Sending reputation (also known as sender reputation) is a crucial factor in email marketing that significantly influences whether emails end up in the recipient's inbox or disappear into the spam folder. It reflects the reputation of an email sender and is used by internet service providers (ISPs) and email clients such as Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo as a basis for deciding how emails from a sender are treated.
What is the shipping reputation?
The shipping reputation is based on a variety of metrics and is used by ISPs and Anti-spam services measured. These metrics include, among others:
- Bounce rates: When emails are sent to non-existent or invalid addresses, bounce rates increase. A high bounce rate signals to ISPs that the sender may not be handling their email list responsibly.
- Complaints about spam: If recipients receive your emails as Spam This has a negative impact on your sender reputation. ISPs monitor these complaints very closely and take them into account when evaluating the sender.
- Email engagement: Recipient engagement - measured by open rates, clicks and time spent on an email - is a positive indicator. Senders whose emails are frequently opened and interacted with generally have a higher reputation.
- Blacklists: If your e-mail address or IP address is stored on a Blacklist this has a very negative effect on your sending reputation. Blacklists are used to block senders of spam or malicious emails.
- Authentication methods: Implementing email authentication protocols such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) helps to confirm the authenticity of your emails and protect your reputation.
Why is shipping reputation important?
A good sending reputation is crucial to ensure that your emails actually reach your recipients' inboxes. A poor reputation can result in your emails ending up in the spam folder or even being blocked completely. This has a direct impact on the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns and ultimately on the ROI (return on investment).
Companies that attach great importance to their email marketing strategy must therefore ensure that their sending reputation is positive. A high sending reputation ensures that your emails are considered trustworthy and have a higher chance of reaching recipients.
How can you improve your shipping reputation?
Maintaining and improving your shipping reputation requires a prudent and strategic approach. Here are some best practices to protect and improve your shipping reputation:
- Keep your e-mail list clean: Regularly remove invalid email addresses and inactive subscribers from your list. Using email validation tools can help maintain your list and reduce bounce rates.
- Encourage commitment: Make sure your content is relevant and engaging. Personalized and targeted emails increase the likelihood that recipients will open and interact with your emails. You also ensure a lower Deregistration rate.
- Set up e-mail authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM and DMARC to confirm that your emails are actually from you. This reduces the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.
- Monitor blacklists: Check regularly whether your domain or IP address is on a blacklist. If so, you should take steps to have yourself removed from this blacklist.
- Please respect the deregistration requests: Make sure your emails provide a clear and easy way to unsubscribe. Ignoring unsubscribe requests can not only lead to a bad reputation, but can also have legal consequences.
- Regular analysis and adjustment: Continuously monitor the performance of your emails and analyze which campaigns were particularly successful. Adjust your strategy accordingly to ensure a high sending reputation in the long term.
How can you monitor the shipping reputation?
There are various tools and services that can help you monitor your sending reputation. These tools provide insights into your current delivery rates, bounce rates and other relevant metrics. Some of the most popular tools are:
- Google Postmaster Tools: Provides detailed reports on your delivery rates and complaints.
- Sender Score from Validity: Evaluates your IP reputation and shows how your emails compare to other senders.
- MxToolbox: A useful tool to check whether your domain or IP address is on a blacklist.
Certified Senders Alliance (CSA)
Another important aspect of improving your shipping reputation is participation in the Certified Senders Alliance (CSA). The CSA is a whitelist project developed in collaboration with leading email service providers to ensure that certified senders achieve a higher delivery rate. By sending your newsletters with a CSA-certified provider such as mailfino, you can strengthen your credibility as a sender and increase the likelihood of your emails reaching your recipients' inboxes.
Conclusion
The sending reputation is a central component of a successful email marketing strategy. It directly influences whether your emails reach your recipients' inboxes and how they perceive your messages. By carefully maintaining your email list, using authentication methods and regularly monitoring your reputation, you can ensure that your email marketing campaigns are effective and successful.
