How does the world of e-mail marketing work, what are the traps of e-mail deliverability and how you can avoid them, Scott talked on the podcast https://time4marketing.com

1. DELIVERA
DIAGNOSING DEDICATED IP
01.05.2019

2. TEEHEE
AKA: What you’re missing out on as an ESP Mailer

3. THAT OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY
WHY ISPS MANAGE DELIVERABILITY
▸Email Service Engages User for Other Revenue Activities
▸ Users Return If You Host Their Inbox
▸ Gather Data
▸ Context for Targeted Ads
▸Preventing Fraud, Scams, and Phishing
▸Experience!
▸ Postmasters and past experience
▸ Users

4. MOSTLY COCKTAIL FLAG SEMAPHORE. . .
HOW ISP’S COMMUNICATE
▸ Feedback Loops (sometimes)
▸ SMTP! (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
“It’s a lot like Grief. . . it comes in stages. . .”

5. ROAD TO THE INBOX
DIAGNOSING DELIVERABILITY - SAYING
EHLO
▸Connection Request from HOST
▸ We’re actually not a Mail Server! Bye!
▸ Ok ok, we’re a mail server. Are we open for
business [Server Capacity?]
▸ Do we know this Email HOST? [Recent Activity?]
▸ Do we know this Domain?
▸ Do we know this IP? IP’s Neighbors?
▸ Grey or Black List?
▸EHLO - Hi!
▸ Valid Host Name Format? [Email Server]
▸ Do you TLS? (Everyone should now)
EMAIL HOST
HOST DOMAIN
IP
IP NEIGHBORS
SERVER CAPACITY
HOST NAME FORMAT
CONNECTION
SECURITY
ISP Considers

6. ROAD TO THE INBOX
DIAGNOSING DELIVERABILITY - PAPERS
PLEASE
▸MAIL FROM - This is the Sender!
▸ FROM Domain & Sub Domain Reputation
▸ Reverse Domain Look-Up (RDNS)
▸ FROM address reputation?
▸ Return Path check? (Where do bounces go)
▸ Different vs. FROM? (sign of bulk mailing)
▸ SPF Certified?
▸RCPT TO *
▸ Real Recipient?
▸ Filtering rules? (e.g. admin, trap)
▸ Recipient vs. Sender (user blocked?)
FROM (SUB) DOMAIN
RDNS
FROM ADDRESS
RETURN PATH
SPF
TO ADDRESS VALID?
TO IS A SPAM TRAP?
TO VS. FROM
REPUTATION
ISP FILTERS
ISP Considers

7. ROAD TO THE INBOX
DIAGNOSING DELIVERABILITY -
ALRIGHT, WHAT’CHOO GOT?
▸DATA!
▸ Content (including Subject) Reputation
▸ Spammy Content Filter
▸ Content Ratios
▸ Virus & Phishing Checks
▸ DKIM / DMARC Valid
▸ URL’s in the Body (links, images, etc)
▸ IP’s attached to URL's
▸ Scored Filters (e.g. Spam Assassin)
▸250 OK - Game ON!
▸ User’s Turn to Judge
CONTENT
FINGERPRINTS
DKIM
DMARC
URL’S IN BODY
SCORED FILTERS
USERS (MEH)

8. LIKE FINDING A BRUNCH SPOT IN LA
VIGILANCE & TIMING MATTERS
▸Monitor the &%$#!@ SMTP Logs & Metrics together
▸Catch every instance of bad responses AND the context
▸Ignoring a later content event pollutes the reputation of
everything up to the Mail Server

9. WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM ME?!
WHAT IS GOOD EMAIL TO AN ISP?
▸User to user, personal email (Communication, sharing)
▸Transactional Emails (PW Recovery, Reservations, Receipts)
▸Content Email (Newsletters, Listings, Informational)
▸* Political Emails (Exempted from CAN SPAM)
▸Brand / Partner (e.g. Google & McAfee)
▸ISP’s Parent / Sister Company / Sub Division
“Sustainable email strategies share qualities
with unblockable email”

10. DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. . .
▸ Change Send Rate (including Pausing)
▸ Change a Reputation Source (in this order)
▸ Template / Content / Offer
▸ Domain Reputation (friendly from, from, subdomain)
▸ User Selection / Audience Segments
▸ IP Address (including finding a new IP Block)
▸ Change Reputation Driving Metrics
▸ Engaging Content
▸ Request User Actions - “Expect our mails, Pull from Spam Box, Add to Address Book!”
▸ Have a Conversation
▸ Shared Reputation - RETREAT To the ESP’s!

11. BYE!
QUESTION? COMMENTS?
BEWILDERED WILDEBEEST
NOISES?