How to Improve Campaign Monitor Deliverability for Canadian Small Businesses

Campaign monitor deliverability means the percentage of your email marketing campaigns that actually reach the inboxes of your intended recipients instead of being blocked, filtered as spam, or bouncing back. For Canadian small and mid-sized businesses, good deliverability is vital because it directly affects how many potential customers see your offers and engage with your brand.

Why this comes up / what goes wrong

Small business owners often rely on email campaigns to reach prospects and customers. However, many notice that a significant portion of their emails either never arrive or end up in spam folders. This reduces engagement and wastes marketing resources. Common causes include:

1. Poor sender domain or IP reputation due to previous spam reports or new domains.
2. Missing or incorrect email authentication records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
3. Email content that triggers spam filters, such as spammy words or misleading subject lines.
4. Sending to outdated, invalid, or unverified email lists.
5. Recipient mail servers rejecting or blocking emails based on their own filtering rules.

For example, a Calgary home renovation contractor might send 1,800 emails promoting a spring discount but only 1,620 are delivered, with even fewer reaching the inbox. This reduces the chance of converting leads and wastes effort.

Step-by-step

1. Verify email authentication records

• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly for your sending domain.
• Use online tools to check your domain and IP reputation regularly.

1. Maintain a clean email list

• Remove invalid, bounced, or unengaged email addresses regularly.
• Use confirmed opt-in or double opt-in methods to ensure recipients want your emails.

1. Craft email content carefully

• Avoid spam-triggering words, excessive punctuation, and misleading subject lines.
• Personalize content to your audience’s interests and needs.

1. Monitor bounce and complaint rates

• High bounce rates indicate list quality issues.
• Complaints harm your sender reputation and reduce deliverability.

1. Test emails before sending campaigns

• Use spam testing tools.
• Send test emails to multiple providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.

1. Segment your audience

• Send targeted campaigns tailored to specific groups to increase engagement.

1. Choose a reliable email service provider

• Providers with strong deliverability infrastructure help avoid spam filters.

1. Track campaign metrics

• Analyze open rates, click rates, and delivery reports to improve future campaigns.

For managing outreach across channels, consider tools like WhatsApp and SMS CRM to complement email.

Example (fictional figures)

A Calgary home renovation contractor runs an email campaign on 2024-05-01 targeting 1,800 prospects.

• Total emails sent = 1,800
• Bounce rate = 10% (180 emails bounced)
• Complaint rate = 1.5% (27 complaints)
• Delivered emails = 1,800 - 180 = 1,620
• Estimated inbox placements (assumed illustrative) = 1,300

Calculations:

1,800 - 180 = 1,620 (delivered emails)

Delivered emails - filtered emails = 1,620 - (1,620 - 1,300) = 1,300 (inbox placements)

This means 500 emails did not reach the inbox (180 bounced + 320 filtered). Improving list quality, authentication, and content can increase inbox placements, leading to more leads.

Common mistakes

1. Not setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records

• Prevent this by configuring these authentication records correctly with your domain provider.

1. Sending to outdated or unverified email lists

• Regularly clean and confirm your email lists to remove invalid addresses.

1. Using generic or spam-triggering content

• Personalize messages and avoid words or formatting that spam filters flag.

1. Ignoring bounce and complaint metrics

• Monitor these rates to adjust your campaigns and improve sender reputation.

1. Not testing emails across platforms

• Always preview and test emails with multiple providers to ensure inbox delivery.

1. Over-emailing recipients

• Space out campaigns and respect recipient preferences to avoid complaints.

Learn more about managing outreach with automated sequences at HelloGrowthCRM for Canada.

Doing this in HelloGrowthCRM

HelloGrowthCRM offers Sequences and campaigns that automate your multi-step follow-up. A five-step follow-up over two weeks runs on its own and stops the moment the prospect replies. This helps maintain consistent outreach without overloading recipients, improving engagement and deliverability. Explore sequences and campaigns at WhatsApp and SMS CRM.

Frequently asked questions

What is campaign monitor deliverability? Campaign monitor deliverability is the measure of how well your email campaigns reach recipients’ inboxes instead of spam or bounce back. It depends on sender reputation, email content, list quality, and technical setup.

How can I improve my email deliverability rate? You can improve deliverability by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, cleaning your email list regularly, personalizing content, avoiding spam triggers, and monitoring bounce and complaint rates.

Why do some emails go to spam even if I use Campaign Monitor? Spam filtering depends on recipient servers and email content. Poor list hygiene, missing authentication, or spammy content can cause emails to be filtered despite using Campaign Monitor.

Can HelloGrowthCRM help with email campaign deliverability? Yes. HelloGrowthCRM’s sequences automate follow-ups and stop when prospects respond, preventing over-emailing and increasing engagement, which supports better deliverability.

How often should I clean my email list? You should clean your email list at least quarterly to remove invalid or unengaged contacts and maintain a good sender reputation.

What role does segmentation play in deliverability? Segmenting your audience helps you send more relevant emails, increasing engagement and reducing spam complaints, which improves deliverability.

Key takeaways

• Campaign monitor deliverability measures emails reaching inboxes, not spam.
• Correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup is essential.
• Keep your email list clean, verified, and segmented.
• Personalize content and avoid spam triggers.
• Monitor campaign metrics and test emails before sending.
• Use HelloGrowthCRM sequences to automate follow-up and improve engagement.

Start improving your campaign deliverability today. Start on the Free Forever plan (200 leads, no credit card).