Afraid of Spam? The Full Guide to Spam-Free Business Emails

There is no doubt that the ability of email companies to screen spam content that can harm their clients is definitely important. But what happens when we are on the other side of the coin?
As business owners, we will sometimes experience the less pleasant side of spam – when some of the emails we send will be classified as spam messages (by the email systems, or by the clients) which will damage our ability to market using email.

A bit about Gmail and spam

Gmail operates according to algorithms based on the database of its users. Meaning, messages that recipients marked as “spam” or “promotion” in the past will also be sent into these folders in other accounts. It is therefore likely that if your emails were marked by your clients in this way in the past, they will continue to end up in these folders accordingly and may also reach the spam folder of other clients.

Sounds like an undesirable scenario? Indeed. Is there anything you can do to avoid it? Absolutely!
We have compiled for you all the actions that should be avoided, along with the actions that are important to implement, to ensure that the business emails you send will continue to safely reach their destination in the inbox.

Don’ts (because if you do, you will probably find your emails in the spam folder)

• Don’t spam them: we know it’s tempting to send emails to your clients, even if they didn’t necessarily approve their address on the mailing list. Despite the temptation – avoid it, and be sure to only send emails to contacts who have confirmed the receipt of mailings from you.
• Dosage is key: we live in a time of overflowing content everywhere – even in our email inbox. Think about your clients when you send the messages, and try not to overwhelm them with unnecessary content, since they are already receiving a huge amount of emails as it is. Carefully choose the contents you wish to send, make sure they are valuable and justify the email- so that you don’t find yourself classified as spam.
• Avoid spammy words: email companies identify certain words as spam, and transfer emails that include them to the promotion or spam folder. Avoid phrases like: “free gift”, “100% free” “start earning x dollars”, “bank” or “Paypal”, and also avoid exclamation marks or question marks.

Do’s (and help your emails reach their destination)

• Send emails only to clients who have approved the reception: sending emails to users outside the contact list is a “big no-no”, same as purchasing mailing lists, which will lower your reliability index with the email companies. Our recommendation: beyond focusing on the mailing list, perform a Double Opt-in (additional confirmation of the contacts to join the mailing list), to make sure that your clients are indeed interested in being included in the mailing list.
• Send messages gradually and in small doses: one of the most useful and effective tools of the inwise system is regulating the number of emails, which significantly improves the status of your business in the eyes of email companies. The system will define a low sending rate and gradually increase it over time. It will then allow you to control the number of emails sent, limiting the amount and the duration of the mailing.
• Create emails that call to action: messages that contain call-to-action content (for example: a thank you email that invites your recipient to enter the website using a coupon code) will encourage your recipients to want to continue receiving emails from you, and accordingly, to mark your messages as desired – which will raise the status of the emails you send.
• Adding your business to the contact list: a good way to reach the inbox is when your business is defined by clients as a contact on their list or as a member of their “safe senders” list. The way to do it is by sending an email asking them to define you as a contact on these lists, and even offer a unique gift or discount for those who do so. How do you do it? Just like this.
• Clearly present your business: Make sure that the presence of your business is clear in every email you send – using colors, logo, sender address, return address and content. Maintaining transparency in this aspect is crucial, as it is important that your recipients will be able to easily and quickly recognize the source of the email sent to them.
• High-quality and relevant content: When sending business content to your clients, it is important to have a reason in doing so. Writing high-quality content with added value for clients (for example: if your business is an online shop, you can send a list of smart shopping tips for “Black Friday”) will be useful and interesting, and will increase the chance of your clients wanting to continue receiving messages from you. In addition, make sure that the buttons lead to the correct links, that there are no spelling mistakes, and that the spaces and punctuation are correct.
• The design of the emails: designed emails are a wonderful thing, however, it is important to make sure that the content is not lost within them. If the design of your email is made in HTML, make sure it also includes text, so that even if the image doesn’t open, clients will know what the email is about, so they don’t classify it as spam.
• Installing SPF/DKIM/Domain Keys on your server: this is another tool of the inwise system to prevent your businesses from being flagged as spam senders. This is a fairly effective insurance that will help you continue sending marketing messages without interruption and makeֶ sure that they reach the main inbox.

We hope that we managed to make some sense in the big and complex mess of the spam world. Now, all that is left for you is to apply the “Do’s” list, avoid the “Don’ts”, and of course – use inwise for everything you need.