How do I fix Verizon Media deliverability problems with seasonal email sends?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from MarketingProfs suggests segmenting your subscriber list based on past engagement and purchase history. Send targeted campaigns to subscribers who have shown interest in your seasonal products or services. Avoid sending irrelevant emails to those who are not likely to engage.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum advises closely monitoring complaint rates during seasonal sends. High complaint rates can negatively impact deliverability. If you notice a spike in complaints, investigate the cause and take corrective action, such as adjusting your content or targeting strategy.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that VMG measures complaint rates as complaints vs. what makes it to the inbox. So the complaint rate they use for filtering is essentially always going to be higher than what you see.
Email marketer from Reddit r/emailmarketing recommends creating engaging content well in advance of the seasonal peak to re-engage subscribers. Focus on providing value and building anticipation for your seasonal offers. Avoid abruptly shifting to promotional content without warming up the audience.
Email marketer from HubSpot Blog recommends A/B testing different elements of your seasonal email campaigns, such as subject lines, content, and call-to-actions, to optimize performance and improve engagement. Use the data to refine your strategy for future seasonal sends.
Email marketer from Email Uplers suggests creating a re-engagement campaign to identify and re-engage inactive subscribers before the seasonal send. Offer incentives, such as discounts or exclusive content, to encourage subscribers to interact with your emails. Remove those who don't respond.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow suggests warming up the IP address gradually before sending large volumes of seasonal emails. This involves starting with small batches to highly engaged users, then gradually increasing the volume over time to build a positive sender reputation.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares her experience of moving a client to a new IP address to fix Verizon Media deliverability problems, which involved 100% TSS04 soft bounces at Yahoo and AOL. Standard tactics failed, and moving to a different shared IP address resolved the issue.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog advises personalizing seasonal email content based on subscriber data, such as location, purchase history, and preferences, to improve engagement and deliverability. Tailored content is more likely to resonate with recipients and avoid being marked as spam.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that blacklists can significantly impact deliverability. He recommends monitoring your IP and domain reputation to ensure you are not listed on any major blacklists. If you are blacklisted, take immediate steps to resolve the issue and request removal.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests performing a mini-warmup when starting seasonal sends to reintroduce yourself and the mail to both your subscribers and Yahoo.
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of properly configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to authenticate your email and improve sender reputation. She also suggests proactively monitoring your sender reputation with Verizon Media to identify and address any deliverability issues before they escalate.
What the documentation says6Technical articles
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that monitoring your sender reputation is crucial for deliverability. Use Google Postmaster Tools to track your domain reputation, spam rates, and other metrics. Address any issues promptly to maintain a positive sender reputation with Gmail and other providers.
Documentation from Microsoft SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) highlights the importance of monitoring your IP reputation. Use SNDS to track your IP address's health and identify any potential deliverability issues. Address any negative feedback or complaints to maintain a positive IP reputation.
Documentation from Mailjet emphasizes setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domain. Proper authentication helps verify that your emails are legitimate and reduces the likelihood of being flagged as spam by Verizon Media. They provide detailed instructions on configuring these records.
Documentation from Validity (formerly Return Path) explains the importance of implementing feedback loops. Feedback loops provide you with information about complaints, allowing you to remove complainers from your list and improve your sender reputation.
Documentation from SparkPost emphasizes the importance of list hygiene. Regularly remove inactive or unengaged subscribers from your list. This can improve your sender reputation and deliverability rates with Verizon Media and other ISPs. Use double opt-in to confirm subscriber interest.
Documentation from Verizon Media Postmaster explains that maintaining a clean email list, authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and monitoring sender reputation are essential for improving deliverability. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of sending relevant content and providing an easy way for recipients to unsubscribe.