How to improve email deliverability for solicited business proposals to corporations?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that it's important to avoid spam trigger words and phrases in your proposals. Test your emails with a spam checker tool to identify and eliminate any problematic content before sending.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that getting business cards at trade shows is not an ideal way to collect email addresses, as people might be brushing off the request. They recommend testing an initial email without attachments or direct pitches, reaching out through other channels, or instructing people to email first and then replying with the proposal. Without being allow-listed or responding to mail that was already sent, there are limited workarounds.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce explains that validating email addresses before sending proposals is key to reducing bounce rates and maintaining a healthy sender reputation. Email validation services verify the deliverability of email addresses, ensuring you're not sending to invalid or risky addresses.
Email marketer from Mailchimp explains that maintaining good list hygiene is vital. Regularly clean your email list by removing inactive subscribers and bounced email addresses to improve your sender reputation and deliverability.
Email marketer from HubSpot explains that segmenting your email list allows you to send more targeted and relevant proposals. This increases engagement and improves deliverability, as recipients are more likely to find your content valuable.
Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that improving sender reputation is crucial for deliverability. This involves consistently sending valuable content, authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and maintaining a low spam complaint rate.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that obtaining explicit consent from recipients is crucial for complying with GDPR and improving deliverability. Ensure you have clear permission to send proposals to corporations.
Email marketer from Sender explains that it's crucial to monitor your IP address and domain for blocklisting. Promptly address any listings to minimize deliverability issues when sending business proposals.
Marketer from Email Geeks recommends files should be delivered as links to sites where they're hosted, not attached to emails.
Email marketer from Web Hosting Talk Forum recommends using a dedicated IP address if you send a significant volume of proposals. This allows you to build your own reputation separate from shared IP addresses, improving deliverability to corporations.
Email marketer from Gmass explains that personalizing your proposals can increase engagement and improve deliverability. Tailor your emails to the specific needs and interests of each corporation to make them more relevant.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that previewing your proposals across different email clients and devices helps ensure they render correctly and avoid deliverability issues. Correct formatting leads to better engagement.
Email marketer from Reddit recommends gradually warming up new IP addresses by slowly increasing sending volume. This builds trust with ISPs and improves deliverability over time, especially when sending proposals to corporations.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the first communication sets up future emails for success. Avoiding sending PDFs, Word docs, or marketing-heavy content in the initial email is crucial to avoid triggering spam filters.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that sender reputation is critical for deliverability. Strategies to improve reputation include consistent sending, maintaining low complaint rates, and ensuring proper authentication.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that Microsoft's junk mail filter can be challenging. Some solutions involve providing feedback through their support channels and ensuring your sending practices align with their guidelines.
Expert from Email Geeks hypothesizes that Gmail or Outlook addresses may filter mail from users inside the recipient's organization differently than external mail. Sending from the same ecosystem as the recipient (e.g., Hotmail/Outlook for O365 users, Gmail for G-Suite users) without using a custom domain or third-party tool might improve deliverability due to the webmail domain's reputation.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that understanding sender reputation is essential. Some solutions involve providing feedback through their support channels and ensuring your sending practices align with their guidelines.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests making a quick note with no attachments or Gmail add-ons upon receiving the business card and prompting a reply by asking questions. If the initial email works, the issue may stem from the sending platform, content, or attachments. Consider sending a separate email just before the actual pitch email to alert the recipient.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests checking if a particular spam filter is involved and if messages are using shared resources like tracking domains. She recommends reaching out directly with a follow-up via LinkedIn or another path. Also suggests sending a proposal to aboutmy.email to check what tracking domains might be in there and see if that works.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost explains that engagement metrics, such as open rates and click-through rates, significantly impact deliverability. Focus on creating engaging content that encourages recipients to interact with your emails, signaling to ISPs that your emails are valuable.
Documentation from Google explains that using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps authenticate your email and prevent spoofing. Implementing these protocols can significantly improve email deliverability by verifying that the email is indeed sent from your domain.
Documentation from RFC Editor (RFC 5321) explains that adhering to the standards outlined in the SMTP protocol is critical for reliable email delivery. Deviations from the standard can trigger spam filters and hurt deliverability.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that joining their Sender Support program can help troubleshoot deliverability issues. They provide guidelines and support to ensure your emails reach Outlook.com and other Microsoft email services.