A lot of time and effort goes into your email marketing campaigns—so the last thing you want is for your carefully crafted messages to get snagged in spam filters, never to be read by your customers and prospects. How can you make sure your emails aren’t being tagged as unwanted fluff, and subsequently deleted unread?
Watch your words
Today’s spam filters are more sophisticated than ever. They’re programmed to catch certain words in the subject line or message body of emails, and flag them as spam. One of the biggest “red flags” for spam filters is the word “free” and all its phrases and variations, especially in the subject line—including 100% free, FREE, free gift, free offer, and free info. Even putting a space between the letters won’t fool these programs—they’ll catch “f r e e” just as fast. If you must announce that you’ve got a free offer, try substituting “complimentary.”
Of course, there are plenty of other words and phrases that are considered spammy. Be on the lookout for the following in your emails: increase sales, X month trial offer, cheap, best price, one time/one-time, earn extra cash, satisfaction guaranteed, email marketing, information/info you requested, pre-approved, US dollars, all new, survey, and apply now.
Avoid “attention-getting” gimmicks
Spam filters love to pounce on messages that use ALL CAPS or lots of exclamation points. They’re also on the lookout for symbols like #1 and $$$, and they don’t like 100% of anything (especially followed by free, satisfied, or all-natural). And forget about using casual abbreviations like 4U anywhere in your emails.
In short, the best way to keep your messages out of spam boxes—and actually entice customers and prospects to read them—is to stay professional. Spell things out, and emphasize value over gimmicks. Your customers will appreciate the refreshing lack of pushy sales tactics, and you’ll easily pass the spam filter test.