What email deliverability strategies are used in political campaigns and are there dedicated email support desks?

Marketer from Email Geeks shares experiences working with political campaigns, providing insights such as: avoid overcomplicating personalization, focus on recipient value, understand spam filter rules, plan ahead, and prioritize security due to cybersecurity threats.

Email marketer from Really Good Emails explains that political campaigns should focus on strong authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), list hygiene, segmentation based on engagement, and sending relevant content to improve inbox placement. They also suggest closely monitoring deliverability metrics and adjusting strategies accordingly.

Email marketer from Quora answers that political campaigns often employ strategies such as personalized messaging, A/B testing of subject lines, and targeted segmentation based on voter demographics and interests. They also use urgency and emotional appeals to drive donations and engagement.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that political campaigns need to focus on building a clean and engaged email list. Double opt-in is recommended and regular cleaning of unengaged subscribers will help maintain deliverability. Campaigns should also use segmentation to personalize messaging and increase relevance.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that it all boils down to engagement. Shares an example of a client with pristine deliverability at Gmail because they regularly got high open and click rates.

Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that while they don't have specific experience in political campaigns, they point out that aggressive sending tactics can harm sender reputation. They advise focusing on permission, segmentation, and engagement-based sending, even in a high-pressure environment. They also recommend monitoring deliverability metrics closely.

Email marketer from Medium explains that political email marketing faces unique challenges, including high frequency sending, list churn, and the need to quickly adapt to changing political landscapes. They emphasize the importance of segmentation and personalization to combat these challenges.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum responds that list segmentation is crucial for political campaigns. They recommend segmenting based on demographics, donation history, volunteer activity, and expressed political views. Targeted messaging can significantly improve engagement and conversion rates.

Email marketer from Reddit responds that, in their experience, political campaigns often rely on high email volume, even if it results in some spam complaints. They suggest that the short-term nature of campaigns leads to a focus on immediate reach rather than long-term sender reputation. However, they acknowledge that this approach can be risky.

Email marketer from EmailOversight Blog shares that political campaigns often use aggressive sending strategies, but they stress the importance of following deliverability best practices. This includes permission-based marketing, proper authentication, list cleaning, and monitoring sender reputation. They also advise against purchasing email lists.

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that political campaigns should track open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates (donations, volunteer sign-ups), and spam complaint rates. They advise using these metrics to optimize email content, subject lines, and sending frequency.

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of following deliverability best practices, even during the intensity of a political campaign. He stresses the need for valid email addresses, honoring opt-out requests, and segmenting lists. He warns that ignoring these practices can lead to deliverability problems and damage to sender reputation.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that political mail is different, with dedicated support desks in some places, including teams inside Google and other large mailbox providers. Also mentions consulting for elected government agencies.

Expert from Email Geeks mentions doing a deliverability webinar focused on political senders, highlighting it as a challenging environment and pointing out that Gmail's filters might be catching more than people realize. He also says that campaigns are scraping by until they get caught using spammer tricks that work short term.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that political mail, especially in the US, is a grey area and that the rules are different compared to commercial mail. She mentions that there is more focus on suppression and less on permission with political mailings. She highlights the importance of honoring opt-out requests.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that metrics such as complaint rate, open rate, and bounce rate should be closely monitored. He suggests that a high complaint rate can negatively impact future deliverability. Therefore, campaign managers should prioritize list hygiene and sender reputation.

Documentation from Microsoft Postmaster explains that Microsoft provides resources and support for senders, including political campaigns, to help them comply with email best practices and avoid deliverability problems. They emphasize the importance of sender reputation, list hygiene, and authentication. They also offer tools for senders to monitor their deliverability.

Documentation from DMARC.org answers that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) helps email senders protect their domain from unauthorized use, such as phishing and spoofing. Implementing DMARC allows senders to specify how email receivers should handle messages that fail authentication checks, and provides reporting on email authentication results.

Documentation from Gmail Help explains that Google provides specific guidelines for bulk senders, including political campaigns, to ensure emails are delivered to the inbox. These guidelines cover authentication, list management, spam complaint handling, and clear unsubscribe options. They highlight that failure to comply can result in deliverability issues.

Documentation from SparkPost explains that while they don't offer dedicated support desks specifically for political campaigns, they provide deliverability consulting services to help senders optimize their email programs. This includes assistance with authentication, list management, and reputation monitoring.

Documentation from RFC-Editor explains that the standards for email authentication methods SPF, DKIM and DMARC are documented in various RFC's including RFC7489, RFC6376, and RFC7208. These methods are designed to prevent spoofing and phishing, improving email security and deliverability.