Email Marketing --- Tips On How To Get Around Gmails Algorithm?

[Sam_27]

Hey friends,

I just started getting into the marketing game using MailCheat(Chimp) and different tests to figure out how to market the best way. One problem I'm consistently having is that my emails go into the promotions inbox in gmail. Over 60% of my email lists' users use gmail and although I have a higher open rate than industry average (which I'm not even sure means much haha), I feel like I'm missing out on more opens and clicks by not getting into their primary inbox. I've read a few different things on how to get around this (less links, no images, personalization), but haven't had much luck.

Any thoughts or help from you all would be much appreciated!

Thanks

 

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[The-J]

It's gotten worse, buddy.

I use Google Inbox now and I don't see anything that I'm not looking for. Everything is categorized (that is, if it's not spam).

Pretty much all e-mails that I'm not set to reply to... they go into little boxes, which I can easily mark as 'don't wanna see em again pls'.

My tip is to figure out who your buyers are and form a personal relationship with each of em. Like, send them a real e-mail, written by your virtual assistant, sent through your own Gmail or website's web server.

Also, Gmail tends to show the first few emails if you interact with the first few emails sent. I've noticed this when an email list sent me like 3 free things in separate emails... then I kept on getting emails sent from their list.

 

[Sam_27]

Thanks for the quick reply bud. Hmm, I'll have to try forming a personal relationship with them. So many emails to go through but totally worth it.

Also, Gmail tends to show the first few emails if you interact with the first few emails sent. I've noticed this when an email list sent me like 3 free things in separate emails... then I kept on getting emails sent from their list.

When you say "interaction" do you mean clicking on their links? Replying to them directly? Can you explain?

Thanks

 

[The-J]

When you say "interaction" do you mean clicking on their links? Replying to them directly? Can you explain?

Clicking on the links

 

[Sam_27]

So I had this idea a day or two after the initial post, but felt I should post this for people struggling with the same problem. Before I go into it, here's my assumption:

Googles gmail algorithm for routing emails to your primary inbox instead of social or promotion inbox is based on interactions with a certain senders email (among other factors). The more interactions you have with a specific sender, the more likely it is that that email will be routed to your primary inbox.

Recently I signed up to some companies newsletter. They had me "complete my registration" by clicking on this link they sent me through email. I thought....why do I have to "confirm" my email address? They already have it...

Combined with The-J's comment about having people interact with your email by clicking links, it lit up a lightbulb: the email some websites send to you to "confirm" your email address by clicking on a link to "complete your registration" provides a way for you to interact with the email. This one interaction must give gmail's algorithm a small reason to let that specific companies email come into your primary gmail inbox vs. social or promotion inbox. This interaction increases your chances to be routed into a primary inbox.

Besides having someone click a "complete your registration" link, think of other ways to get people to click links. Ramit Sethi is a great example of a person who does superb email marketing. First he emails out some sort of product (a tutorial, video, etc.) and has you click to his website. Then he has you RE-SIGNUP with your email for the tutorial or whatever his product is. The email gets sent to you and you click THAT emails link and get back to his website. In essence he's creating an extra step, but this must keep pushing gmail's algorithm to assume you WANT his emails. You've been "interacting" with his emails so you must be his friend. I highly recommend just signing up to his emails so you can see his techniques and copy it.

In summary, get their emails, have them confirm it by clicking a link and then think of ways to keep having your customer interact with your emails.

This is just a theory and I would love to have someone prove/disprove this because I can't currently. A huge mistake my companies founder did was to use godaddy's platform to make a website (NEVER use their shit service) and it severely limits customization of websites. We're revamping our website at the end of the year and then I can test this out, but I hope that made sense and it helped someone!

 

[deepestblue]

Instruct them after signup to move the email to the main section.

 

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[SweetTooth]

Don't use pictures, only one H1 heading, and less than 5 links. That's it.

 

[Justin Gesso]

Hey friends,

I just started getting into the marketing game using MailCheat(Chimp) and different tests to figure out how to market the best way. One problem I'm consistently having is that my emails go into the promotions inbox in gmail. Over 60% of my email lists' users use gmail and although I have a higher open rate than industry average (which I'm not even sure means much haha), I feel like I'm missing out on more opens and clicks by not getting into their primary inbox. I've read a few different things on how to get around this (less links, no images, personalization), but haven't had much luck.

Any thoughts or help from you all would be much appreciated!

Thanks

I may differ a bit from others here, but it sounds like Google is doing its job well. You are sending a promotional email and Gmail is properly categorizing it. Pat on the back for Google.

That said...

I have a MailCheat(Chimp) account and multiple Getresponse accounts. I can send very similar emails from each. MailCheat(Chimp) seems to end up in Promotions much more frequently than emails from GR.

Interestingly, when I send a Test email from MailCheat(Chimp), it goes to my Primary Inbox, but as soon as I hit the full send button, that same email goes to Promotions. That means it's not about the image, H1, or some other markup in the email itself. Rather, it is probably something in the way MailCheat(Chimp) sends.

Getresponse touts its ability to hit the inbox better than the competition. You might open some trial accounts at Awebere and/or Getresponse to see if you get different results.

 

[eliquid]

Want the solution?

Its not clicking the confirmation link in the email. The reason a LOT of companies do that is because they designed their list to be DOUBLE OPTIN, which requires the 2nd step of clicking the confirmation link. Sure, gmail can still use that as a sign though, but that's not the main reason.

I'm gonna drop a real bomb on you all though.

Want to get your email in the Inbox more? Ask the reader to "tell you something".

An example would be after sending them an email about all kinds of tips and tricks for running a business, ask them at the end of the email to tell you their "top frustrations with running a business".

Guess what happens?

They send you an email now.

Don't you think Gmail would think this was a pretty damn strong signal/trigger to allowing future emails from you to that person's primary inbox ( and not the promotions tab )?

Now you also get feedback you might need for your next post or email or product.

Now you also see who is active in your list and who isn't.

Now you lock that customer into a relationship too ( not speaking about Gmail here ).









Your welcome.

 

[ClickDale]

One important key...which sounds obvious but I keep seeing people make this mistake...is to make sure the email address YOU are using for yourself is a branded email, for example, dale@your-url.com. Secondly...make sure that you are NOT forwarding emails to YOUR gmail account. So say you do have a custom email address...but you have it set up so that all of your emails are forwarded to your personal gmail account. Don't do that. Pay your domain service provider, NameCheap or GoDaddy, $10 a year for a custom email account.

Another recent change that you really have to look out for is "SPAMMY" words. Don't use the word "FREE"...or "Sign Up"...or any other terms that will get flagged as an advertisement. You want to write your sales copy like you are writing a letter to a friend. Instead of "Click Here"...which might be seen as a spammy words...instead say..."See for yourself"...or..."Check this out".

Hope this helps!

 

[Greg Black]

This is a great question.

I find that removing all but essential formatting helps, make emails look as much like personal correspondence as possible.

I also suspect that Gmail looks at the server sending the email and always knows when it is a mass broadcast.

One other thought is that if 70% of your list is on Gmail, then Gmail know that you are sending that exact email to thousands of people at the same time, so using more advanced email automation that sends individual emails may prove to be more successful than single mass broadcasts. (this is just a theory and not something I have tested, though I think I will at some stage).

 

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[Sam_27]

Wow, just got a chance to look back at this thread. And just in time too, I need to step up my email marketing game due to a recent mishap. Thank you everyone for your input, I really appreciate it! Much love

 

[tflfguy]

My own method (may not work if you 'need' to send 1000s of emails).
1. Avoid spam words: free, buy, click, $, etc.
2. Personalize each email and keep it short: 2-3 paragraphs tops
3. Ask them a question or get them to respond - start a conversation
4. I usually send only 50 emails per day (never more than 100)

You shouldn't be trying to sell anything in the first (few) emails if you're targeting long term / repeat customers...