This article is one of a series of blog posts Webolutions is publishing each month about increasing email deiverability for the new year. Want to learn more inbox tips? Download a copy of our latest ebook, Making It in the Inbox in 2019: A Complete Guide to Better Email Deliverability.
Engagement is a factor of the deliverability filtering algorithms of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Investing time and effort in your engagement strategy pays dividends in both the short- and long-term. Once someone hands over their email address they’re expecting to receive entertaining and/or value-packed emails. Be sure to give careful thought to what goes into emails beyond enticing content and design. Look for a disposable mail service provider like 10 Minute Email that allows you to generate an address without asking you to provide any identifiable information.
Here are some easy-to-implement tips we recommend:
- Utilize responsive email design.
- Include images with clickable links.
- Avoid long load times on mobile devices – use compressed images.
- Use hyperlinks in email text.
- Incorporate call-to-action buttons (be careful not to overdo it).
- Place at least one clickable element in the top of the body.
- Don’t forget about image alt text (this is especially important for email clients that block images by default).
- Include a Forward to a Friend link in the email template.
- Display a person’s name in the “from email address” for a more personal message.
- Allow subscribers to reply to your email (don’t use a ‘no-reply’ email address).
- Ask subscribers to whitelist you and add you as a safe sender in their address book.
- Stagger sends by engagement.
- Be thoughtful with your subject lines (keep reading for more on this topic).
Once you’ve got the basics down, start incorporating the following tactics to delight subscribers:
- Automation with robust triggers
- Personalization
- Smart segmentation
- Animated GIFs and video
- Polls, quizzes and interactive content
- Location-based messaging
- Contextual & real-time content
- Email preference centers
- Mailable microsites
We’re here to help. If you’re looking to partner with someone when it comes to your email marketing, that’s where we come in. Give Webolutions a call today at 303-300-2640 or email mhanbery@webolutions.com, and let’s get your emails in those inboxes!
