How Spam Complaints Impact Your Email Program

HOW COMPLAINTS MPACT OYOUR EMAIL PROGRAM NÓ SPAM PLEASEI What exactly Is a complaint? A complaint is when a subscriber hits the "spam" button in their email client. In other words, instead of unsubscribing from your list, they tell the ISP that your message is spam. How is the complaint rate calculated? While ISPS have ranges on what they deem an acceptable rate (Range = .1% to .3%) 10,000 emails 100 complaints complaint rate How do complaints impact my reputation? 23% When a subscriber hits the spam button, this is a negative mark against your reputation. In 30% addition to the straight "numbers", the ISPS appear to also be looking at spam statistics as they relate to engagement SPAM CLICKS 57% HOW CAN I REDUCE MY SPAM COMPLAINTS? 11 Send only to those people who have opted in to your list and expect to hear from you. stay away! Pay attention to the campaigns that generate the highest complaints and stay away from them in the future. Clean your list regularly, purging subscribers that are no longer opening your emails. At the very least, drop them down to a lesser frequency. Send consistently. This is important because (a) subscribers are less likely to forget you if you're staying in contact with them, (b) complaint percentages increase when volume decreases (in other words, if you sent a message 2 we eks ago, people may still be hit- ting the spam button, but there are no NEW messages to offset the complaints. increase volume complaint percentages Don't overdo it. Set expectations and stick to what you promised. At the very least, always include a manage subscriptions page to expectations Use a1 click unsubscribe link with anchor text "Report as Spam" and a manage subscriptions link for general unsubscribes or choosing subscriptions. (NOTE: If you use this strategy, understand that if you have sub- scribers on multiple lists, they may get mad if you continue to send them messages if they thought they unsubscribed) Use a 1 click unsubscribe link 7. Make it EASY to unsubscribe. Don't get creative here. Simply provide a way for people to get off of your list and honor their request. PERIOD. EASY UNSUBCRIBE FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on how to protect your reputation and email deliverability by preventing spam complaints as much as possible, visit: http://www.emaildelivered.com/blog. EMAIL DELIVERED MANAGE MONITOR MONETIZE Remember to sign up for the FREE Email Delivered Pulse newsletter for articles, tips, and recommended resources for email marketers. © Copyright 2014. EmailDelivered.com & Marketers Publishing Group, Inc. WAYS