Is your email marketing landing in the Promotions tab?
Gmail recently introduced different inbox tabs to decrease spam complaints from their users and improve deliverability rates. The tabs are Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. If your email marketing sounds too much like… well, email marketing, it could end up in the promotional tab… or worse, the spam folder.
Here are 10 quick tips for email marketing to get you to the Primary inbox, which has the highest open rates:
1. From
Have the email from you rather than your brand. Try to have the email look more personalized.
2. Links
Don’t have more than one link in your email.
3. Social Media
Avoid social media links in your email. Links are not common in “traditional emails”.
4. Templates
Use simple templates. This helps to avoid lots of fancy HTML code in your email. The simpler the template, the simpler the HTML code.
5. Images
Limit the use of images. Try to use “plain text” like traditional emails appear until you have an established relationship with the recipient.
6. Language
Keep the language in your email conversational rather than promotional.
7. Length
Keep your email as short as possible.
8. Email Service Provider
Use a good Email Service Provider that uses SPF authentication (checks for spam) and DKIM Authentication (checks for spoofing).
9. Contact List
Encourage your subscribers to engage by adding you to their contact list, replying to your emails if possible, and moving our emails to their primary folder.
10. Consistency
Don’t change your name or email as an attempt to trick Google algorithms and avoid the promotions tab. It will not work. Gmail delivers emails to these tabs based on constantly changing algorithms that take variable data into account, including email content, sender information, and recipient engagement.
Conclusion
Building a successful email marketing campaign is more important than ever.
Email lets you engage with your audience on a higher level and outperforms most channels in regards to reach, personalization, and content value. Always focus on adding value to your contacts. People frequently check the Promotions tab for emails from their favorite stores, online shops, and businesses whose mailing lists they joined. If your contacts are very engaged with your emails, they will open them no matter what tab they get delivered to!
Work With Us
If you are not adequately resourced to handle your own email marketing, Reactionpower can help. As part of your digital marketing strategy, we can craft an email marketing solution for you.
