What Are Email Clients?
Email clients are software applications and web-based platforms that allow users to manage their email accounts. Popular examples include Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and Apple Mail. These platforms have specific guidelines and rules that marketers need to follow to ensure their emails are delivered successfully and are not marked as spam.
Why Are Email Client Guidelines Important?
Following email client guidelines is crucial because non-compliance can lead to emails being filtered into spam folders, or worse, being blacklisted. These guidelines help maintain sender reputation, ensure high deliverability rates, and improve engagement metrics.
Authentication: Ensure that your emails are authenticated using protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This helps in verifying the sender's identity and improves deliverability.
Permission-Based Marketing: Always get explicit permission from recipients before sending them marketing emails. This is not only a best practice but also a legal requirement in many jurisdictions.
Unsubscribe Option: Provide a clear and easy way for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails. This is often a legal requirement under laws like CAN-SPAM and GDPR.
Content Quality: Avoid spammy language, excessive use of punctuation, and all caps in your email content. Poor-quality content can trigger spam filters.
Mobile Optimization: Ensure that your emails are mobile-friendly. Use responsive design techniques to cater to users who access emails on their smartphones or tablets.
Test Extensively: Use tools like Litmus or Email on Acid to test your emails across various clients and devices before sending them out.
Use Inline CSS: Some email clients strip out external or embedded CSS. Using inline CSS ensures that your styles are preserved.
Fallback Fonts: Specify fallback fonts in your CSS to ensure that your email looks good even if the primary font is not supported by the email client.
Avoid JavaScript: Most email clients do not support JavaScript for security reasons. Avoid using it in your email designs.
CAN-SPAM Act: This U.S. law requires you to include a clear unsubscribe option, a valid physical address, and truthful subject lines.
GDPR: Applicable to EU residents, GDPR requires explicit consent for email marketing and gives recipients the right to access and delete their data.
CASL: Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation mandates obtaining explicit consent and providing a clear unsubscribe mechanism.
How to Improve Email Deliverability?
Improving email deliverability ensures that your emails reach the recipients' inboxes instead of being filtered into spam folders. Here are some strategies:
Maintain a Clean Email List: Regularly remove inactive or invalid email addresses to reduce bounce rates and improve deliverability.
Monitor Sender Reputation: Use tools like Sender Score to monitor your sender reputation and take corrective actions if needed.
Segment Your Audience: Sending targeted emails to segmented audiences can improve engagement rates, which in turn boosts deliverability.
Engage with Your Audience: Encourage recipients to add your email address to their contact list and engage with your emails by clicking on links or replying.
Conclusion
Adhering to email client guidelines is essential for successful email marketing campaigns. By understanding the common rules, legal requirements, and best practices, you can improve your email deliverability, maintain a good sender reputation, and achieve higher engagement rates. Always stay updated with the latest guidelines and continuously test your emails to ensure they render correctly across all clients.