Spam and Email Filters: Reader Solutions
Whether you’re a marketer or publisher, someone, somewhere, is blocking your email messages (even when recipients want to receive them). Readers suggest workarounds.
Whether you’re a marketer or publisher, someone, somewhere, is blocking your email messages (even when recipients want to receive them). Readers suggest workarounds.
Readers have responded to several recent columns about spam, filtering, email blocking, and other related topics with the anticipated horror stories. More important, many shared ideas and approaches that help.
Whether you’re a publisher sending opt-in newsletters, a marketer responding to requests for information, or you’re engaged in other email distribution activities, you’ll want to take note. As a group, we must take steps to address the issues at hand.
It’s more important now than ever. Based on your responses, it’s evident far more email than I ever imagined is blocked and filtered. Al Bredenberg, publisher of EmailResults.com, lists over 20 examples he knows to be blocked by typical filtering systems. Many are messages Al actually wants, including CNN Breaking News, Motley Fool’s Foolwatch, eMarketer Daily, Musician’s Friend Newsletter, and EarthLink’s weekly newsletter, bLink.
What I want to know is, are CNN, iVillage, and MapQuest aware this is happening? If they are, what are they doing about it?
Here are ideas from ClickZ readers. Some may work for you:
I personally believe putting control in recipients’ hands has real merit. Companies such as Yahoo are currently testing it. By providing the consumer with the option to identify mail as spam, that consumer is in control. If she chooses to mark a piece of mail as spam, she will no longer receive email from the underlying address of the mail sender.
Also, as Adam Kalsey suggests: “If [you want” to truly help email marketers, [you” should write a column on how to prevent your email from triggering spam filters.” That’s being researched as you read this.
When you come right down to it, no marketer should send email to people who expressly say they don’t want it. He should be overjoyed to send email to people who expressly say they do want it. Putting control in the hands of the consumer is something I will focus more on in the future. Keep reading.