3 Things You Should Know Before Validating Your Email List

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Validating your email list is one of the most effective tactics to boost deliverability and email marketing results. Before you clean your data, here are three things you should be aware of so you know what to look for and expect.

Spam complaints. Bounces. Low open rates and an overall feeling that sending marketing emails doesn’t make any sense. If you’ve ever experienced any of this, you’ve probably thought about quitting email marketing altogether.

However, it’s hard to quit when you know that its average return on investment is $42 for every $1 spent. Also, with a bit of research, you’ll find there’s a solution for any kind of deliverability problem.

Why validating your email list pays off

One of the most common reasons your emails underperform is a messy, outdated email list. While you may strive to create the best content for your subscribers, some of them may not ever see it.

A part of those emails may bounce, others may be landing in a spam trap or the spam folder instead of someone’s inbox. What’s more, some of your emails may get blocked and never even make it to a mailbox – be it inbox or spam.

This is why email validation is such a critical part of email marketing. By removing bad data from your list, it helps:

• restore and preserve a healthy sender reputation,
• foster better inbox placement,
• and allow you to build stronger relationships with your subscribers.

Email lists deteriorate every month. People either change email providers or jobs and don’t bother to unsubscribe. B2B email databases will churn faster and that process has accelerated since March 2020. Last year, millions of job losses caused millions of bounces for companies around the world.

If your company is one of them, you may be considering an email verification service. How can you be sure you’re making the most of it? Apart from weeding out invalid addresses, what other benefits can you expect?

Here are a few things worth knowing before you begin cleaning your list.

Email validation helps you avoid dead ends

Bounces are usually the number one reason business owners and marketers look for an email verifier. A bounce rate that’s higher than 2 percent is a sign your list is risky and may start causing delivery issues.

Some emails become invalid in time, while others are bad to begin with. If a person misspells their contact when trying to subscribe, you’ll get a hard bounce. Your email will also bounce if you send it to temporary addresses – it’s just a matter of time until these addresses cease to exist.

On top of that, there are abandoned addresses in your list that can end up bouncing. Email service providers can disable and delete them if they’re inactive for a long time.

As you can see, bounces can happen for several reasons and it’s impossible to prevent them by manually checking your list. There are technical aspects to an email that the human eye can’t detect, but an email validator can.

Email cleaning can help you prevent spam complaints

Nobody likes to be labeled as spam, but the “Mark as spam” button is necessary in a world where more than 47 percent of emails are considered junk. Email users need to be able to provide feedback on the content they receive. And Internet service providers (ISPs) take that feedback seriously.

While spam complaints can help make email better, they are harmful when they happen to you – a legitimate email sender. Get a few complaints and your emails may easily come to be regarded as spam, so ISPs will direct them to the junk folder.

A good email verifier should be able to detect people who have a history of hitting the spam button. You can then decide whether you want to keep them on your list or remove them before they get a chance to complain.

Some senders take the risk of emailing known complainers, but keep in mind that more than one complaint for every 1,000 emails puts your sender reputation in danger.

You can validate emails in real time

Many business owners and email marketers will validate their email lists in bulk. The process should be seamless and doesn’t involve you downloading any kind of software. You upload your email list onto your email validation platform and download it free of risky data.

Want to go a step further and keep your list clean for longer? You could try an email validation API. Once installed on your forms, the API starts checking every new signup in real time.

So, whenever someone creates an account on your site or signs up for your newsletter, their email address will have to pass the API filter first. It’s an easy way to prevent undesirable emails from getting on your list, instead of having to scrub them after they’ve already caused damage.

For instance, a reliable API will be able to detect known complainers. You can set it up to automatically reject those types of emails – and others. Thus, you can mitigate some of the risks and protect your deliverability.

You can use an email validation API wherever you collect email contacts and it should work just like a bulk verifier – only in real time. Make sure to ask your email validation company about your API key and work with your team to install it.

You’ve validated your list. What else can you do?

Validating your email list can make a significant difference in your emails’ performance. Nonetheless, successful email marketing involves more than using a healthy list.

Here are a few extra tips to help you get the most out of your newsletters and email campaigns:

• Your content plays a vital role. Ensure your subject lines are enticing but not deceptive, avoid obvious spam trigger words and too many images with too little text.

• Your deliverability has a lot to do with following email marketing best practices. Apart from that, using a reliable email service provider is key. Pick one with a solid sending reputation.

• Email marketing works best if you’re consistent. Results may fluctuate and that’s normal, but sticking to your sending schedule will help you improve. Study your reports often. You’ll notice how people interact with certain types of content so you’ll get a better idea of what your audience expects from you.

Most of all, give your email marketing time to grow and succeed. It doesn’t happen overnight. With a clean list, engaging content, and a steady sending schedule, you’ll build connections and boost conversions.

Liviu Tanase
Liviu Tanase is the founder and CEO of email validation, deliverability, and email finding company ZeroBounce. As a serial entrepreneur, he founded five companies and has participated in three exits creating quadruple-digit returns. Liviu writes about digital marketing and technology, focusing on email communication. His goal is to help make email marketing work for your business.

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