How to Improve Email Deliverability to Maximize B2B Outreach

63% of email marketers say that email deliverability is their biggest concern. 

Emails getting delivered to the recipients’ inboxes is the biggest concern for cold email marketers. It hurts to see well-crafted emails landing in the spam folders. 

If you are worried about email deliverability, you’ve arrived at the right place. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to improve email deliverability to maximize B2B outreach. 

How to Improve Email Deliverability to Maximize B2B Outreach

1. Configure Your Domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

Implementing SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) are essential to help prevent email spoofing and improve email deliverability. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC:

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

SPF specifies which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.

It indicates which mail servers are allowed to send emails on your behalf. When someone receives an email from you, SPF lets their email provider check if it's legit by verifying the sending server.

It indicates which mail servers are allowed to send emails on your behalf. When someone receives an email from you, SPF lets their email provider check if it's legit by verifying the sending server.

Log in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider's website.

Add a TXT record to your DNS settings with the SPF information. For example, it will look like this: “v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all”. This example allows servers listed in “_spf.example.co” to send emails on behalf of your domain.

Save and publish the DNS changes. It may take some time for the changes to propagate.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM, or DomainKeys Identified Mail, adds a unique signature to your emails, which recipients can check against a key you've shared in your domain's settings. It allows the recipient to verify that an email was indeed sent and authorized by your domain. This signature ensures your email hasn't been tampered with and boosts trust in your sender identity. 

• Generate public and private DKIM keys using your email server or a third-party tool.
• Publish the public key in a TXT record in your DNS settings. For example, it will look like this: “v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQE…”
• Add a DNS record for each selector (a unique identifier for the key) your email server uses.
• Configure your email server to sign outgoing emails with the private key.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)

DMARC sets rules for email authentication. By aligning SPF and DKIM results, DMARC weeds out impostors, making it harder for scammers to play tricks. Plus, it gives you a behind-the-scenes report on who's using your domain. It boosts your email's trustworthiness and ensures your messages don't land in spam. 

• Add a TXT record to your DNS settings. For example: “v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:postmaster@example.com; ruf=mailto:postmaster@example.com; sp=quarantine” where ‘p’ sets the policy (‘none,’ ‘quarantine,’ ‘reject’). ‘rua’ is the address to which aggregate reports are sent. ‘ruf’ is the address to which forensic reports are sent. And, ‘sp’ sets the policy for subdomains.
• Save and publish the DNS changes.

Regularly monitor DMARC reports and adjust your policies as needed.

2. Warmup Your IP Address

Email warm-up is a gradual process used by senders to establish a positive sending reputation with email service providers (ESPs) and ensure better deliverability. ESPs closely monitor the sending behavior of new or dormant email senders. Warm-up is a way to signal to ESPs that you are a legitimate sender with genuine recipients. 

With Smartlead, you can automate the entire warmup process. If you are using a new email account, we recommend starting with 4-8 emails a day and ramping up the sending volume to 40 after two weeks. Sudden spikes in email volume from a new or inactive sender can trigger spam filters. Smartlead gradually increases the volume of sent emails, reducing the likelihood of being marked as spam when you send bulk emails. 

Gradual warming up also allows senders to identify and address issues such as high bounce rates or user complaints early in the process. This proactive approach helps maintain a good sender reputation.

Smartlead assigns custom identifier tags for warmup emails. Moreover, you can check your warmup status on the Smartlead dashboard, such as warmup emails sent, landed in inbox, saved from spam, and emails received.

Login to the Smartlead app, click on Email Accounts, click on the email account you want to check the analytics for and click on Overview. You will see the below page where you can check the summary for 7 days.  

You can also check the email performance, outbound status, and Inbox vs Spam score.

3. Monitor Sender Reputation and Blocklists

Maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial for the success of email marketing campaigns. Email service providers (ESPs) and mailbox providers use various metrics to assess the reputation of email senders. Here are some key reasons why keeping a check on sender reputation and blacklists is important:

• Deliverability: A good sender reputation positively influences the deliverability of your emails. ISPs and mailbox providers are more likely to deliver emails from reputable senders to the inbox, ensuring that your messages reach the intended recipients.
• Avoiding Spam Folders: A high sender reputation helps prevent your emails from being marked as spam and placed in recipients' spam folders. Emails in the spam folder are less likely to be opened and read.
• Reducing Bounce Rates: Monitoring bounce rates is important for sender reputation. High bounce rates can result from outdated or incorrect email addresses, negatively affecting your sender score. Regularly cleaning your email lists helps maintain a low bounce rate.
• Minimizing Complaints: Complaints filed by users, especially spam complaints, can harm your sender reputation. Keeping an eye on the number of complaints and addressing any issues promptly is essential to maintain a positive reputation.
• Blacklist Prevention: Blacklists are databases of IP addresses or domains known for sending spam. If your sender reputation is low, there's a higher risk of being blacklisted. Once blacklisted, your emails may be blocked by various ISPs and mailbox providers, severely impacting your ability to reach recipients.
• Monitoring Email History: Understanding your company's email history allows you to identify patterns and make necessary adjustments. This includes analyzing past email campaigns, engagement rates, and any issues that may have affected your sender reputation.
• Using Reputation Monitoring Tools: Tools like Senderscore.org, BarracudaCentral, Google Postmaster, and Microsoft SNDS provide insights into your sender reputation. Regularly using these tools allows you to address any issues and improve your email deliverability proactively.
• Proactive Issue Resolution: Having mechanisms in place to inform you about potential issues, such as blacklisting, allows for proactive resolution. Timely action can help prevent prolonged deliverability issues and maintain a positive sender reputation.

In case your IP or domain gets blacklisted, it's important to communicate with the blacklisting services to resolve the issue. Mailmodo's approach of informing users about blacklisting and assisting in the removal process is a proactive and helpful measure.

Overall, regular monitoring, analysis, and proactive measures to remove your domain from blacklists and maintaining best practices to prevent landing in Blacklists are essential to maintain a positive reputation and ensuring the effectiveness of your email campaigns.

Check out the detailed guide on “UCEPROTECTL3 Blacklist: Insights & Steps to Remove Listing” here. 

**Some blocklists accept donations for blacklist removal. We don’t recommend that. Instead, make sure you are following best practices to not land in a blocklist in the first place. Most blocklists usually remove a listing in 7-30 days.

4. Use Double Opt-In Forms

Using double opt-in for your email list is a must to create a solid lead list. It adds an extra layer of confirmation by asking subscribers to verify their email addresses after signing up. This not only validates the authenticity of their email but also ensures that your emails reach only genuinely interested individuals.

By confirming their subscription, users actively express interest in your content or product for a more engaged audience. This leads to higher open rates and improved overall email interaction. Double opt-in is a simple yet effective method to filter out invalid email addresses and reduces the risk of sending messages to disinterested or inactive users. It contributes to maintaining a high-quality email list, which positively impacts your sender reputation and email deliverability. In essence, double opt-in enhances the quality of your email subscribers for a more responsive and engaged audience for your email campaigns.

5. Build Your Own Email List

We’d recommend not buying third-party email lists for cold email outreach. In scraped lists, you will end up with inactive/incorrect email accounts, and, worse, spam traps. You can design a clear and compelling opt-in form on your website or landing page. Request essential information, such as name and email address. Encourage sign-ups by providing valuable incentives, such as discounts, exclusive content, or free resources. Make it worthwhile for users to subscribe.

Produce high-quality, relevant content that attracts your target audience. Include opt-in forms within your content to capture interested readers. Develop lead magnets like ebooks, whitepapers, or webinars that cater to your audience's needs. Require an email address for access.

Organize online events or webinars and ask attendees to register with their email addresses. This creates engagement and adds new subscribers. Promote your opt-in form on social media platforms. Leverage paid advertising or organic posts to reach a wider audience.

Encourage current subscribers to refer others by implementing a referral program. Offer incentives for successful referrals.

Ensure that your landing pages are optimized for conversions. A clear call-to-action and compelling messaging can boost sign-up rates. As your list grows, segment subscribers based on their interests or behaviors. This allows for targeted and personalized communication.

Employ exit-intent pop-ups or timed pop-ups to capture visitors who are about to leave your site. However, be mindful of user experience. Host contests or giveaways and require participants to enter with their email addresses. Ensure the prize is attractive to your target audience.

Ensure that your opt-in forms and emails are mobile-friendly. Many users access emails on their smartphones. Clearly communicate how often subscribers will receive emails and what type of content to expect. Transparency builds trust.

Adhere to email marketing regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM. Obtain explicit consent before sending marketing emails.

6. Make Unsubscribe Easy

Ensure that your subscribers don’t have any blockers while opting out of your email list. The unsubscribe process should not be difficult or confusing, which increases the chances of your emails getting marked as spam. As per GDPR, you should have a clearly visible unsubscribe button on your email for easy opt-out.

The easier the process of unsubscribing, the lesser the chances of spam reports. Use relatively bigger buttons for mobile screens.

7. Avoid Spam Words in Your Emails

Spam words in your B2B outreach emails increase the chances of landing in spam folders. It’s easy to fall into the trap of adding spammy or sales-y words, be it the subject line, email copy, or preheader texts.

These words in your emails trigger spam filters and signal that the email contains spam words. Some of the spam-trigger words are: 

• XX% Discount 
• FREE! 
• For only $XX
• Act immediately 

Besides spam-trigger words, you should also avoid writing in all CAPS, too many punctuations like “,!<>” etc. You should also refrain from using inflated numbers like 12345, $$$, 100%, etc. 

8. Clean Your Lists Regularly and Use Segmentation

Maintaining a clean and well-managed email list is crucial for improving deliverability and ensuring that your messages reach intended recipients. Here are best practices for cleaning your email lists regularly and using segmentation to enhance deliverability:

Hard bounces occur when emails cannot be delivered due to issues like invalid email addresses. Regularly remove email addresses that result in hard bounces from your list to keep it clean. 

Use segmentation to divide your email list into smaller, targeted groups based on specific criteria. This could include factors like demographics, behavior, psychographics, or purchase history. Segmentation allows you to send more personalized and relevant content, improving engagement. Segment your list based on engagement levels. 

Leverage user preferences and survey data to segment your audience. This allows you to tailor your content to the specific interests and preferences of different subscriber groups to improve deliverability to maximize B2B outreach.

Conclusion 

These are some of the effective tips to improve your email deliverability to maximize B2B outreach. Following these tips, you can fill your pipeline with sales-qualified leads. 

Smartlead offers impeccable deliverability with its fully automated email warmups. It ramps up the email-sending volume gradually so your email deliverability is top-notch.