Why Your Brand Needs Email Deliverability Consultants

You may not think about it, but this lucrative marketing channel has plenty of niches to fill. Some are obvious — designers, implementation experts, and writers come to mind — and others are less so, particularly deliverability consultants.

So, what is a deliverability consultant?

What Is Email Deliverability?

To understand that, you must first know the basics.

Email deliverability is a straightforward term describing the number of emails delivered versus the number that ends up in trash or spam folders. The best marketing strategies have high deliverability, while subpar campaigns have lower deliverability.

However, that’s a gross oversimplification of the issue.

Email deliverability specialists understand the nuances of email performance. They know the many factors behind common deliverability issues and how to rectify them. This knowledge helps them boost your customer engagement and plant the seeds of email success.

A Quick Look at the Nuances of Email Deliverability Issues

In many ways, email deliverability consultants are akin to technical support. They understand email infrastructure and work alongside email platforms to improve the experience for everyone — including the consumer. Their knowledge spans the full breadth of electronic communication, covering the entire process from beginning to end.

In most cases, any deliverability issue can be categorized into one of three generalized categories:

• Compliance issues
• Content problems
• Technical problems

A comprehensive audit examines all these categories and more to deliver the best deliverability possible. In fact, an in-depth email deliverability audit is too extensive to fully explain in a single blog post. So, instead, I’ll condense the topic into these three overarching groups.

1. How Compliance Influences Your Email Deliverability

I’ll start at the top and work my way down!

Compliance has many meanings in email marketing. However, for this blog post, I’ll focus on the two “big” forms of compliance:

• Legal compliance hinges on ensuring your emails reach their mark. Businesses must provide adequate opt-out measures and take appropriate steps to protect consumer data.
• Technical compliance refers to settings and configuration details that occur behind the scenes. Email authentication is at the top of this hierarchy, closely followed by technical support and plain-text fallbacks.

Failing to meet either of these two requirements will negatively impact your email deliverability. Your first offense will likely result in a warning, and subsequent errors will harm your sending reputation. (Or, in particularly egregious legal cases, deal you a hefty fine!) Failing to rectify these issues will eventually cause your emails to trigger spam filters.

2. How Content Impacts Your Email Deliverability

Double-checking your content is the next step to reaching your customers’ inboxes.

Your emails should be clear and honest. That’s not just a moral ideal; it’s the law!

Moreover, transparency encourages email engagement. People are more likely to click an email with a concise subject line and to follow through with an apt call to action. Clarity empowers customers, reassuring them of your brand’s legitimacy. That trust pays for itself with lower spam complaint rates and higher returns.

3. Dodging the Spam Folder With Technical Compliance

Finally, you’ll need technical knowledge and proper implementation.

Not surprisingly, every email program prefers brands with a proven track record of high-quality content. An email service provider will generally prioritize such content and ensure delivery to the appropriate inbox. And it doesn’t take any deep expertise to see how that can boost your overall campaign success!

Today, most technical failures stem from poor mobile compatibility. Email deliverability experts understand this common problem and know how to rectify it. Moreover, they know why it’s a problem.

Sure, a poorly optimized email can reach its mark. Assuming it meets all other requirements, it can reach customers’ inboxes well enough. However, that doesn’t mean it will succeed. Reaching the inbox is the first step; afterward, you must also appeal to the customer.

A poorly implemented email may clear the first hurdle, but it probably won’t be the basis for good relationships. In fact, if your coding is incredibly off-base, these poor user experiences can easily shrink your subscriber list and deter potential customers. Even small errors can be problematic, as they reflect poorly on your business standards.

What Is an Email Deliverability Consultant?

So, with that in mind, it’s time to answer the question posed by today’s blog title: What is an email deliverability consultant?

These specialized email professionals are seasoned deliverability experts. They understand the most common deliverability issues and can perform diagnostic evaluations of your email marketing strategy. Think of them as your email marketing’s general practitioner, although they check email campaigns and performance metrics instead of joints and heartbeats!

A deliverability consultant can and will boost the efficacy of your email marketing by laying the groundwork for business growth and marketing success. Their extensive experience is a game-changer, giving them the practical weight of a fully staffed expert team!

What Do Email Deliverability Consultants Do?

Don’t just trust my word; trust the process!

Email deliverability consultants work closely with clients to cement the basics of future marketing strategies. Their on-demand advice is invaluable. Of course, a deliverability expert will run an audit and evaluate the results. However, they’ll also allow you to pick their brains and gain a deeper understanding of deliverability.

Now, consulting services will need access to your email accounts. They’ll also want to evaluate your current email strategy to better understand your current performance. Once granted these rights, the audit begins.

What Is an Email Deliverability Audit?

A deliverability audit is like its more generalized counterpart, the email marketing audit, albeit with a narrower scope. A proper deliverability audit is an in-depth, hands-on experience and forms the basis of email deliverability consulting.

During an audit, deliverability specialists study everything. They’ll pore over your email engagement, sending reputation, and spam folder complaints. They’ll track where your content goes and evaluate how your customers respond to your email campaigns.

An email deliverability audit will answer crucial questions about your marketing strategies, including:

• Are your emails landing in the appropriate inbox? Yes, there’s the spam folder, but many email service providers now have additional tabs to sort incoming mail.
• How are customers responding to your content? A positive response is self-evident. You’ll see positive customer engagement and a rising domain reputation. However, most businesses are in the frustrating middle ground, seeing little growth and returns for their hard work.
• Is everything properly configured? Your email accounts require domain authentication. Your expert team will also investigate your opt-in preferences and marketing automation.
• Is your email list updated? A clean subscriber list increases your emails’ reach and prevents unpleasant bounces. Maintaining updated contact lists will also lower your overhead by reducing redundant subscribers.

What Other Deliverability Services Are Available?

A deliverability expert will also support that comprehensive audit with plenty of performance-boosting services. These deliverability services are usually handled by a dedicated team of email marketing professionals.

The specifics vary, but most email deliverability consulting groups offer services such as:

• Additional consulting services
• Business reports
• Deliverability recommendations
• Diagnostic tests
• Email marketing strategy evaluations
• Email program optimization
• “IP warming” to promote positive domain reputation
• Marketing automation evaluations
• List evaluations and health checks

Find a Dedicated Team to Boost Your Email Marketing Strategy

You’ll find these services — and more — at The Email Marketers. My team of deliverability specialists understands the intricacies of the email inbox. They have a proven record of email success and can help you achieve your business goals.

Schedule a free strategy session to see how an on-demand team of marketing professionals can change your business. You’ll get more than an email deliverability expert; you’ll get a specialized experience designed to amplify your business growth. I’ll show you how my hand-picked team can wow your customers and take your marketing to the next level.