What are the challenges with email deliverability when switching to Hubspot from SFMC?

Summary

Switching from SFMC to HubSpot introduces several email deliverability challenges, encompassing authentication, IP warming, list management, and reputation monitoring. Properly configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial, as is gradually warming up the new IP address to establish a positive sender reputation. Changes in open rates may stem from reporting differences or Google's handling of new senders. Maintaining a clean and engaged email list and avoiding sending a high percentage of cold leads are also key. Furthermore, consistent sending volumes, engagement metrics, and protection against spoofing and phishing via DMARC play significant roles. Ensuring emails render correctly across different clients, avoiding spam trigger words, using double opt-in, and continuously monitoring for blacklisting are essential for a successful transition.

Key findings

  • Authentication Setup: Properly configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on the new platform is essential.
  • IP Warming: Warming up the new IP address is crucial to establish a positive sender reputation.
  • List Management: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list is vital for deliverability.
  • Sending Volume: Inconsistent sending volumes can negatively impact sender reputation.
  • Engagement Metrics: ISPs consider engagement metrics like open rates and click-through rates.
  • Reputation Protection: Implementing DMARC protects against spoofing and enhances deliverability.
  • Client Testing: Previewing emails ensures proper rendering across different clients.
  • Blacklist Monitoring: Monitoring blacklists is crucial for maintaining deliverability.
  • Deliverability Reporting: Deliverability Reporting differences can impact open rates

Key considerations

  • Verify Authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured and validated.
  • Implement IP Warm-up: Gradually increase sending volume to the new IP address to build reputation.
  • List Segmentation: Segment your email list based on engagement to target active subscribers.
  • Maintain Consistency: Maintain a consistent sending volume to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Monitor Engagement: Regularly monitor and analyze engagement metrics to identify areas for improvement.
  • Implement DMARC: Implement a DMARC policy to protect the domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks.
  • Test Emails: Test emails across various email clients and devices before sending.
  • Monitor Blacklists: Continuously monitor your IP address and domain for blacklisting.
  • Transition Plan: Develop a well constructed and tested plan for transition between platforms

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

Switching email platforms from SFMC to HubSpot presents several deliverability challenges. Key issues include the need to warm up the new IP address gradually to establish a good sender reputation, maintaining a clean and engaged email list, ensuring consistent sending volumes to avoid triggering spam filters, monitoring and optimizing engagement metrics, previewing emails across different clients to prevent rendering issues, avoiding spam trigger words, using double opt-in for subscriber consent, and monitoring blacklists. Addressing these challenges is crucial for a successful transition and sustained deliverability.

Key opinions

  • IP Warming: Warming up the new IP address is essential to establish a positive sender reputation.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list is crucial for deliverability.
  • Sending Volume: Inconsistent sending volumes can negatively impact sender reputation.
  • Engagement Metrics: ISPs consider engagement metrics like open rates and click-through rates.
  • Email Preview: Previewing emails ensures proper rendering across different clients.
  • Spam Trigger Words: Avoiding spam trigger words helps prevent emails from being filtered.
  • Double Opt-in: Double opt-in improves deliverability and sender reputation.
  • Blacklist Monitoring: Monitoring blacklists is crucial for maintaining deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Gradual IP Warm-up: Implement a phased approach to warming up the new IP address.
  • List Segmentation: Segment your email list based on engagement to target active subscribers.
  • Consistent Volume: Maintain a consistent sending volume to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Monitor Engagement: Regularly monitor and analyze engagement metrics to identify areas for improvement.
  • Client Testing: Test emails across various email clients and devices before sending.
  • Content Optimization: Optimize email content to avoid spam trigger words and improve engagement.
  • Opt-in Process: Implement a double opt-in process to ensure subscriber consent.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Continuously monitor your IP address and domain for blacklisting.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that ISPs consider engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and complaint rates. Low engagement and high complaint rates can harm your deliverability.

March 2021 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that deliverability problems can arise from inconsistent sending volumes. Sudden spikes or drops in email volume can trigger spam filters and negatively impact your sender reputation.

March 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that maintaining a clean email list is vital. Regularly remove inactive subscribers and those who have unsubscribed to improve your sender reputation and deliverability.

October 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailGeeks forum responds that it is important to gradually warm up your IP address to establish a good sending reputation with ISPs. Start with small volumes and increase over time.

June 2024 - EmailGeeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps explains that monitoring your IP address and domain for blacklisting is crucial. Being blacklisted can severely impact your deliverability.

November 2021 - GlockApps
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that warming up your IP address is crucial. Start by sending emails to your most engaged subscribers and gradually increase the volume. This helps build a positive sender reputation with ISPs.

March 2025 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that using double opt-in ensures that subscribers have explicitly confirmed their consent to receive emails, which can improve your deliverability and sender reputation.

October 2022 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that previewing emails across different email clients and devices is essential. Ensure your emails render correctly to avoid deliverability issues caused by broken code or poor formatting.

October 2023 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass explains that it is important to avoid spam trigger words. Certain words and phrases are more likely to trigger spam filters and prevent your emails from reaching the inbox.

May 2021 - Gmass

What the experts say
6Expert opinions

Switching from SFMC to HubSpot presents several email deliverability challenges. Setting up proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical, as relying on SFMC's authentication previously may cause issues. IP warming is necessary to build a good sender reputation. Changes in open rates may stem from reporting differences or Google's handling of new senders. Sending a high volume of cold leads (10-20%) can negatively impact deliverability. Proper domain authentication and maintaining IP reputation are paramount to avoid spam filters and ensure emails reach the inbox.

Key opinions

  • Authentication Setup: Properly configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on the new platform is essential.
  • IP Warming Importance: Warming up the new IP address is critical for establishing a good sender reputation.
  • Open Rate Changes: Changes in open rates might be due to reporting differences or Google's pre-fetching behavior.
  • Cold Lead Volume: Sending a high percentage of cold leads can negatively impact deliverability.
  • Domain Authentication Migration: Domain authentication can cause issues during ESP migration

Key considerations

  • Verify Authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured and validated.
  • Implement IP Warm-up: Gradually increase sending volume to the new IP address to build reputation.
  • Analyze Reporting: Understand how the new platform reports open rates and account for potential discrepancies.
  • Segment Cold Leads: Reduce the volume of cold leads or segment them into a separate campaign.
  • Transition strategy: Create a well planned transition strategy for moving from SFMC to Hubspot
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that one of the main challenges when switching ESPs is maintaining IP address reputation. A new IP needs to be 'warmed up' to build a good reputation with ISPs, and a sudden change can trigger spam filters.

February 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that the changes in opens may be due to a change in reporting, not any actual change in how many images are being loaded. Also, noticed that there seems to be a drop in pre-fetching at Google domains when senders move platforms. The best theory is that if you change things, Google puts you in a 'new sender' category and won't necessarily pre-fetch images for A While. This will lower reported open rates, but is all an artifact.

October 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if your volume of cold leads is 10 - 20% of the total volume on that domain (subdomains or not) you're likely going to have delivery problems.

June 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that problems can arise during the domain authentication process of any ESP migration. Making sure SPF/DKIM and DMARC are set up correctly on a new ESP is crucial to ensuring deliverability and avoiding ending up in spam folders.

July 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that when you're new to a platform, it is usually up to you to make sure all authentication and other configuration bits are set correctly, and then that you warm up your new IP or domain as appropriate to build up that good reputation. It is almost always the case that the new platform will have lower opens than the old one; and deliverability issues overall are almost never the fault of the platform itself.

May 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that have you changed your authentication? There were some cases aware of where folks were relying on the SFMC / exacttarget DKIM signature / SPF authentication. If you moved to your own domain at Hubspot, that may have changed your delivery, particularly if you didn't go through any warmup / transition period. This may resolve itself over time as your good reputation reasserts itself.

November 2024 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Maintaining or improving email deliverability when switching from SFMC to HubSpot requires proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to prove legitimacy and avoid spam filters. Sender reputation, based on sending history, engagement, and complaints, greatly impacts deliverability. Implementing a DMARC policy is crucial for protecting against spoofing and phishing, further improving reputation. Properly configured SPF records ensure authorized mail servers are identified, preventing deliverability issues.

Key findings

  • Authentication Importance: Correct email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is vital for deliverability.
  • Sender Reputation Impact: Sender reputation, based on sending history, significantly affects deliverability.
  • DMARC Protection: Implementing DMARC protects against spoofing and enhances deliverability.
  • SPF Configuration: Proper SPF record configuration ensures authorized mail server identification.

Key considerations

  • Authentication Setup: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured and validated during the transition.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Monitor sender reputation metrics, such as bounce rates and spam complaints, post-migration.
  • DMARC Implementation: Implement a DMARC policy to protect the domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks.
  • SPF Verification: Regularly verify SPF records to ensure they accurately reflect authorized mail servers.
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that implementing a DMARC policy helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, which can improve your sender reputation and deliverability.

August 2022 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that your sender reputation is based on your sending history, including bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement metrics. A poor sender reputation can result in emails being filtered as spam.

May 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that SPF records specify which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. Incorrectly configured SPF records can lead to deliverability issues.

October 2023 - RFC
Technical article

Documentation from HubSpot explains that setting up email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for proving that your emails are legitimate and not spam. Incorrect authentication can lead to deliverability issues.

June 2021 - HubSpot