Email campaigns - tips for avoiding the junk folder.

When commencing an email campaign there is always a thought that runs through my head, will the emails I send to 'like' the campaign I send? If it is a new list at the beginning of a campaign, which service will have more trouble accepting the email and which service will welcome the email with open arms.

Depending on the country you live in, the people you socialise with, your profession and a wide number of factors have a strong impact on the email service you use. Whether you use Google, Yahoo, Mail, Hotmail, AOL Mail or Outlook, would part of an audience of billions of users all accessing the Internet for a range of purposes.

Here's the official stats from emailclientmarketshare.com which is a list compiled and tracked by Litmus Email Analytics (Email Analytics - Litmus) in April 2016:

Email Client Market Share:

• Apple iPhone - 34%
• Gmail - 15%
• Apple iPad - 11%
• Google Android - 10%
• Apple Mail - 8%
• Yahoo! Mail - 3%
• Outlook.com - 2%
• Windows Live Mail - 1%
• Windows Mail - 1%

This data is based on analytics calculated from 1.24 billion email opens and provides tremendous insight into email service activity and usage across the globe.

Ok, so should this information impact the way you are sending campaigns via your eMarketing program?

Sending an email blast and trying to avoid spam or junk folders is the marketing campaign's holy grail. While there are plenty of ways to avoid the junk mail folder, if you are using a reliable email service provider (ESP) with a great reputation, the likelihood of your email arriving safely is much higher.

How to choose a great ESP?

Finding an ESP with a good reputation can come down to doing a bit of drilling down and getting a little technical. While you can listen to their marketing and get caught up in the wave of client testimonials if you want the raw data, you should check their score on the IP address. A low score will mean emails are destined for the junk folder; a high score means there is a higher likelihood of a successful send.

Some of the top ESP's include:

• iContact
• MailChimp
• PinPointe
• AWeber
• Get Response
• Constant Contact
• Mailigen
• GraphicMail
• Campaigner
• VerticalResponse

All have detailed analysis on all elements of their service including overall ratings, email creation, sending and reporting, contact management and support services.

Other ways to get in the inbox of your customers

Don't buy your lists - this is probably fairly obvious, and I'm sure you wouldn't resort to this. It is so important that your list is grown organically and not purchased. Unsolicited emails are bad news and will ruin your reputation and make your campaigns wind up in junk folders.

Be careful what you say - if there are any keywords in your emails that stand out for spam filters, you will wind up in the junk folder. Be aware of any words that may send off alarm bells and keep these out of your email.

Certified ESP's are best - if you are using an ESP try and find one that is certified and allows a sender score certified status. This guarantees your email will arrive in inboxes, and your email campaign will have a higher chance of converting to leads and sales.

Email from a reputable address - in the world of spam and viruses consumers are very aware and cautious of email addresses that are obscure and look untrustworthy. If you are sending a campaign send from an email address that has a good reputation and looks official - something like office@yourbusiness.com or news@mybusinessrocks.com rather than a random email with numbers and letters and looks too obscure to be a real email address.

Use email addresses that are popular - see email services outlined at the beginning. Services such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail and Outlook are all popular services and if you have a test account for one of each of these services you can see what the email will look like on each. This is a great way to monitor which service works better than the other so you can make changes in the testing phase of your campaign.

It should be noted that no email service provider is a sure thing for email campaign delivery and the world of eMarketing and ESP is constantly evolving on a daily basis in response to spam and online developments.

Spam filters keep an eye on the following things in your emails, be aware of this and ensure your spam score is low and passes through to inboxes:

Personalize emails - this will verify the domain that is sending the email. If at all possible ask your recipient to add your email to their address book, this will add an extra verification to the spam filters to prove that the email is welcome.

Use ESP with proper IP addresses - biggest ESPs will have a good reputation and will work hard at ensuring their emails are only sent with best practice in mind.

Have good code in your template - the sloppy code will set off alarm bells for spam, use a template from your ESP or get a professional template created by a web developer.

Opt-in subscribers - having subscribers who have genuinely opted in is essential, and this will be key to a successful campaign, Similarly, if you haven't contacted your list for ages, consider adding in a clear message how you got their email and why you are emailing, give them the option to opt-out if necessary. Make sure your opt-out link is clearly set out.

As well as this, your email campaign should constantly be evolving to meet the changing trends and needs of your consumer. Be aware of the reporting and analytical data and keep up to date with any tips for marketing campaign greatness.

We all want to optimise out opt-ins and conversions, while there is no quick fix, there are certainly plenty of ways to ensure the best chance of our emails landing in subscribers inboxes and not in spam filters and junk folders.