Gmail rolled out a major update to Google account holders in February 2024 with the aim of reducing the amount of emails being hijacked by spammers and deliver a better email service.
This update will have an impact any business sending bulk email broadcasts, newsletter, replies to customer support or cold prospecting campaigns to lists of emails your business have developed. If any of the emails on your email lists are a Gmail account and you have not configured your email authentication settings to meet the new Google guidelines, your email delivery rate and reputation with Google will drop.
So the first step I suggest you take is to verify your email system configuration. Specifically to ensure that you are sending emails from the same domain identified in your sender email. (The SPF and DKIM authentication values match your domain).
SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework, and it allows you to specify the mail servers authorised to send emails from your domain.
This helps the receiving server identify fake messages that appear to have come from your organisation and ensure that your messages are delivered correctly.
DKIM stands for Domain Keys Identified Mail Standard. This system was set up to prevent spammers impersonating you as an email sender.
A unique signature lets the receiving server check if the sender really is you and verifies that the message has not been changed since you sent it.
To validate the current situation for a GMAIL;
– Look at the drop down icon, shown as a tiny down arrow next to Gmails “To” destination.
– Click on this opens up a window of sender configured details including the fields “Mailed-by” and “Signed-by”
These need to match the domain name of the business sender.
Many business use autoresponder services to bulk send emails so check if those values relate to the autoresponder email sender company.
If the fields “Mailed-by” and “Signed-by” do not match the domain, reach out to your email autoresponder and ask them how to set up SPF and DKIM correctly for their system so your emails are sent from your domain and not the email sender company.
Unless you comply with this Google will penalise the domain you are sending emails from. Your domain reputation may also suffer by association if SPAM is being sent by other clients of your email sender company.
You can monitor your domain reputation using the tool https://postmaster.google.com by simply adding your domain name. This will allow you to see howGoogle perceives your domain Spam score which needs to be kept below 0.1%
Gmail wants to detect organic behaviour within their email system. Here are some general tips to improve email deliverability and build your domain reputation.
- Use “Double Opt In” to ensure legal consent and a higher desire from the prospect.
- Proactively remove leads from your email lists that do not open your email (after 60 days).
- Use an email verification tool to clean your list.
- Segment your email lists so that you only send relevant information to the appropriate people.
- Make it very easy for people to Unsubscribe (Provide unsubscribe lists at the top and bottom of your email).
- Personalise emails with name, location, past purchases etc
Seven Cold Email Personalization Best Practices
- Recipient’s Name in Subject and Body: A foundational step that sets the tone for personalised communication.
- Research and Specific Details: Delve into industries and interests to create emails that resonate authentically.
- Create Urgency and Highlight Benefits: Craft compelling messages that convey the urgency and value of your proposition.
- Friendly, Conversational Tone: Infuse a human touch with lines that resonate in a friendly and approachable manner.
- Short and Clear Calls to Action: Ensure your calls to action are concise, compelling, and aligned with prospect expectations.
- Test and Optimise with Variations: Experiment with different lines and strategies to fine-tune your personalised approach.
- Follow Up Effectively: Acknowledge the importance of strategic follow-ups, enhancing your chances of conversion.
I am now using a tool called RepliQ which specifically converts a standard email to insert personalisation and can display a talking avatar to increase the chance of engagement and higher open rates.
If you want to know more about RepliQ send me a question or take a look through my RepliQ link
Additional Resource: Google Sender Guidelines
