Strategies for the Never-Ending Fight Against Spam

Effective communication is key in any business, but especially so in real estate as this element can make or break your transactions and growth. Email remains a primary channel for connecting with clients, colleagues, and prospects however, the constant battle against spam filters can hinder the delivery of crucial messages. By understanding the nuances of spam filters and implementing proactive measures, you can ensure messages reach the intended recipients, fostering stronger relationships and enhancing your overall success.
No one wants their inbox junked up and major email providers are putting in place efforts to help protect us from spam. Still, if you don’t approach your marketing in a strategic, meaningful way, you’ll end up right alongside that nice Prince who can’t seem to find anybody to take his millions off his hands.
Here are some strategies you can implement to prevent your emails from landing in the dreaded spam folder:
💌 Establish Credibility
Building trust with clients and the public is the foundation of a secure business. When your emails consistently end up in spam folders, it can erode the credibility you’ve worked hard to establish. By taking preventive measures, you ensure that your messages are seen by the right people at the right time.
💌 Authenticate your Custom Domain to Improve Email Deliverability
Our besties at Follow Up Boss have created a way for you to authenticate your domain so that you can set your marketing emails up for the best chance of landing in the hands of future business. Use this link and follow the steps to further protect your efforts!
💌 Understand Spam Filters
Before diving into prevention strategies, it’s essential to understand how spam filters operate. These filters use complex algorithms to analyze various aspects of an email, such as content, sender reputation, and engagement metrics. By staying informed about these factors, real estate professionals can tailor their communication to align with spam filter criteria. Research the filters that you encounter during your everyday business to learn more about how they work and how you can structure your messaging to not get flagged.
💌 Craft Relevant Content
One of the primary triggers for spam filters is irrelevant or suspicious content. Focus on writing emails that are informative, personalized, and directly related to your recipient’s interests. Avoiding excessive use of promotional language and ensuring the content adds value can significantly reduce the chances of triggering spam filters.
💌 Maintain a Healthy Sender Reputation
Your sender reputation plays a crucial role in email deliverability and consistently sending emails that are marked as spam will harm your reputation. To maintain a positive sender reputation, regularly clean your email list, promptly handle unsubscribe requests, and encourage recipients to mark your emails as ‘not spam’ if they find them valuable.
💌 Use Authentication Protocols
Implementing email authentication protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds an extra layer of security to your emails. This helps verify your legitimacy, making it less likely for spam filters to flag.
💌 Encourage Engagement
Spam filters often take user engagement into account. You can encourage recipients to interact with your emails by including clear calls-to-action, relevant links, and interactive content. Higher engagement rates signal to spam filters that your emails are desired and legitimate.
💌 Regularly Monitor Deliverability Metrics
Regularly monitor key deliverability metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. Analyzing these metrics provides insights into the effectiveness of your email campaigns and allows for adjustments to be made to improve deliverability.

Clear Communication. With so much going on this time of year having clear communication is extra important. Avoid last-minute changes and allow additional planning time for any events. Ensure that your team knows the goals, objectives and priorities and regularly share and re-share the updates and expectations so that they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Provide a platform for them to ask questions and seek clarification to stay ahead of any bumps in the road.
Flexible Scheduling. Life-work balance is incredibly hard to find this time of year with so many having both personal and professional obligations and fun events. Allowing flexibility in work hours or remote work options will better assist team members in finding a way to make things work and reduce stress.
Resource Allocation. Assess your current workload and allocate your resources so that your team has the necessary tools, equipment, and personnel to meet the demands of the season. If necessary, consider temporary staff or outsourcing to ease the workload.
Team Well-being. Our people are being pulled in a variety of ways both personally and professionally to celebrate holidays, travel, and attend school functions, and that can lead to a lot of additional stress. Simultaneously, more than you might think may be suffering from some form of seasonal affective challenge, whether it be the actual weather that bums them out or a personal history that makes the holidays hard, this time of year doesn’t leave everyone on your team feeling their best, whether they show it or not. Being aware of this will go a long way, but encouraging breaks, reminding them to recharge and take time for themselves, or offering a wellness program for stress management or mental health support will aid them in coping with the increased demands.
Recognition and Awards. Have you ever been Jelly-of-the-Month-Clubbed? I have, and failing to be properly recognized for your hard work and dedication sure makes it easy to hand in your notice the Monday after the Holiday party. It’s not about the amount, it’s not about the shape or size of the award…it’s about how you make that person FEEL. Avoid giving out participation awards or awards to your entire organization, if everyone receives one it becomes diluted. Find other meaningful ways to show your appreciation for those who do not receive an award. Make efforts to show your appreciation to your team year-round, as the excitement of the annual awards ceremony doesn’t last long. If you didn’t do a great job of this last year, make a plan to recognize and appreciate your team throughout the year in 2024 to keep morale high. You can even make a smart list in Follow Up Boss to reach out to everyone on your team in a personal way so that no one falls through the cracks! (Reply to this post and I’ll show you how!)




