Sender Reputation & Email Nightmares
While we don’t expect clients to understand the finer points around sender reputation, domain abuse or recovery tactics, it’s helpful to realize what the big picture looks like when email is your primary lead generation activity.
TL;DR
When it comes to email, your sender reputation will make or break your program.
Why you should care about your sender reputation
The better Email Service Providers (ESPs), including Mailchimp, will help guard your domain and sender reputation by locking out your ability to send campaigns when they detect unacceptable levels of spam reports from your list. It’s frustrating, but actually the best customer service they can provide. By halting a program that is at high risk—which includes disallowing uploads of high risk names to your account—these ESPs prioritize your domain and sender reputation to ensure that you don’t land in “email jail”… a.k.a. Spamhaus.
The Spamhaus Project is a vital organization for maintaining order, integrity and safety for the Internet. But if you are a legitimate marketer who has mistakenly been blocked by their systems, dealing with it is a nightmare. If Spamhaus determines your domain is violating industry protocols for abuse, your entire domain (your website, individual email accounts, apps, related services, etc.) will be locked up from access by the entire planet. Your online presence is essentially held hostage until you can resolve the issue and prove that you aren’t intentionally spamming or scamming your audience, or the world in general.
So if your ESP flags your account, it’s something to take seriously. And if you’re not educated on the finer points of email marketing or domain reputation management, it’s definitely time to call in a professional.
If you’re concerned about your list quality, or have received blacklist notifications from your ESP, Spamhaus or another security organization, don’t take a chance. Reach out to someone with experience in these situations who can ensure that your domain and sender reputation stay intact.
Worried about your list? Before you risk your domain, contact us for a complimentary list analysis. We’ll help you understand the risks and provide options for safe sending.
