3 MIN. READ
You’ve spent days honing your subject line to catch the eyes of your customers. You've agonized over every word and every link to keep the message brief and on point for each of your market segments. You've included an irresistible offer. Finally, you pull the trigger and hit send. Hundreds of emails fly out to your eager clients!
Then you wait, and wait ... and wait. Several days pass with very few bites. Why? Did your subject line triggered spam filters even though you were so careful? Or could be a simple as the email address you’re using? If you’re using a free email service provider, such as AOL or Yahoo, your beautifully designed campaign might just be in email purgatory. Find out why your email ends up in the spam folder, how you can reflect professionalism with your email address and how to do it in an inexpensive way.
Related: Email Marketing Statistics for B2B Success
When you started your manufacturing company, you poured every ounce of profit back into research and development so you could produce quality products. All of your loyal customers appreciate your dedication. They recommended you to their friends and partners. Your website is well designed and user-friendly.
Yet this spectacular email sent from your Yahoo account through your email marketing firm failed.
That is your missing link. The merger of AOL and Yahoo started your avalanche, with other free email services likely to follow suit. Free email services are notoriously lax when it comes to security, making these servers an easy target for spam emails.
To enhance security, both AOL and Yahoo now send all emails that do not originate from their services to the recipient’s spam folder. Not only are most of your customers not receiving your email, but they are unable to reach out to you unless they also have an AOL or Yahoo email address.
Even worse, you may never know that the majority of your emails bounced or were marked as spam if you use a third-party email marketing service (such as Constant Contact or Mailchimp). Their servers automatically delete unsuccessful emails, greatly reducing your email reach without your knowledge.
A generic email address such as AOL, Yahoo or Gmail tells your customers that your products are also generic. According to a recent survey, 75% of U.S. e-commerce customers feel that a business email address should match its website address.
Place yourself in your customers’ chairs. Would you give personal information or credit card information to a company with a generic email address, like john.smith@yahoo.com? The chances are good that you would be more comfortable conducting business with a company that has a real email address, such as john.smith@smithwidgets.com.
A business email address that reflects your company’s website shows you are proud of your products. You want to see consumers visit your website and see your email campaigns succeed.
Many small businesses try to save money wherever possible without sacrificing the quality of the final product. You should think of your email address as an extension of your product line.
If you already own the domain name for your company, such as smithwidgets.com, your IT department should be able to create specific email addresses for everyone in your company.
If you don’t have a dedicated IT department, consider off-the-shelf solutions such as Microsoft 365. Your company can have a secure, professional email address for every employee.
Most small to medium-sized manufacturers don’t consider cybersecurity while clinging to their free email addresses. However, a recent IT survey suggests that 43% of SMEs have been attacked with ransomware recently.
Now that you’ve made sure to secure the best email address, make sure you’ve got the best targets. With nearly a half million industrial business profiles, including direct executives email addresses, IndustrySelect can help you target the right recipients for your next email marketing campaign. See a sample profile or get started now with a free demo!
Article Sources:
https://www.industryselect.com/
https://www.industryselect.com/sales/
https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/07/professional-email-addresses-trustworthy.html#:~:text=75%20Percent%20of%20Consumers%20Say%20Professional%20Email%20Addresses%20Key%20to%20Trust,-Published%3A%20Jul%205&text=Three%2Dquarters%20(or%2075%20percent,trusting%20an%20online%20small%20business.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/2/22653652/yahoo-aol-acquired-apollo-global-management-private-equity
https://optinmonster.com/how-to-run-a-successful-email-marketing-campaign/
https://www.withum.com/resources/11-benefits-of-microsoft-365-for-your-business/
https://www.itgovernance.eu/blog/en/20-cyber-security-statistics-for-2022