Q&A

We couldn't address all the questions in the webinar. However we have answered them here in detail.

Q1: What are bounces and how can they be avoided?

A1: When an email gets rejected by the recipient Email Service Providers, it's a bounce.

Specifically, they are categorized into two groups:

Hard bounce.

Soft bounce.

In simple terms, hard bounce is a permanent rejection of an email. Hard bounce occurs when an email is sent to a non-existent email id or to an invalid email id. In order to avoid it, you should clean your lists off invalid contacts regularly and scrutinize your reports on a regular basis. Zoho Campaigns automatically cleans up those contacts from your lists which contribute to this mishap. 

Soft bounce is the temporary rejection of your emails by the receiving ESPs. This can happen because of many reasons, of which the most common are temporary technical issues with the receiving server, receiving inbox being full and discrepancy in domain authentication from the sender's part. You can eliminate soft bounces by sending your emails at the right time. You should also check and rectify if there are problems in your domain authentication. Lastly, make sure that your domain or IP is not blacklisted. 

Q2: What is SPAM, how should we eliminate this problem?

A2: SPAM refers to any malicious or unwanted content that receivers get in the form of emails. You can refrain from sending such content by following these methods:

• Authenticate your domain before sending an email.
• Keep your content clean of overtly persuasive words and figures in your email, eg, discount, offer, 100% and etc.
• Maintain uniformity in font and colour.
• Keep a 30:70 ratio for text to image factor.
• Maintain clarity with subject line, sender's name and pre-header.
• Always include an unsubscribe link in your email.
• Provide all necessary details in your email footer.
• Send emails only to the contacts who have allowed you to do so. 

Q3: How do I achieve maximum deliverability with my lists?

A3: You can achieve high email deliverability only when you send your emails to the right people at the right time. As lists contribute to email deliverability from a very preliminary stage, they should be carefully created, evaluated, trimmed and utilized. 

You should be careful while collecting names, use sign-up forms as much as possible. Always double check while taking in names manually as typographical errors can affect your email deliverability. Never build your list by unethical practices like buying, borrowing or email harvesting. 

Segment your lists properly so that you end up sending only relevant emails. Check the reports regularly and purge off the inactive and uninterested contacts who constantly ignore your emails or request you to let them opt out. 

Q4: How can Google Post Master tool help me with my email deliverability?

A4: It is impossible to fathom reports to obtain reasons for emails landing in spam folder when the recipient email service provider is Gmail. Google Post Master thus on the other hand helps the senders know the reasons so that they can address the situation. 

You can get to know some critical stats via Google Post Master like feedback loop report, sender domain or IP reputation, other issues related to email delivery and etc. 

You can use Google Post Master tool to assess your performance among contacts using Gmail.