Avoiding Spam Filters: Best Practices for B2B Email Success

B2B email marketing is a great way to keep your business sales on wheels and build lasting relations with the right prospects. Imagine you created an outreach campaign that has everything perfect, like its headline, content, and offer. But still, it hit the spam folder of the recipient. Do you know why?

 

Spam filters are the reason. These filters distill the unwanted or scam emails away from your inbox and send them toward the spam folder. But, somehow, they guide your valid emails toward the same way.

 

Different email service providers (ESPs) put the latest algorithms in place time after time against the spammy emails. That's why marketers now face challenges in reaching valid emails to inboxes. It truly hurts.

 

But you don't need to worry about it. We are here to help you out. In this article, we will discuss what spam filters are, how they work, and best practices to avoid them. So, without further ado, let's get started.

Overview of Spam Filter

A spam filter is a security tool that uses the latest machine learning (ML) and AI to find out invalid, malicious, and unwanted emails and stop them from reaching your inbox. Different email providers use it to keep the primary inbox of users safe from diverse virus or phishing attacks.

 

There is a thing to note: spam filters do not affect your deliverability rate. For instance, a marketer from a B2B email marketing agency runs a lead generation campaign. When you check if your emails are delivered or not, you will always find a yes. However, when you see open rates going down, it is the effect of spam filters.

How Do Spam Filters Work

Spam filters use different practices to check if the email is valid to go to the inbox of the user or not. Here are some main things to check:

●    Sender reputation, like your IP history, sending volume, and domain trustworthiness.

●    Verifies your identity with SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and detects spoofing.

●    Scans for spammy words, bad formatting, shady links, and messy code.

●    Tracks opens, clicks, deletes, unsubscribes, and spam complaints.

Based on each red flag, it scores the email, and if the score is higher than a specific limit, your email lands in spam.

5  Best Practices To Avoid Spam Filters

While doing email marketing, you cannot make sure that your emails land 100% in the primary inbox. But there are some practices that can help decrease spam and boost deliverability rates. The 5 main ones of these best practices are

1. Use A Valid Email App

An important thing that can make a difference is to use a valid email marketing app that helps your emails reach inboxes. It must check email authentication, good sender reputation, spam checks, and follow rules like GDPR. It should also offer easy ways to build your email list, create signup forms, and send automated messages like welcome emails.

 

Make sure it works well on mobile devices and connects with your online store and other tools you use. The right app should help you send good emails that people want to open and act on.

2. Follow Spam Laws

When you send B2B emails, make sure you know and follow spam laws to avoid fines. These rules stop people from getting unwanted emails. For example, the CAN-SPAM law says you must include your address, be honest, and let people unsubscribe easily. In countries like Canada, you must get permission before sending emails. The GDPR protects people’s personal information. Following these laws helps you send emails the right way.

3. Use Authentic Emails

To showcase that you are a real person, you must use your own business domain to send emails. This helps check that your emails come from approved servers (SPF). Also, it makes sure the email hasn’t been changed (DKIM) and sets rules if these checks fail (DMARC). If you don’t do this, your emails might look fake and go to spam.

4. Warm up your IP address

The number of emails you send plays a key role in dealing with spam filters. So, in the start, send only a small number of emails from your new IP address and then gradually increase the volume over time. When you send lots of emails right away, it can look suspicious and may cause your messages to go to spam.

 

Instead, send no more than one campaign a day, about three times a week. By slowly increasing your email volume, you build a good reputation, so email providers begin to trust you and deliver your emails to inboxes rather than junk folders.

5. Write Effective Subject Lines

A clear and engaging subject line is important to get your emails opened and avoid spam filters. People often mark emails as spam just by seeing the subject line. So, avoid all caps and too many exclamation marks. Also, avoid using AI technology to add spammy words in subject lines like “free” or “guarantee.” Personalize them and make your subject lines clear.

 

You can also test them with free tools. In your email content, avoid desperate or pushy words like “make money” or “cash bonus” to prevent triggering spam filters. Following these tips helps your emails reach and interest your readers.

Final Thoughts

Spam filters play a key role in email marketing campaigns. If you want your emails to reach the inboxes of people, you need to follow some simple rules. You should use a trusted email tool, professional emails, start slow with sending, and write clear, honest content. Moreover, avoid using spammy words and keep your emails helpful. When you do this, more people will see your emails and trust your brand. So why wait? Start implementing these practices today!