Email Delivery Best Practices

Here are seven good sending policies that can help improve your email delivery rates. For more best practices, send an email to SureSend@BlueHornet.com.

1. Give subscribers choices. Put yourself in your their shoes. Provide the ability to opt in and out of the various channels of email communication you offer.
2. Introduce your program to new subscribers with a welcome letter. This is a great way for you to set expectations and build some buzz about your brand and your online marketing campaigns.
3. Implement Double Opt In procedures (DOI) today! Don't leave the flood gates open for spam traps and malicious email addresses that may poison your database. With a closed-loop double opt in sign up process, you protect your brand and database.
4. Don't send too little--or too much. Send only once a year and subscribers will forget they opted in. Send too often and you're sure to see an increase in abuse complaints.
5. Keep a pulse on subscriber activity. Subscribers who have not clicked or opened an email in 6-12 months are either not engaged, forgot they signed up, abandoned their email address, or canceled their account. According to recent studies, 40% of B2C email addresses go bad within six months.
6. Get authenticated! Authentication tools such as Microsoft's Sender ID technology and Yahoo's Domain Keys will allow you to ensure your email is trusted by subscribers. BlueHornet can help you get set up.
7. Test! Test! Test! Keeping a gauge on your sending reputation is essential. BlueHornet's SureSend™ deliverability enhancement suite provides the tools and servies you need to achieve better delivery.

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