Tips For Avoiding A Spam Filter

One of the major obstacles to targeted email marketing is the now ubiquitous spam filter. Thanks to the ridiculous numbers of unsolicited emails generated by automated programmes known as 'spambots', the email inbox has effectively become a secure area, with incoming traffic closely monitored and filtered by guardian software.

As many spam messages contain computed viruses, malware or links to phising sites, the need to scan and filter email messages is entirely understandable. Even without these security concerns, before filters were implemented many email addresses were completely overwhelmed by spam - users could recieve several messages a minute, all advertising similar disreputable products and services that they had no interest in.

Unfortunately, given that spambots use mail merge in a similar way to standardised news letters, spam filters are also the inadvertent bane of solicited newsletters and opt-in targeted email marketing. Many of the more advanced graphics, scripts and HTML coding that goes into marketing emails or newsletter headings can also be ruined by these filters. Often emails arrive in an unrecognisable format, with their underlying coding destroyed by security filters.

This can be a big obstacle for non-profit groups, online communities or promotional clubs who rely on targeted email campaigns for marketing or newsletters. Luckily, there are a few steps that you can take to avoid email filters and reach your target audience:

1. Ensure that your audience has chosen to be included: If you distribute your targeted email marketing to random addresses that haven't explictly solicited your email or opted in to the mailing list, then your messages will soon be flagged as spam and screened by filters. Of course if you want to alert people such as current donors, volunteers or customers that you operate a regular newsletter, then you should send them an email along these lines. However, you should make sure that this email contains an 'opt in' link so that you can double-check whether these people actually want regular updates from you.

2. Include an 'opt out' link: Another way of ensuring the former step is followed is to provide a clear link for 'opting out' of your email marketing or newsletter programme. A simple link to a confirmation site that will removes them from your mailing database is the easiest way of doing this but if you don't have the resources in place then you can do it manually, by suggesting that anyone who wants to be removed mail you with 'stop' or 'unsubscribe' as a subject heading.

3. Check your emails through an online spam filter: There are several free online spam filters that can check whether your messages will be automatically screened. These filters are often less advanced than those used by ISP's, mail hosting services or even commercial packages by users - but they provide an idea of the basic obstacles presented by a filter.

4. Perform a dry-run: Before you embark on a mass mail campaign, you should do a dry run. Establish your own test accounts at the major ISP's and send a test letter to each. This lets you see if your messages arrive in the desired format - and if they arrive at all.

5. Tell your readers where you'll be sending from: When people sign up for your messages, then make sure your clear where your messages will be coming from. If you provide your new readers with the correct 'from' line and home domain that your emails will be using, then they can add this to their list of approved email senders, address book or other tool. This step will take you past nearly all spam filters but has its obvious drawbacks.

6. Don't send attachments: Generally attachments in mass-mailed emails will be screened out automatically. Even if they're not, then your readers virus scanners will probably warn them not to download the file. Of course if your message avoids the spam filters, then it'll probably come clean on the virus scanner too - but can you really ask your reader to go through all these steps for your marketing?

7. Don't use BCC distribution to more than 10 names: If you add more than 10 names to the list of blank carbon copy addresses, then alot of mail servers will screen your email on the way out - never mind the way in. The CC line is less restrictive, but you're likely to be under legal obligations not to publish the address of your recipients to everyone recieving the email. Your best bet is to find a mailing service that will allow you to send your mailing campaign as individual emails or in small batches.

8. Don't send a HTML email without a text option: Many filters automatically disable HTML content. The first problem with this is that if you don't have a text option, then your formatting is likely to be impossible to read. The second problem is that if you don't have a text option - or at least some explanatory normal ASCII format text - then the filter probably won't even allow your email into the inbox.

By: George Huckle

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George Huckle is a freelance author who has vast knowledge in targeted email marketing and email marketing software. For more information on email marketing he suggests you to visit: www.graphicmail.co.uk/