Resources Hub » Blog » The Deliverability DownloadEdition #2: Start fresh, with a strategy refresh

As we welcome a new year, it’s the perfect opportunity to take a moment to step back and give your email program a thorough review and refresh – and it’s no exception when it comes to deliverability. Starting the new year with a solid deliverability plan will help you maintain a strong sender reputation and optimize your deliverability for the 12 months ahead.

To get you started, I’m sharing my top three tips to help you land in subscribers' inboxes this year.

1. Audit your email program and establish ‘success’

It’s always best to start with a detailed audit of both the technical and strategic aspects of your email program, and identify what "success" looks like for you and your business for the year ahead, which could include:

  • Increasing open and click rates
  • Driving more web traffic
  • List growth
  • Conducting more in-depth marketing reach
  • Increasing conversions or sales
  • Driving higher ROI

Depending on your business goals, it’s key that you collect the right data to measure the success of your program.

Regularly reviewing your deliverability metrics for each mailbox provider is a great place to start, as it gives direct insight into how your deliverability is tracking at a granular level and can highlight inconsistencies, making it easier to identify, prioritize and resolve common issues.

On the technical side, it’s essential that you check your email authentication protocols—SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These are crucial for verifying that you and your emails are legitimate, helping them land successfully in your subscribers’ inboxes, and protecting your domain from spoofing and other online abuse.

Strategically, it’s always best to review the tactics and tools you’re using to grow your list such as signup forms are compliant and ensure they require direct opt-in and incorporate reCaptcha to prevent spambot attacks. Additionally, it’s key that your list growth tools set clear expectations about when and how you will contact subscribers and use their data. This approach not only attracts the right kind of subscriber but also helps keep your lists safe and more engaged.

2. Establish clear performance metrics

Using insights from your audit, set clear thresholds for key performance metrics and establish benchmarks for:

  • Open rates
  • Click-through rates
  • Bounce rates
  • Unsubscribe and spam rates
  • Web traffic and landing page hits
  • Or any other data points unique to your business

Concrete data and benchmarks make it easier to justify strategic changes to internal stakeholders and help facilitate those conversations. It also adds credibility to your recommendations and fosters better decision-making so you can optimize and iterate on your marketing strategies.

Don’t forget to meet regularly with your team and internal stakeholders to review these metrics so you can make timely and informed adjustments. This approach allows you to personalize content based on audience preferences and maximize engagement, so you can create deeper and longer lasting relationships with your audience.

3. Maintain consistent campaign sending

In the deliverability world, consistency is key.

Be sure to keep sending regular campaigns to maintain your domain reputation and stay “top of mind” for your subscribers, even during the quieter months at the start of the year. This helps preserve your deliverability rates and prevents the need for a ramp-up later in the year.

Another tip is to set up a welcome journey to build on the initial higher engagement and traffic that you have attracted at the end of last year. Establish benchmarks for this journey, focusing on subscriber engagement. This strategy will strengthen your connection with new subscribers and set a positive tone for your ongoing relationship. It’s an effective way to enhance your reputation and monitor how new subscribers interact with your email content.

Quiet months are also perfect for testing. Run A/B tests on different segments of your list to discover what resonates best with your audience.

Setting the tone for a successful 2025

Starting the year with a strategic refresher sets the tone for a successful year ahead. Auditing your email program to assess its technical and strategic approach, monitoring key metrics to facilitate data-informed decisions, and maintaining consistency in your sending patterns will optimize your email program for better deliverability and engagement.

Remember, deliverability isn’t set and forget – it’s an ongoing process that requires regular attention and strategic adjustments to set you up for long-term success.

Looking ahead to February’s blog on Gmail/Yahoo changes

Next month marks the one-year anniversary of Gmail and Yahoo’s sender requirement changes. In the next edition, we’ll revisit these changes, analyze their impact on deliverability, and share actionable insights on how to adapt to these evolving platforms.

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About the Author John Peters
This blog provides general information and discussion about email marketing and related subjects. The content provided in this blog ("Content”), should not be construed as and is not intended to constitute financial, legal or tax advice. You should seek the advice of professionals prior to acting upon any information contained in the Content. All Content is provided strictly “as is” and we make no warranty or representation of any kind regarding the Content.
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