In 2018, 70% of the 3.8 billion emails sent worldwide contained at least one spammy element.
In 2019, it is estimated that over 1,000 billion emails will be exchanged worldwide every day! The vast majority of these will not escape spam filters or even reach the Junk box.
In the end, even if the selection is superior to that of spermatozoa, very few emails will be lucky enough to reach their destination.
ISPs and e-mail clients are at the cutting edge of filtering! To give you an idea, it's like trying to get into Nikki Beach in flip-flops on an August evening... you'd better know the codes and be well accompanied!
Dataventure explains how to make sure your Dress Code doesn't get left at the door of the mailbox! 😱
You'll need to pay particular attention to content, format, HTML code, weight and, of course, your reputation!
Let's focus today on the content and spammy elements that cansend you straight back to the campsite, flip-flops under your arm!
The sender: "Be yourself!
Spam filters have a long memory and keep track of campaign histories. Make sure you always use the same sender name. Use your company or brand name, or even better, personify it with a person's name.
The "weight of words" wording...
Bear in mind that filters are also based on semantic analysis. Basically, bouncers like it when you talk nice to them, but don't overdo it! Whether it's too much or too little, your choice of vocabulary will determine your Spam Score.
So start by avoiding swear words or "Spam Words" in our jargon (take the sportscaster's southern accent to pronounce "our jargon" - when we tell you style is important - but we'll get to that a little later!). So avoid Spam Words... a list of words and expressions monitored by e-mail providers.
This list is infinitely long and constantly evolving. So let us help you...
The visuals "...the shock of the photos!"
Be sure to respect a good image/text ratio of 60% / 40%. And don't bother disguising yourself either: spam filters don't take kindly to images. They think you're trying to fool them by hiding text elements. So, logically, don't use full images!
Spelling and writing style "No mistakes!"
Let's go back to the dictations of Madame Bourillon, your 6th grade French teacher, and take care of our French! It's a well-known fact that Spammers make mistakes, not you. Make sense of your texts and write correctly.
Rule No. 1: reread and don't abuse:
- Symbols
- Punctuation (!!!)
- Unstructured sentences.
- Capital letters. Keep them at the beginning of sentences, of course, BUT DON'T WRITE YOUR ENTIRE TEXT IN CAPITALS! However, it's not forbidden to include a title or call-to-action in capital letters if you wish.
Don't leave me..." unsubscribe link
Always include an unsubscribe link in your e-mail. Without a link, there's no return trip to the spam folder. Not to mention the Internet user who, uninterested in your communication, will look for this famous link and send you straight to the spam folder if he doesn't find it. This is all the more true in acquisition emailing, where you're addressing a target prospect.
It's true, however, that every mailbox is different, and while Gmail may let you in, Outlook may not!
Take Gmail, for example. Google uses behavioral filtering to analyze how users react to your communications. Opens, clicks, downloads, unsubscribes, etc... For example, if one of your prospects doesn't open your emails several times in a row, it's highly likely that the next time they do, you'll end up directly in the spam folder.
