Sender reputation is indispensable to successful email marketing!
Just like how a person’s credit score determines their financial security, an email sender reputation evaluates the trustworthiness of your email domain.
A sender reputation score is not that different from a credit report; restoring it from a low point can be a real challenge. Rising spam complaints, low CTRs, thwarted inboxing, etc., show up long before your reputation takes a hit. Stay alert – these are the things that matter for deliverability.
If your email marketing campaigns are delivering crickets or getting lost in spam, your sender reputation could be a major cause for this failure. In this blog, we will cover how to recover from a bad sender reputation so your personalized email campaigns can deliver the value your customers expect.
What is email sender reputation?
Your email sender reputation is primarily defined by inbox service providers (ISPs). They rate email senders on spam complaints, content quality, sending frequency, message size, user engagement, etc., on a scale of 0-100. A 70+ score is sure to get you good inboxing. However, there are some factors that influence an email sender reputation the most.
1. IP reputation
IP reputation indicates the quality of an IP address. ISPs monitor bounce rates, spam complaints, volume, frequency of emails, etc., to determine the final score for an IP address.
- Shared IP
A shared IP means that multiple senders use a common IP address to send emails. The collective action of all users determines the final outcome. If others use bad sending practices, the IP gets a bad reputation, and your reputation takes a nosedive too.
- Dedicated IP
A dedicated IP is used by a single sender who is solely responsible for creating and maintaining the reputation. The cost associated is definitely higher than that of a shared IP, but the risk reduction makes it worth the price.
2. Domain reputation
Domain reputation is directly connected to your brand name and is more permanent in nature than an IP address. You cannot change it like an IP address to fix a bad reputation. To fix domain reputation, pay attention to the undermentioned factors:
- Blacklisting
Excessive spam complaints lead to the blacklisting of a domain. A blacklisted domain has a bad reputation and poor email deliverability. Emails from such domains are either rejected or placed directly in spam.
- Domain age
ISPs are watchful of domains younger than a month. New domains are at higher risk of getting blacklisted. It takes up to 12 weeks to gradually warm up a domain.
- Email sending practices
ISPs analyze the frequency, volume, consistency, content, relevance, etc., of emails sent by a domain. Domains with emails failing on these criteria end up on blacklists.
- Spam traps
Spam traps are fake email ids created by ISPs to identify senders following bad sending practices. Emails landing in spam traps can lead to immediate blacklisting of domains.
How to recover from a bad sender reputation?
Recovering from a bad email sender reputation is a journey, including everything from cleaning up sending practices to monitoring the flow of emails. Understand the roadmap with the undermentioned guidelines:
1. Calculate the current reputation score with reliable tools
A reputation score can help you assess your current email program and its potential risks. Some good tools to check the reputation scores are:
- BarracudaCentral
BarracudaCentral maintains a real-time record of both good and bad senders. It keeps a check on the internet to identify advanced spam methods.
- Sender Score
SenderScore determines a sender’s credibility. It rates you from 0 to 100, wherein a higher number means a better reputation.
- TrustedSource
TrustedSource is a service provided by McAfee. It includes reputation scores for URL, IP address, domain, etc.
2. Maintain a good SPF and DKIM record
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) specifies the IP addresses that are authorized to send emails on a sender’s behalf. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a digital signature secured with encryption to validate a domain’s identity. It indicates that messages have not been modified during transit.
Together, these authentication methods work to identify the credibility of sending IP addresses and domains. SPF failure indicates spoofing and leads to emails not getting delivered at all. DKIM failure leads to emails getting into spam or being rejected by the server. Thus, these must be carefully published in the DNS.
3. Follow a strict DMARC regime
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance) is an authentication policy and protocol formulated on top of SPF and DKIM. It specifies action when an email fails authentication.
It involves:
- Matching SPF and DKIM records of an email
- Taking specified action when authentication records fail, and
- Reporting domains from where such emails originate. A strict DMARC policy is required to prevent spoofing and phishing attempts and secure email deliverability.
4. Ensure IP and Domain warming
IP and Domain addresses that are new or have not been used require a warm-up process. To build an identity with ISPs, gradually increase the email volumes over 8-12 weeks. When drafting emails for warmup, pay special attention to email cadence, content, and mailing list.
5. Practice email list hygiene
Email list hygiene or email scrubbing is the process of removing inactive contacts from mailing lists. Having active subscribers on the list lowers bounce rates and increases deliverability. This practice should be followed in a routine.
6. Use double opt-ins, don’t buy email lists
Double opt-ins are a smart way to secure the consent of recipients to receive your emails. Purchased email lists can expose you to spam traps, or worse, getting blacklisted by ISPs. Always use double opt-in methods to build mailing lists.
7. Monitor your reputation
When all is done to clean up your reputation, remember to track and maintain it. A comprehensive tool like Netcore evaluates reputation and provides actionable insights to address key issues with it. It works on proprietary AI-based algorithms. These examine your emails against 100+ email metrics and identify issues with your current email configuration. The tool also checks records for SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI.
Conclusion
It is challenging to create a good email sender reputation and even more challenging to maintain it while sending marketing emails at scale. Understanding and following the above best practices results in consistent inbox placement, high user engagement, and improved KPIs.
Netcore Cloud’s AI-powered email platform can uplift your email program and boost your ROI. Our email wizards can help you assess, analyze, strategize, and achieve email marketing goals. Connect with us to understand how you can benefit from our expertise and experience – we send over 17 billion emails a month for businesses across 18 countries.
