What are the pros and cons of using Salesforce Marketing Cloud's Custom List Detective?

Email marketer from EmailGeeks points out a past UI bug in CLD where attempting to 'allow' a user or domain would inadvertently block it, and suggests confirming with support whether this issue has been resolved or if manual intervention is still required for allowlisting.

Email marketer from Salesforce StackExchange suggests considering third-party email validation services as a potentially more robust alternative to CLD for comprehensive email hygiene, particularly for identifying and removing invalid or risky email addresses before they enter the system.

Email marketer from MarketingProfs advises integrating CLD with other email marketing tools and processes, such as suppression lists and bounce management, to create a layered approach to email hygiene and deliverability management.

Email marketer from Litmus shares that while CLD offers a basic layer of email hygiene, dedicated email validation services are generally more effective at identifying and removing invalid, risky, and spam-trap email addresses, leading to better deliverability and ROI.

Email marketer from LinkedIn shares that best practice involves regularly reviewing and updating CLD rules, monitoring its impact on deliverability metrics, and combining it with other email hygiene measures like double opt-in for optimal results.

Email marketer from EmailGeeks shares that while CLD blocks specific domains and usernames, it is not fully effective against bot signups, which use tactics like 'drip dots' in Gmail addresses to circumvent blocking. Suggests using CAPTCHA for better bot prevention.

Email marketer from Reddit notes that Custom List Detective can incur additional costs based on the number of lookups or validations performed, and advises users to carefully consider their expected usage and budget when deciding whether to enable the feature.

Email marketer from EmailOnAcid emphasizes the importance of using CLD reports to understand its impact on email performance, identify patterns of blocked addresses, and refine CLD rules for greater accuracy and effectiveness.

Expert from Email Geeks highlights a bug in the CLD UI where adding an entry, even as an 'allow' entry, would block the user or domain. While blocking works as expected, allowing entries might require support assistance due to the UI issue.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that SFMC Custom List Detective (CLD) blocks both commercial and transactional messages for list-based sending. For data-extension-based sending, it applies at send time but still affects both marketing and transactional sends.

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes that maintaining good email data quality through validation and hygiene practices is crucial for deliverability, and suggests that while tools like Custom List Detective can help, they are not a substitute for comprehensive data management strategies.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that CLD allows blocking of domains and usernames but doesn't effectively prevent bot signups due to techniques like drip dots in Gmail addresses. A CAPTCHA is suggested as a more effective solution.

Documentation from Salesforce Help outlines the steps to configure CLD, including defining blocked domains, usernames, and patterns. It highlights that proper configuration is key to maximizing CLD's effectiveness and minimizing false positives.

Documentation from Salesforce Help acknowledges that CLD has limitations, such as not being a comprehensive solution for all types of email threats and requiring ongoing maintenance and adjustments to remain effective against evolving spam tactics.

Documentation from Salesforce Help explains that Custom List Detective (CLD) helps prevent importing or sending to email addresses known to be invalid, role-based, or likely to generate spam complaints, thus improving deliverability and protecting sender reputation.

Documentation from Salesforce Help details that CLD can block both commercial and transactional emails when triggered by list imports or send-time checks, regardless of send classification, thus protecting overall email program health.