Email delivery – how to assess it on the cheap and with a budget.

By Megan Moller, Inbox Enthusiast

Thanks for clicking to find out more on how to assess your email program! A little more about the Reputation tool I shared with you… you’ll need your IP address and the result is based on a 100-point scale. So, think back to your school days:

97+ = A+

93-96 = A-

90-92= A

So what does this tell you? It tells you that your emails are getting through the ISP-filter (Internet Service Providers like Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) level. From there, the ISP will then factor where to place your email: the inbox, a focused or other tab in Outlook, the primary or the promotions tab in Gmail, or of course in any provider… the SPAM folder.

 What to do next.

 Now’s the time to do an inbox placement assessment. There are a few ways you can do this; some require money and some you can do on your own.

 Little to no budget? Here are two ways to proceed:

 1.) Create a test list.

  • Look at your email-sending list and look at the ISP segmentation across your list. If 80% of your list is Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, these are the email addresses you should focus on putting into your test list.

  • Create a seed list (a list that you include in each of your email sends) for your email campaigns. This should include your email addresses and your colleagues’ and/or friends’ addresses. These should be people who will honestly interact with your email (not always open your email unless it’s interesting) and will give you feedback on where your emails are landing.

  • Determine where they seem to be landing. If they aren’t landing in the primary inbox, your emails likely aren’t getting the attention you’d like.

  • If you see that they are primarily not landing in the inbox, I’d move to the second option for further investigation.

2.) Use an inbox delivery tool. 

  • There are many out there, but one I have used that you can get a trial with is 250ok. It also integrates with several email sending platforms and automation tools. Get the trial. See if you have an issue. Then make a recommendation on continuous monitoring

  • Create a strategy to improve your placement. You can also book a coaching session with me to discuss what you should do next.

 Have budget? Here’s what to do:

 1.) Create a relationship with an inbox delivery company.

  • Whether it’s 250ok, Return Path, eDataSource or another company, start conversations.

  • Determine some options to get a pilot program in place, so you can see what’s happening with current emails you’re sending.

  • Identify if you have areas of opportunity for your program.

  • Depending on your email experience, work with your own team, an email enthusiast like me (it’s good to have someone that truly speaks the language!) or engage in delivery services with your sending provider.

 Finding out your email sending reputation score and where emails are landing is a great first step in understanding your program. You can have the best content in the world, but if it’s not getting opened or clicked on it doesn’t matter (as much as that pains me to say!). Stay tuned for the next email in the series.]

*None of these email tools mentioned in this article are compensating me or Sol Marketing and are not sponsors of this content.