How to Send Bulk Email: A Comprehensive Guide to Boost Sales

Winter is coming, and so are the festivities. With that in mind, businesses worldwide rely on bulk mailing to increase sales. 

93% of businesses around the globe use bulk mail as their primary communication channel, and 72% of customers prefer mail for business communication. 

As we can comprehend, bulk or mass mail is the backbone of all business communication. If you wish to learn how to send bulk emails and establish an effective connection with your clients, you have come to the right place. 

In this article, we'll discuss how to send it and the bulk email best practices for staying out of spam filters. 

Let's jump in. 

Watch this video to know cold email personalization techniques that actually work. Watch Now!

Understanding Bulk Email

What is Bulk Emailing

Mass mail, AKA bulk mail, is a type of mail engagement for businesses to send mail to many recipients at once. Email blasts help you send out time-sensitive news or updates to all your customers in just a sec. 

It helps scale businesses and maintain communication with customers, saving time and effort for marketing teams. 

There are many reasons why marketers choose bulk emails, such as:

• Product launch
• Promotions and discounts
• Service terms update
• Price increase
• Marketing campaigns
• Cold outreach

Pros of Bulk Emailing

1. Reach a Wider Audience 

The most lucrative benefit of bulk email is that it reaches a large number of people at the same time. So, mass email campaigns are especially invaluable during festive seasons or discount sales as they reach as many inboxes as possible. 

Not only it saves time and manual effort, but it also saves money. 

2. Engagement with Audience

The only way to increase conversions is by gaining the trust of your customers and maintaining a healthy engagement. Bulk emails let you send newsletters, blogs, quizzes/surveys, promotions, giveaways, and informative pieces on your product/service. 

This way, you can engage with a large section of the audience and increase conversions. 

3. Better Campaign Tracking

A business needs to access the traffic and engagement of its marketing campaigns to create effective strategies. Mass or bulk email help you do that. 

You can track and manage who has opened and read your email, their responses, and the conversion rate for a particular campaign. This info will help you create more effective campaigns to increase your sales. 

How to Send Bulk Emails from Gmail: A Step-by-Step Guide

As per Litmus Email Analytics, 27% of all email users use Gmail as their primary email service provider as of August 2020. Although Gmail is more suitable for private messaging than commercial usage, you can send bulk emails through it. 

Let's check out how you can send mass emails through Gmail:

Step 1: Add a Mail Merge Plugin

Mail merge services help you send personalized bulk emails by optimizing the content with personal data such as the prospect's first name, business address, and email address. 

So, the first step towards ending bulk emails from Gmail is to install a mail merge extension to Google Workspace. Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM), Mailmeteor, or GMass for Gmail–we recommend choosing any mail merge extensions. 

Once you are done, allow the platform to access your mailing list. 

Step 2: Curate an Email List

The second step is creating a clean email list of the prospects you want to send emails. Keeping a clean list with your prospects' names and email addresses is crucial. 

Adding a prospect's first name to the email makes them feel valued, which is very important for your bulk email campaign. It will not only personalize the campaign but also improve email open rates. 

Step 3: Write a Message

Writing compelling email content is an essential part of sending bulk emails. It takes skillful copywriting and compliance with Internet laws (CAN-SPAM act and GDPR). 

Always address your prospect by their first name and start with a warm greeting. Personalize your content by congratulating them on their recent personal/professional achievement. 

Now, optimize the content you intend to customize in the email blast. Use keywords to automate the filling-up process by adding keywords like this: "{{name}}." 

Here's a checklist for creating bulk email content: 

• Intriguing subject line
• Proper links`
• Short and crisp email body
• No spam triggers 
• CTA
• Add a plain text version

Writing compelling bulk mail takes excellent copywriting & personalization skills and an in-depth understanding of the prospects' needs. 

To save you from the inconvenience of creating personalized bulk copies, Smartlead.ai offers an AI-powered writing tool. It helps you create personalized mail copies and automate follow-up email creation. This way, it is possible to save a lot of time and effort on your marketing team. 

Step 4: Create Subscribers' List

Create a new Google Sheet or upload an existing one to organize your contacts. Open Gmail from the browser and click on the Google Apps button to open Google Drive. 

Create a new Sheet or upload an existing .csv file or Excel Spreadsheet if you have already created your subscribers' list. Make sure you add clear headings for each column describing the type of information. 

And remember that one column should contain a mailing list. 

Step 5: Launch Bulk Email

Finally, add the sender name and business address, so your clients know who you are, and start mail merge from the extension tab. 

Now your mass mail is ready to get launched. Remember that you can only send 500 mails in a day from Gmail, so if you have subscribers of more than 500, automate sending mail for the next day. 

You can also schedule your mails to be sent later.

A mail marketing tool is the best bet to step up your marketing game. You can choose from several excellent tools like Sendinblue, Constant Contact, GetResponse, or HubSpot. 

Tips to Avoid the Spam Folder: Best Practices for Bulk Email Campaigns

1. Keep Your Mail List Clean

The first rule for keeping an authentic mailing list is not to buy lists from third-party platforms. Instead, build and nurture your mailing list organically. 

Use Lead Generation Tool

Leading mail marketing tools such as HubSpot, Constant Contact, Smartlead.ai, Optimonster, Sendinblue, etc., offer multi-channel (LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, etc.) lead generation features. 

These tools help you generate authentic, relevant, and industry-specific leads and verify them for improved deliverability rates. 

It will help reach the desired audience with your campaigns and keep you away from the spam folder. 

Ask for Consent: Enable Double Opt-in

Neither anyone nor spam folders like receiving unsolicited mail. The key to maintaining a good domain reputation and building goodwill for your business is asking your subscribers for their consent. 

Activate the double opt-in feature on sign-up forms for acquiring prospective mail addresses. It will ensure that you collect the mail addresses of people who want to receive your mail. 

Beware of Spam Traps

Returning to the first point we've mentioned, don't buy mail lists from third-party platforms, as they will reduce your deliverability rates and increase the chances of falling into spam traps. 

Notable ISPs create spam traps to track down spammers. These mail ids look ordinary but are created to blacklist spam IPs. 

So, always create and nurture your mailing list authentically every time you use the list. 

Consider Subscribers' Choices

Whenever a subscriber unsubscribes from your mailing list, stop sending mails to them. Similarly, avoid sending mails to inactive users. It will harm your deliverability rates. 

2. Maintain Good Sender Reputation

Spam filters identify some words as 'spam' and quickly move the mails to the spam folders. While writing your mail copy, try not to use spam triggers such as 'free,' 'sale,' 'discount,' etc. 

Ensure your IP address is whitelisted and maintain a specific email frequency. Another excellent practice is to segment your lead list. 

Ask your subscribers what kind of mails they would like to receive. Segment your subscribers based on their needs and preferences and send mails that they want to receive. 

3. Don't Compromise on the Content Quality

Above all, content quality matters the only thing that matters. Even if you abide by all the Internet laws and build a good sender reputation, your mails won't see any conversion if your content is not good. 

Research your client's needs and create content based on that. If you can add value to your clients, it will help build trust among your subscribers. 

Always proofread your content before sending it. A business mail with typos or grammatical errors is off-putting and unprofessional. 

Conclusion

With that, we have come to the end of this informative blog. We hope you have learned how to send bulk mail. 

Although Gmail is the most trusted platform for mailing, we recommend you use a mail marketing tool. It will help you send bulk mail in more significant numbers, create pipelines and bulk email marketing strategies, and monitor the progress of your email marketing campaigns. 

Focus on adding value to your clients and keep your deliverability rates higher, and you will see an uplift in sales. 

We'll be back with new write-ups soon. 

Till then, bye! 

FAQs

1. How many mails can you send from a Gmail account?

Initially, Gmail allows 20 mails per hour with a new account. Upon building a good sender reputation, you can send 500 individual emails daily or keep 500 receivers for a single mail from a Gmail account. 

2. What is the best mail marketing tool? 

There are hundreds of mail marketing tools out there. However, Senduinblue, HubSpot, Outreach.io, etc., are the best mail marketing tools. These platforms help you gather leads through multi-channel research and automate the mail-sending process. 

3. How does Smartlead.ai help in keeping deliverability rates high?

Smartlead.ai keeps your sender reputation intact and ensures your mails land in prospects' inboxes with their unlimited mail ids and verified IPs. Its AI-powered writing tool also helps you write compelling, personalized email messages. 

You can also set custom spam triggers to stay out of the spam folder. 

4. What exactly is bulk emailing, and why is it used?

Bulk emailing involves sending a single email to a large recipient group, commonly used for marketing, newsletters, promotions, and announcements. It's an efficient way to reach a broad audience with a single message.

5. How can I send bulk emails using Gmail?

To send bulk emails using Gmail, create a mailing list or contact group. Click "BCC," then select "Add from Contacts." Choose the desired list or group, and Gmail will add all email addresses to the "BCC" field, allowing you to send bulk emails while preserving recipient privacy.

6. Are there best practices for creating effective bulk email campaigns?

Yes, for successful bulk email campaigns, follow these best practices:

• Build a clean, opt-in email list.
• Personalize content and subject lines.
• Use a responsive email design.
• Segment your audience.
• A/B test elements.
• Provide clear CTAs.
• Monitor open and click-through rates.
• Comply with email laws and regulations.
• Optimize for mobile phones.
• Send emails at the right time for your audience.

7. Can I send bulk emails for free, and how do I maintain deliverability?

Sending bulk emails for free is possible using platforms like Mailchimp or SendinBlue, which offer free plans with limited email quotas. To maintain deliverability, follow the best practices: 

• Build a clean and permission-based list
• Craft engaging content
• Use a recognizable sender name and address
• Avoid spammy subject lines
• Monitor and manage bounces and unsubscribes
• Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, and gradually increase email volume to build a sender reputation.

8. How do I send mail through an email client?

To send mail through an email client, open your preferred email client (such as Gmail, Outlook, or Apple Mail). Click on the "Compose" or "New Email" button. Enter the recipient's email address, subject, and compose your message. If you're using Gmail, you can add attachments by clicking the paperclip icon. Finally, click "Send" to dispatch your email. Make sure to review your message and attachments before sending to ensure accuracy and professionalism.

9. What are Gmail auto responses, and how do they work?

Gmail auto responses, also known as "Smart Reply," are pre-generated suggested responses that Gmail provides based on the context of the received email. These brief and convenient suggestions allow users to respond quickly without typing a full message. Gmail analyzes the content of the email and suggests appropriate responses, saving time for users on common or routine replies. To use Gmail auto responses, simply click on one of the suggested replies, customize if needed, and send.

10. Is there an option to schedule emails in Gmail?

Yes, Gmail provides the option to schedule emails. Here's how to do it:

• Compose your email as usual.
• Instead of clicking the "Send" button, click the small arrow next to it.
• Choose "Schedule send" from the dropdown menu.
• Pick a date and time for your email to be sent.
• Click "Schedule send" to confirm.

This feature is handy for planning and automating your email outreach, ensuring messages are sent at optimal times for your audience.

11. Can I send bulk emails using Gmail?

Yes, you can send bulk emails using Gmail. However, Gmail has limitations to prevent spam, allowing you to send up to 500 individual emails daily or include 500 recipients in a single email (2000 in Google Workspace). To send bulk emails efficiently, use a mail merge plugin like Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM), Mailmeteor, or GMass. These tools enable personalized bulk emails by integrating with Google Workspace and optimizing content with personal data. Remember to maintain a clean email list, curate compelling content, and follow best practices to avoid spam filters. Keep in mind Gmail's sending limits and consider using dedicated email marketing tools for larger campaigns.

12. How do I send an email with high priority in Gmail?

To send an email with high priority in Gmail, follow these simple steps:

1. Compose Your Email: Open Gmail and click on "Compose" to start a new email.
2. Click on the Three Dots: In the email composition window, you'll find three dots (More options) at the bottom. Click on them.
3. Set Priority: From the menu, select "Priority high." This indicates to the recipient that your email is urgent.
4. Finish and Send: Complete your email as usual, add recipients, subject, and content. Once ready, click "Send."

Sending high-priority emails in Gmail is a straightforward way to draw attention to important messages. Keep in mind that the effectiveness of high-priority markers depends on the recipient's email client and settings.