think you know everything about deliverability?

1

Laura Atkins Author, “Word to the Wise” Blog and Deliverability Expert Autumn Tyr-Salvia Director of Email Standards and Best Practices, Message Systems

Think you know everything about email deliverability?

September 23, 2014

2

A link to the webinar replay will be provided via email following the presentation

2

Participate in Today’s Discussion… Tweet #deliverability

Follow us on Twitter @messagesystems @wise_laura @aceofemail

Follow us on Linkedin Message Systems

Word to the Wise | September 2014

Deliverability Consistently ge<ng email to the inbox

Add Photo Here

Laura Tessmer Atkins Founding Partner, Word to the Wise Laura has more than 13 years of experience addressing Internet abuse issues, improving email deliverability and promoKng email markeKng best pracKces. Before founding Word to the Wise, Laura led the outsourced abuse desk group for the Mail Abuse PrevenKon System (the industry's first anK-‐spam blacklist).

Deliverability

1.  Review: What everyone thinks they know

2.  Facts: What everyone should know.

3.  Changes: ProtecKng deliverability in the long term

Deliverability review

What Everyone “Knows”

IP ReputaKon

• Usually means the IP connecKng to the receiving mail server

• Hard for senders to forge

• First real blocking of spam by servers done by IP

• Not parKcularly precise

Complaints

• Acceptable complaint levels < 0.3%

• Levels above 0.3% correlate with delivery problems

• Lower levels always be^er

Spamtraps

• Spamtraps are email addresses used to catch senders and block their mail

• One spamtrap can cause your mail to be blocked

Bounces

• Rates < 5% are acceptable

• Rates > 10% usually lead to deliverability problems

• Only “unknown users” are counted, not any spam or other types of bounces

What Everyone “Knows” is Wrong

Deliverability Facts

IP Rep: Not the Sole Factor

• Domain ReputaKon

• Link ReputaKon

• Content ReputaKon

Domain ReputaKon

• Usually talking about “From” or authenKcated domains

• Any domain present in an email can trigger filtering

• Used to be^er separate out mail from shared IPs

URL / Link ReputaKon

• For IPs that have “grey area” reputaKons, URL reputaKon allows for more precise blocking

• Used to block malicious mail

• MenKoning a URL with a bad reputaKon can get mail blocked or filtered

• Some filters look at the website IP or landing page

Content ReputaKon

• Spammers started “snowshoeing” to get around IP reputaKon filters

•  ISPs started tracking content coming from mulKple IP addresses

• Condense content down to a “fingerprint” • Block based on the fingerprint

What is Measured

•  ISPs measure many things about every email

• Measurements applied to IP, URLs, domains and content

• Gmail states they evaluate more than 100 different variables

Measurements

Complaints

• Measure number of “this is spam” hits by recipients

• Only mail in the inbox can be complained about

• Measure how “wanted” an email is

Bad Addresses

Recipient Profile

• Look for unusual acKvity among recipients

• Heavily spammed addresses can be used to idenKfy spam

Malicious Content

• Phishing mail

• Virus transmi<ng mail

• Known bad URLs

• Content coming from many, many IP addresses

Only highlights of some of the things ISPs measure

New Deliverability Model

But Wait! There’s more

Recipient-‐Specific Delivery

New Deliverability Reality

ReputaKon in the future

Deliverability Changes

•  ISPs focusing on more individualized delivery

•  ISPs looking more at “organizaKonal reputaKon” rather than just email or IP reputaKon

• Seed accounts becoming less accurate measures of delivery

Individualized Delivery

• Change from a numbers game to a targeKng game

• Engaged recipients will receive mail in their inbox

OrganizaKonal ReputaKon

• ALL mail streams ma^er

• Fewer opportuniKes for 3rd party mailers

• Less opportunity to moneKze address lists

Seed Lists

• Seed lists have “unusual” recipient profiles • Major mailbox providers have stated that senders should not rely on seed lists to tell them about delivery

Future Proofing Deliverability

Know Your Mailstream

Know Your Providers

Know Your Recipients

Secret to Great Deliverability

Laura Atkins Word to the Wise

•  h^p://wordtothewise.com/blog •  @wise_laura

46

Poll Question

A.  In-house MTA (e.g., Message Systems)

B.  ESP (e.g., ExactTarget)

C.  In-house/DIY (e.g., Postfix)

46

47

Message Systems: The Leader in Messaging

20%

48

Email / Marketing Services Providers

Social Networking

Daily Deals Telco Financial

Services Consumer

Technology Travel &

Hospitality Publishing

& Media Hosting & SaaS

Sampling of Key Customers by Vertical Markets

49

Key Takeaways

§  Most marketers spend on email but don’t use it optimally

99 % EMAILS DELIVERED

22 % OPT-‐IN EMAILS NOT GETTING THRU

17

“Deliverability” is Key

52

FTP ESP Report 99% Delivery

RP Report 78% Delivery

•  FTP Package of User and Content Data in ZIP file •  Log Into ESP System To Manage/Send Campaign •  ISP Filters Delivery To Inbox •  Delivery Data Reported to ESP •  Engagement Data Reported ESP •  Daily Data Bundle Downloaded

Your Company

Sending through an ESP

ESP ISP

Engagement Data

Delivery Data 24-72 Hour Delay

99 % EMAILS DELIVERED

22 % OPT-‐IN EMAILS NOT GETTING THRU

17 % ESP DEDICATED

INCREASED DELIVERY

“Deliverability” is Key

54

•  Injects Events to Momentum •  Momentum Manages Delivery to ISP •  ISP Filters To Inbox •  Delivery and Engagement Data Feeds to Momentum in Real-Time Speed your engagement lifecycle and control your brand.

Sending with Momentum

ISP

Delivery Data

Engagement Data

Your Company

55

Key Takeaways


§  Moving from an ESP to a dedicated system improves deliverability by 17%

§  17% deliverability increase à 30% revenue increase

§  Automate processes to optimize deliverability through technology

56

Adaptive Delivery with Momentum

Patented technology that auto-tunes outbound email delivery parameters in real time to optimize delivery and safeguard reputation.

•  Mail stream segregation •  Auto-tuned delivery parameters •  Real-time traffic shaping •  Real-time decision making, alerts and reports •  Live rule updates •  Configurable rules •  Full FBL capabilities

57

Adaptive Delivery Results 10 point Deliverability Gain

FINANCIAL NEWSLETTER

Del

iver

abili

ty

April May June July August

0.85

0.90

0.95

AD Tuning Period

Source: Leading publisher/distributor of opt-in financial newsletters.

58

Adaptive Delivery Results

INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER

Del

iver

abili

ty

April May June July August

0.85

0.90

0.95

•  Deliverability Stabilized •  Manual Effort Eliminated

AD Tuning Period

Source: Leading publisher/distributor of opt-in financial newsletters.

59

Translates into Real Revenue Results

"When we have delivery and reputation issues, we know about them right away, and we can resolve problems proactively. Momentum with Adaptive Delivery has certainly had a positive impact on customer satisfaction…. We’ve been sending nearly 60 million messages a week at 99.15% deliverability. It was as high as 99.3% last week!” JAMES THOMPSON DIRECTOR OF EMAIL OPERATIONS, INFUSIONSOFT

INCREASED REVENUE WITHOUT MS WITH MS CHANGE

60

Key Takeaways


§  Moving from an ESP to a dedicated system improves deliverability by 17%

§  17% deliverability increase à 30% revenue increase

§  Automate processes to optimize deliverability through technology

§  Focus resources on improving the user experience

Thank you!

61

Follow us on Twitter: •  @messagesystems

Follow us on Linkedin: •  Message Systems

Visit Us •  www.messagesystems.com

Contact Us •  [email protected]

think you know everything about deliverability?

Business