“Will Your CRM Software Keep My Email Out of the SPAM Folder?”

Asked by a college administrator last year during a SunGard Higher Education technology demonstration, it’s a common question raised by those using promotional email marketing for enrollment.

The answer (in this instance) included a lengthy description of the technical considerations taken into account to prevent this from happening.

The problem with technology-centric view  is that it represents only one part of the answer. Unlike the postal service – which is under charter to delivery every piece of stamped mail you can send – the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have no such obligation.

In another example, we recently had an enrollment marketing practitioner ask, “How can I make the ISPs take my messages?” It doesn’t work that way.

Simply focusing on the email marketing delivery system is not the answer. Keeping out of the SPAM folder has a whole lot less to do with your software and everything to with your email marketing program. Email marketing has reached the status of a proven communications channel on the same level as direct mail or advertising. In fact, ninety-six percent of colleges and universities are currently using or planning to use promotional email by early 2008.  But a lot of this effort is being wasted with messages that never reach your students’ inboxes.

Your Reputation Matters
Sender reputation causes email delivery issues 83% of the time according to a 2006 study by Return Path. North American ISPs look at reputation shaping factors such as volume, list quality, complaint rates, and the number of users who whitelist you.
In other words, these factors speak to the relevancy and value of your email marketing messages … and the quality of your email relationships.

Ignore Value and Take the Last Train to SPAM-ville
Rather than asking about email delivery technicalities, ask yourself a more important question…what’s the message value to my audience?

If you are currently broadcasting or worse yet, e-blasting email messages that do not offer compelling reasons to respond and have little value to your audience, you’re buying a one-way ticket to SPAM-ville.

Email Marketing Success Starts with a Programmatic Approach
Instead of using email as a “response booster” to your direct mail campaigns, choose a different path. Colleges and universities that are experiencing success employ a programmatic approach that:

·    Establishes clear student-centric objectives
·    Embraces permission and relevance
·    Measures results and utilizes message testing
·    Employs design best practices

The right email delivery software can enable and support your email marketing program. How? By providing robust measurement and analytics to: manage bad email or defunct email addresses, support message testing, and provide behavioral segmentation capability.