How can businesses get past SPAM filters?

We’ve all experienced that frustration of sending out well-intended emails – only to discover later they were never received.

Why? Because the emails wound up in your recipients’ SPAM or Junk Folder. So frustrating!

This occurs when something in your emails trigger the filters designed to detect and block unwanted email messages. So your content ends up being blocked.

Fortunately, there are several measures businesses can take to ensure that your emails bypasss these filters and arrive safely. This article will explain some of these steps.

What is SPAM?

First of all – what is SPAM?

SPAM is a form of unsolicited email that’s sent out in bulk. It usually contains commercial or deceptive content and can be sent to an individual or a large group of people.

When looking at the etymology, Mailguard.com says “When we speak of spam in reference to unsolicited commercial email (commonly abbreviated to UCE) the acronym S-P-A-M does not stand for anything to do with messaging or email. The word spam actually has its roots in a rather disgusting luncheon meat – the lead product for American food company Hormel Foods – and early computer geeks’ love of surreal British comedy hit Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”

But not all emails that wind up in the SPAM filter match the above description!

Four ways to overcome the SPAM filter

Unfortunately, even if you’ve got good intentions with your messaging, it’s not unusual for your emails to land in the SPAM net. Here are some tips you can try:

1. Create a Good Email List

Creating a quality list of contacts who actually want to hear from you is key.

That means getting permission first before adding someone to your list – and removing people if they unsubscribe or complain about your emails. This shows the email services you’re not carelessly blasting out messages.

2. Personalise Your Content

Personalising your emails makes a big difference.

Instead of sending a blanket email to your whole list, segment contacts into groups and tailor the messages with details that are relevant to them. Use their name and company in subject lines as well.

It feels less ‘SPAMMY’ and bots can’t duplicate that.

3. Use an Authenticated Email Service

Additionally, consider using an email delivery service like SendGrid or Amazon SES that authentically verifies your domain. This says “Hey, this business is legit!” to places like Gmail that are on SPAM patrol.

4. Monitor Your Reputation

Keep an eye on your sender reputation and email metrics. If you notice spikes in bounces or spam complaints, investigate straight away. Dealing with issues quickly keeps your domain off email blacklists.

By taking these measures, you can ensure your emails get through the filters and reach your intended recipients.

What are the rules in Australia for SPAM?

In Australia, the Spam Act 2003 sets out specific requirements for businesses sending commercial emails.

Businesses must include accurate sender information, a functioning unsubscribe option in each email, and comply with opt-in rules to ensure contact lists are only made up of contacts who have given their permission to receive emails.

We must also ensure any promotional material sent via email is clearly identified as such and doesn’t contain false or misleading content.

If you don’t comply with these regulations, you can face significant fines. So if you’re using email as a marketing tool, it’s essential to follow the guidelines set out in the Spam Act 2003.

“Technology brings its own challenges. Keeping up with the market and researching what technology to apply in your business, managing the risk and legal impacts with your team, and ensuring your staff understand their obligations is important. Especially when using social media ad email communications.

The myriad of existing and emerging apps and software means that a decision to change technologies also requires you to teach your team how to engage with that technology and manage clients in an automated environment. A privacy breach is the major digital disruption in business today.”

– Katherine Hawes (Digital Age Lawyers*)

* Digital Age Lawyers, sponsors of our recent Small Business Month Lunch, specialise in helping businesses use social media to grow whilst managing legislative changes, new precedents, brand reputation management, and defining how staff communicate with your clients and your staff obligations on social media. Both yours and theirs.

Find out more about their services: https://www.digitalagelawyers.com/digitalbusiness/

Using SMS and MMS – Why emails just aren’t enough

Expanding beyond email can really amplify your marketing reach. If you haven’t yet considered leveraging SMS and MMS messaging, it could be time to add it to your strategy.

SMS messages have a 98% open rate compared to the typical 20-30% open rate for email. That means a lot more people viewing your messages.

In addition, texts get delivered in seconds, not minutes or hours like email. That means if you have a time-sensitive promotion or important company news to share fast, SMS can help you reach customers right away.

Another advantage is that you can personalise SMS content to specific subscribers. For example, you can send custom happy birthday messages to VIP customers automatically from your system. These small personal touches help build lasting relationships.

Overall, combining email and SMS creates more opportunities to connect with your audience. And that multiply effect means more conversions, sales, and revenue growth for your business.

SPAM and SMS – What’s the Difference?

For starters, SMS goes directly to your subscribers who agree to receive your texts. It’s permission-based, rather than blasting messages out randomly like sketchy SPAM.

Additionally, those annoying SPAM filters that block so many emails barely impact text messaging. Over 95% of texts make it successfully to customer phones rather than getting caught in a filter abyss like emails often do.

SMS content itself tends to be more useful and transparent compared to shady SPAM pitches. Text subscribers expect straight talk about your business updates, promotions, etc – not false claims or gimmicks.

So if you’re weary of potential buyers missing important emails or unsubscribing from endless sales emails, SMS provides a welcomed alternative. As long as you’re respectful with message frequency/content, SMS fosters positive ongoing relationships with customers.

“These days, email marketing alone falls short of effectively engaging customers. SMS and MMS messaging provide powerful alternatives, boasting a remarkable 98% open rate compared to email’s 20%. With SMS and MMS messages being delivered almost instantaneously, you can see enhanced communication speed and efficiency.

Businesses can also leverage SMS messages for personalisation, tailoring content to specific customers. This level of customisation bolsters customer engagement, loyalty, and, ultimately, sales and conversions. By incorporating SMS and MMS alongside email marketing, businesses can maximise their outreach, ensuring more successful campaigns.

Overall, SMS messaging is a more reliable and transparent means of business communication, which emphases the importance of consent and authenticity in customer engagement.”

– Nidhi Sharma (Co-Founder, Guni*)

* Guni works with 2000+ customers increasing sales, improving customer engagement, simplifying customer support, and reducing no-shows with Guni’s easy-to-use SMS Gateway & MMS Gateway, 2-way messages, appointment reminders and API integration. They recently sponsored our Small Business Month Breakfast.

Find out more: www.gunisms.com.au

Consistency and organisation to ensure timely communications 

To get past SPAM filters, businesses should be consistent and organised in their emails, social media posts, SMS, and other communications methods.

That means emails should be sent out at scheduled times, such as weekly or monthly. Additionally, you should ensure your company emails contain relevant content, as this will help you to avoid being marked as SPAM.

Organising a calendar for campaigns is a great way to ensure all your communications are sent out at the right time. It also helps you keep track of the best times to distribute those messages.

It’s key to ensure your email and contact lists are up-to-date and accurate as well. Outdated or incorrect lists can result in communications being sent to people who no longer wish to receive them, leading to more of your messages getting caught in SPAM filters.

Finally, businesses should avoid using overly promotional language – as this can lead to your messages being identified as SPAM. Instead, ensure the content you’re sending out is informative and engaging. This will help increase open rates and conversions. That means planning and creating content that adds value to your customers’ lives. You can achieve this by utilising a variety of mediums such as video, audio, and images.

For most businesses that’s hard to do. Because we’re often focused on delivering great services and products – and don’t necessarily have enough expertise and/or energy to work on our processes.

“Virtual Executive Assistants can handle your sales and marketing requirements, and this can include the following:

• Organising the design and printing of marketing collateral
• Looking after your social media accounts
• Canva image design
• Event planning and marketing
• Creation and co-ordination newsletters
• Sales administration

All those important activities that bring in new business can be left in the hands of a competent Marketing Admin resource to ensure timing communications and consistency.”

– Amanda Primrose (Streamlined Organising*)

*Streamlined Organising were sponsors of our recent Small Business Month Event. They have a team of local exceptional virtual office assistants with a wealth of experience in office administration and a true passion for helping others get organised.

Find out more: https://streamlinedorganising.com.au/sales-and-marketing-services/

Businesses need to be proactive when it comes to getting past SPAM filters

The good news is – you can take steps to keep your emails and texts out of the SPAM folder dungeon. It all starts with an understanding of the best practices and being intentional with your outreach.

Ensure you’re not sending too many blanket, generic emails – and avoid messages with bad links or content. Instead – always get your subscribers’ consent, personalise your messages, use authenticated email services, and monitor your sender reputation.

While it might take some trial and error – if you lead with value and relevance in your communications, you can maximise your reach while keeping the SPAM filters at bay!

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