I received 25 e-mails today. It was a slow day. Five were from friends. Five were from clients. Five were from relevant services in the Savannah area. Ten I never saw because they went straight into the spam filter. People receive anywhere from 5 to 75 e-mails per day. Are they reading yours? Did I read yours?

It all depends on how you design your e-mail blasts.

Whitelist E-Mail Marketing

Hopefully your e-mail counted as one of the “relevant services” and didn’t wind up in the spam folder. My top senders are on my whitelist, which means they get full access to my inbox and load with images every time.

I look forward to hearing from these senders every week or so to see what news they have and what deal they are offering. The e-mails are always distinctively titled and branded, so I know who it is without having to read the sender’s name. These e-mails are usually brief, but well-written and give me access to everything I need: contact info, privacy notice, customer service, and easy ways to take action. They even have multiple ways to view the e-mail, in case I’m using my phone. Best of all, they are understanding and will let me unsubscribe at a moment’s notice. Did I mention they give me special deals on my birthday?

Cautious E-mail Marketing

There’s also the middle-of-the-road e-mails. I’m willing to read them, but I don’t always trust them. If it’s a Monday or a Friday, forget it, I’ve got too much to do. If I remember subscribing to them, I’ll at least open the e-mail when I get the time. Whether or not I go any further depends on the subject line, whether or not it’s relevant to me, if it’s current, and if it’s easy to read. It should look good and be recognizable even if I don’t load the images, which I’m unlikely to do unless the text catches my eye. From there it’s a delicate dance of style, tone, and polite conversation as I work my way through the message.

Will you end up on the whitelist, stay neutral, or get written off as spam and deleted forever?

Blacklist E-mail Marketing

If your e-mail blast did get automatically trashed, you might want to revise your strategy. Strengthen your e-mail marketing performance by avoiding words like “Free,” “Promotion,” “Discount,” etc. While you might be offering a great deal, my spam filter freaks out and assumes that you’re evil. If you bought my e-mail address from a list, you’ve probably already been black-listed.

Check your links to make sure that they all go where they are supposed to and only use credible sources. And don’t send out all your e-mails at once. You’re clogging the tubes and making yourself look suspicious. A professional e-mail delivery service will send out your e-mails at a reasonable pace without setting off alarms.

If you fix all of these issues and are still seeing readers not opening your e-mails or deleting them, politely remove them from your list so that you aren’t hurting your spam score. The same goes for bounced or undelivered e-mail addresses. Save yourself the heartache and find readers more willing to check their inbox. They can always re-subscribe if they have a change of heart.

There’s more to e-mail blasts than you might think. E2 Marketing will build your e-mail marketing campaigns so you can reach your target audience.