So what really annoys a spam filter?

A recent study by Return Path Research says that while phrases like “free” or the presence of images can set off an email spam filter, the criteria that will most often get a commercial e-mail blocked is the reputation of the sender’s IP (internet protocol) address – a unique number to any computer or network device on the internet. If one email is blasted using ExactTarget, a reputable service used by Mighty, and another is sent from a service known for sending large volumes of spam, an internet service provider can tell the difference between the two by their respective IP address. And as such, an email from the latter is far more likely to be dumped in a recipient’s junk mail folder. This is the best reason to do mass mailings through an agency like Mighty Interactive. While there are commercially available e-mail blasting programs that allow any business to create and distribute on their own, but the reputation of that business’ IP address may be all that is necessary for the e-mail to never, ever be seen by human eyes. Despite the fact that content is listed as a secondary consideration when setting off e-mail filters, following best practices in a widely distributed e-mail is still a good idea – and good manners. After all, why write an e-mail you know no one wants to see?

About the Author: Eric Reid

I am the Social Media Services Manager for Off Madison Ave. I've been with the company since 2006, when I was hired to do SEO, and link building in particular. When social networking sites started cropping up, at first I started using them to create backlinks - but they weren't the best for that, given all of the "nofollow" attributes. However, I did see the potential for all of the direct referral traffic they represent. Since then I've been actively pursuing both tactics for clients: Links that can help them for search, and social postings that get them involved in the conversation. It's about the coolest job you could ever get. ;)