How to Reduce Spam Complaints in Email Marketing

The issue of spam is a significant obstacle in email marketing. The act of marking your emails as spam sends a signal to email providers such as Gmail and Outlook that they are not desired. The outcome can have negative effects on your sender's reputation, inbox visibility, and the potential for blacklisting. The presence of numerous spam complaints can harm deliverability and undermine customer engagement. 

Why do spam complaints happen and how can you reduce them by list-mining, email attachment customization and compliance? 

This blog is for you! 

Why Are Spam Complaints Harmful? 

When someone marks your email as spam, it sends a negative message to Internet Service Providers (ISP). When this happens repeatedly, your subsequent messages may be filtered into the spam folder, even for those who want to receive them. 

Consequences of High Spam Complaints: 

• Reduced sender credibility - ISPs may restrict access to future emails. 

• Repeatedly reported issues can result in your domain being blacklisted. 

• Less open and click-sited leads to reduced engagement due to a lower inbox placement. 

The key to achieving optimal email performance and increased engagement is by decreasing spam complaints. 

1. Follow Email Compliance Guidelines 

Keeping up with email compliance rules can help to decrease spam complaints and protect the sender's reputation. 

Best Practices for Email Compliance: 

• Obtain prior approval before adding individuals to your list. 

• Include a distinct unsubscribe option in every email. 

• Make sure that subject lines convey the intended message.

• Avoid misleading or deceptive language. 

To reduce the number of unwanted emails, customers can add an opt-in checkbox at checkout to confirm their interest in promotional emails. 

2. Make Unsubscribing Easy 

When recipients can't unsubscribe, they may be flagged as spam. 

How to Improve Unsubscribe Management: 

• Position the unsubscribe link at the top or bottom of the email. 

• Allow subscribers to adjust email frequency instead of unsubscribing.

• Honor unsubscribe requests immediately. 

“We're sorry to hear that you are no longer here". To maintain good relations, individuals can either unsubscribe or change their preferences by clicking here. 

3. Segment Your Email List

Sending identical emails to everyone leads to a rise in spam. By segmenting, you can send more specific content. 

Effective Segmentation Strategies: 

• Identify the level of engagement among both active and inactive subscribers. 

• Based on past purchases, recommend products.

• Variable content based on age and location. 

A clothing retailer could enhance engagement by sending emails to both genders, highlighting relevant products. 

4. Personalize Your Emails 

Generic emails feel like spam. Emails are personalized and become more relevant. Why? 

Ways to Personalize Emails: 

• Submit the name of the recipient in both body and subject line.

• Based on past behavior, suggest products or content. 

• Create location-based offers and updates. 

The email should be addressed as "John, we hope you enjoy exploring our new collection this summer." This method of addressing it makes the message more genuine. 

5. Check for engagement and remove unused subscribers. 

Emails sent to inactive subscribers are more likely to be flagged as spam. 

Best Practices for List Maintenance: 

• Discard inactive subscribers after a period of 6-12 months. 

• Conduct re-engagement campaigns to attract back inactive subscribers. 

• Track engagement by examining open rates and click-through rates. 

Deliverability is improved by a list that is clean and engaged, which reduces spam complaints. 

6. Avoid Spam Triggers. 

The use of certain formatting styles and words triggers spam filters, which can cause more complaints. 

Spam Triggers to Avoid: 

• Capital letters (“GET THIS NOW!”). 

• Too many exclamation marks (“Hurry!!!”). 

• Salesy phrasing ("Saving for savings!").

• A surplus of links or big images.

The email should be more focused on providing value than telling the customer how it can help. 

Conclusion

List management, personalization and email compliance are all important in reducing spam complaints. Easy unsubscribe management, filtering out spam complaints, and personalizing your content will improve deliverability.

It is natural that a well-managed list with high engagement will produce better results and reduce spam complaints. 

FAQ

Can you explain the meaning of spam complaints in email marketing terminology? 

Spam complaints are triggered when recipients flag your email as spam. Deliverability, sender reputation and may even be blacklisted if they have high spam complaints. 

What steps can I take to minimize spam complaints? 

Check email policies, add your own, sort and and make unsubscribing easy. Ensure that you avoid using misleading subject lines and words that cause people to become spam. 

Why is email compliance important? 

CAN-SPAM and GDPR regulations grant permission to contact recipients, which can help reduce spam complaints. 

Why is it important to segment spam complaints? 

The process of segmenting your list helps to prevent spam from being flagged as spam and ensure that recipients receive only relevant content. 

How does personalization help spam complaints? 

Custom emails are more effective in terms of engagement and relevance, reducing the likelihood of receiving spam notifications from recipients.