Porn emails have better deliverability than you...

When I waltzed into work today my boss passed along a blog post that he thought was particularly interesting and I have to agree with him.

In a recent study by Lyris, it was determined that content isn't always the factor that trips you up in the spam filters. Here are a few insights that stand out. Of the top 10 types of content that most often trigger spam scores, only two appeared with a frequency that might cause concern. Here they are:

1. Heavy use of images, which can increase spam scores up to a full point and render poorly in email clients with image blocking enabled.

2. Sending messages with a "From Name" composed of numbers or symbols rather than an actual name.

Not rocket science, but interesting nonetheless concerning that its so high in relation to everything else on the deliverability list.

Wendy at imediaconnection makes an interesting parallel about how the porn industry is able to endure high deliverability rates.

"Take the industry for adult content, for example. I'm talking about legitimate pornographic content: websites and distributors with paid subscribers who expect those emails to get through. There is no industry more closely watched and no email content more likely to trigger spam filters.

Yet, legitimate messages from purveyors of pornography or other sex-related content do manage to successfully land in inboxes. How? The senders scrupulously follow best practices and manage their reputations. They use double confirmed opt-ins, they scrub their lists regularly, and they're quick to respond when someone complains."

If there was ever a reason to clean up your email marketing act the time is now. Take a lesson from pornographers.

clipped from www.imediaconnection.com From your first communication, set up clear expectations. Tell people how to sign up or opt-in, and tell them exactly what they're opting-in to. Tell them how often they'll receive something from you and what it will be. Tell them how to opt out. Make them confirm the registration, and again remind them what it's for. Be aware of the company you keep. If your customer service department works hard to follow best practices, but your marketing department does not, then -- just like your mom warned you -- you'll suffer guilt by association. Don't learn this the hard way; if your friends smoke, your clothes will reek, too. Sometimes reputation is a matter of IP address. If it's new, the ISPs tend to be wary. Obviously, there are legitimate reasons that you might have a new IP address; if you're switching providers, for example. But if you have to switch, ramp up slowly.