Which Keywords/Spam trigger words to avoid in your Email Marketing

Are your emails actually reaching your customers?

Email marketing campaigns are important aspects of a business's overall marketing strategies. A great deal of time, resources and marketing budget is spent on creating these campaigns, so when the intended audience doesn't even receive the email, it can be frustrating and feel like a complete waste of your efforts.

When emails campaigns are sent out in bulk, they go through a filter and oftentimes end up being blocked or sent straight to the spam folder. The worst part is, you might not even know exactly what you're doing for this to occur.

So, why do emails get blocked?

Private email addresses

If your emails are being sent from a private email address, they're often blocked due to restrictions on how many emails you can send at once. Typically, this method of email marketing sends all of your emails in one go, resulting in them getting blocked or sent directly to your audience's spam box (neither of which are a good outcome).

Unauthenticated domains

One of the other most common reasons emails are blocked or sent directly to the spam folder is due to being sent from a domain that isn't authenticated. Email authentication is a method used by email servers to determine if an email is or isn't spam. The method involves checking if the server that sends the email has permission to send mail on behalf of that particular domain name. For example, It's the domain owner's permission for our server to send mail on your behalf. So for Bloomtools database marketing account clients, you can follow the domain authorisation process by referring to our helpful Email Authentication guide.

Subject lines

Certain words are considered spam by all email programs. From Gmail to Outlook, these systems have in-built filters that will scan incoming emails to determine whether they go to the inbox or the spam folder. The word choice of the subject line is heavily scrutinised by these filters - your word choice can be the difference between reaching your customers or reaching the spam folder.

Words to avoid in your subject lines:

• Hidden
• Stop or Stops
• #1
• $$$
• 100% free
• 100% more
• 100% satisfied
• 50% off
• Additional income
• Amazing
• Be amazed
• Be your own boss
• Best Price
• Big bucks
• Billion
• Call now!
• Can't live without
• Cash Bonus
• Cents on the dollar
• Claims to be legal
• Click Here
• Collect
• Compare
• Consolidate debt
• Credit
• Deal
• Discount!
• Double your
• Double your cash
• Double your income
• Earn $ / money
• Earn extra cash
• Eliminate bad credit
• Eliminate Debt
• Expect to earn
• Extra cash
• Extra Income
• Fast Cash
• Financial freedom
• Free access
• Free consultation
• Free gift
• Free hosting
• Free info
• Free investment
• Free membership
• Free money
• Free preview
• Free quote
• Free trial
• Free! Free
• Full refund
• Get out of debt
• Get paid
• Giveaway
• Great
• Guaranteed
• Hello
• Increase sales
• Increase traffic
• Incredible deal
• Information you requested
• Limited time
• Loans
• Lose Weight
• Lower rates
• Lowest Price
• Lowest price
• Make $ / money
• Million dollars
• Miracle
• Money back
• Multi-level Marketing
• No cost
• Now
• Once in a lifetime
• One time
• Opportunity
• Pennies a day
• Potential earnings
• Prize
• Promise
• Pure profit
• Removes
• Reverses Aging
• Risk-free
• Satisfaction guaranteed
• Save big money
• Save up to
• Search Engine Listings
• Serious Cash
• Special promotion
• Subscribe
• You're a winner!

There are obviously some words that are common business phrases and some that are difficult to avoid - in these cases, there are some suggested best practices to use. If you must use these phrases, it's suggested that you just use them once per email to avoid the risk you'll be blocked or sent to spam. An alternative option is to use synonyms in place of the "spammy" words. For example: if you have another free offer for something of value, try the word "complimentary" instead.

Though an easy and simple change, it will reduce the chances your campaign will be hurt by spam blockers. It's also best practice to avoid using all capitals, dollar signs, multiple fonts and colours, as well as the excessive use of links.

5 Tips to Keep Emails Out of Spam Folders

1) Keep your database clean

Surprisingly, your recipient database plays a significant role in determining the quality of your emails by service providers.

How does a clean database improve email deliverability?

Your email open rate affects your sender reputation. The lower your reputation, the more chance your email has of being labelled as spam.

You should clean your email campaign database because:

• If you have numerous inactive recipients, your open rates will be lower.

• The lower your open rate, the more chance you have of being labelled as spam.

What are the steps for cleaning your email list?

Employ engagement automations to monitor email opens and disinterest. When a contact hasn't engaged for a specified period (e.g., 60 days, or a time period that makes sense for you), initiate a "last chance" engagement email. Remove contacts who remain unresponsive to the "last chance" email campaign.

2) Add an email verification stage for subscribers

One of the best ways to make sure you keep your database clean and open rates high is to add a verification stage to your email subscription.

By adding an email verification or opt-in stage, you filter out contacts that:

• Gave fake email addresses

• Are one-time customers

• Don’t bother checking their inbox

What’s more, this second email is another opportunity to tell readers more about your business and what you can offer.

Using an email service provider like Bloomtools, you can set up a series of trigger emails including an opt-in verification email, choosing what to say and when to say it.

3) Don’t break the law

There are Australian rules and regulations regarding email campaigns and newsletters in Australia. 

The Spam Act 2003 and the Spam Regulations are both notable Australian authorities that outline rules for email campaigns like:

• You have to get permission from the recipient

• You must identify yourself as the sender

• You must contain your contact information

• You must make it easy to subscribe

Penalties can be severe for failing to comply with Australian email laws. Learn more from theAustralian Communications and Media Authority website.

4) Make your emails better (more engaging)

Not only does your open rate affect your authority, but your click-through rate also does. There are several easy ways to boost your email CTR including:

• Improving your copy

• Adding eye-catching visuals

• Adding an irresistible call to action.

Using Bloomtools email editor, you can add:

• Images 

• Automatic personalisation (such as first names)

• Buttons for catchy calls to action

• Direct links to your website blogs, shop, or any other pages

5) Evaluate and Reevaluate

Each email campaign you send using a marketing tool should generate you an email report. In this report, you should make note of:

• Opens and unopened emails

• Bounces

• Click-through rates

Look at which links work for your email campaigns and those that don’t to determine where you should change future email campaigns.

Database marketing tools to get more opens

Database marketing tools can ensure the time and effort you put into your email marketing campaigns doesn't go to waste. The in-built spam measuring tool looks for key spam words in your text and checks the coding side of your email - both of which are equally as important for getting your emails through inbox filters.

You can also take your emails to the next level with professional email marketing services, by personalising the email to the individual client or using personal language rather than sales-like language is also helpful.

Crafting quality emails as part of an effective marketing strategy can be a daunting task, but one that pays off well in the long run with every $1 you spend returning on average $42.

It's a worthy investment to ensure you're producing not only quality email marketing but in a database marketing tool that goes to the inbox and not the spam box.

Don't miss out on reaching your customers - simple changes can ensure you're making the most of your time. 

If you are not yet using a professional Australian email/database marketing tool, you can read more about them here on our website. The Bloomtools Database Marketing tool comes with extras like SMS integration, survey functionality, event management tools and more.

You can also contact our talented team of lead generators and sales-focused writers to help you create high-quality email campaigns to grow your business

Call the Bloomtools Gold Coast head office at (07) 5636 3700orbook a consultation.