks. According to CheetahMail analytics mailings with Pinterest functionality are getting 11% higher open rates (January 2012 - March 2012).

"We recognized the viral value of Pinterest early and recommended the 'Pin It' functionality to clients to help with customer engagement," said Yara Lutz, vice president of Client Services at Experian CheetahMail. "The emails with the 'Pin-It' functionality have consistently delivered increased click-to-open rates and helped our clients, such as Ballard Designs, expand their presence on this valuable social networking site."

Finally, keep those White Hat tactics at the forefront - maintain the list by removing non-responders and make it simple for list members to unsubscribe from mailings.

Tags: Aprimo, email best practices, email marketing, email open rates, Experian CheetahMail, Pinterest, social sharing