E-mail Marketing: Tips on How to Get Your E-mails Delivered

Your e-mail is legitimate, but it might be getting blocked because some ISPs think it’s spam. In many cases, that’s probably because ISPs can’t be sure of who you are.

This and other e-mail deliverability issues Lyris Technologies addresses in its recent white paper, “The Role of DNS, Unsubscribes and Bounces in E-mail Deliverability.” The e-mail marketing and delivery solutions provider notes that many ISPs offer several tips for helping the ISPs verify your identity.

* Have a static IP address to have a complete DNS (domain name system) record. Lyris describes DNS as a giant phone book for computers to find each other. A static IP address stays the same, while a dynamic IP address changes all the time. Some e-mail list management programs won’t work if there are dynamic IP addresses used and ISPs usually don’t accept e-mail from e-mail servers using dynamic IPs because they could be spam or a virus.

* Make sure your DNS entry is accurate. If an ISP is checking for forgeries, it will often use forward and reverse DNS lookups on messages to track the IP addresses that go with it.

The whitepaper also offers some reasons to be encouraged when asked to remove an address:

* Your list can remain active and responsive. If you process the request quickly, you’re complying with the federal CAN-SPAM law and you’re keeping your list full of recipients who want your information and are more likely to buy your product.

* They didn’t call you a spammer. On the bright side, your e-mail wasn’t flagged as “spam” and you haven’t been complained about by consumers to ISPs, which could potentially lead to all of your e-mails getting blocked. View it as losing one customer vs. possibly losing many and being blacklisted as a spammer.

The report also points out that your e-mail may be getting blocked and you’re not even aware of it, or it’s getting bounced back to you. Here are two ways to boost delivery:

* Change the format. Send plain text if you’re sending in HTML and it’s getting blocked. Switch it out the opposite way if you’re already using plain text.

* Reach out to IT. Get in touch with the technical contacts for a domain you’re have trouble reaching. You’ll show that you’re a responsible e-mail publisher and they may have even more tips on improving your e-mail practices.

For more information or to read “The Role of DNS, Unsubscribes, and Bounces in E-mail Deliverability,” go to http://www.lyris.com/resources/whitepapers/whitepaper_boosting-email-deliverability.pdf?promocode=wp_dmnews_040407&leadsource=23 .