3 Steps to Keep Subscribers Engaged for Life

Imagine spending hours crafting the perfect email campaign only for it to end up in spam. Frustrating, right? Research shows that personalized emails generate 6x higher transaction rates, yet 51% of marketers say email deliverability is their biggest challenge. If you care about ROI and building lasting relationships, mastering email deliverability isn’t optional, it’s essential.

Let’s dive into three things that not only keep your emails out of the spam folder but also turn subscribers into loyal customers. Each step is tied to tools from Salesforce, a leader in email marketing technology, so you can implement this today.

1. Setup Phase - Build the Foundation for Success

This is your first step toward building trust with email service providers (ESPs) like Gmail or Yahoo. Without proper setup, your emails might not even reach the inbox.

What to do:

• Authenticate Your Domain with Salesforce Sender Authentication Package (SAP):
  Use SAP to align your domain and brand identity. This ensures ESPs see your emails as legitimate, boosting deliverability.
  How-to: Go to Salesforce Setup > Email Settings > Add Sender Authentication Package.

• Switch to a Dedicated IP Address:
  For brands sending over 100,000 emails monthly, Salesforce Marketing Cloud allows you to add a dedicated IP. This helps control your sending reputation.
  How-to: In Marketing Cloud > Contact your account executive to enable Dedicated IPs.

• Secure Your URLs with SSL:
  Salesforce lets you apply SSL certificates for HTTPS links, making your campaigns more secure.
  How-to: Navigate to Setup > SSL Certificate Management.

💡 Marketers who implement domain authentication see a 20% increase in inbox placement rates (source: Salesforce 2024).

2. Connect Phase - Build a Strong Relationship

Today’s subscribers expect personalized and relevant emails. Sending generic or excessive emails leads to unsubscribes, or worse, spam complaints.

What to do:

• Warm Up Your IP Address with Salesforce Journey Builder:
  Slowly increase your email volume to build trust with ISPs. Start small and scale up.
  How-to: Use Journey Builder to schedule small, segmented sends.

• Leverage Einstein AI for Personalization:
  Use Salesforce Einstein to analyze customer behavior and send relevant content.
  How-to: Enable Einstein Recommendations in Marketing Cloud to tailor emails based on customer preferences.

• Stick to Permission-Based Marketing:
  Only email subscribers who’ve opted in. Use Salesforce Audience Studio to manage consent and keep your lists clean.
  How-to: Under Audience Studio, track and filter consented subscribers.

• Ensure Easy Unsubscribing:
  With Salesforce Email Studio, include a one-click opt-out link.
  How-to: Go to Content Editor, and add the unsubscribe block to all email templates.

Result to Expect: Personalized emails drive 82% higher open rates. Make your audience feel seen, and they’ll stick around. Source: Forbes 2023

3. Curate Phase - Optimize for Long-Term Engagement

Engagement drives deliverability. If subscribers ignore your emails, ESPs take note, and your messages get buried.

What to do:

• Monitor Campaign Performance with Salesforce Email Studio:
  Track open rates, click-throughs, and complaints. Identify trends and adjust.
  How-to: In Email Studio, use the tracking dashboard to generate reports.

• Remove Inactive Subscribers with Einstein Engagement Scoring:
  Don’t keep emailing disengaged users. Use Einstein AI to identify who’s losing interest.
  How-to: Enable Einstein Engagement Scoring to flag unengaged subscribers.

• A/B Test Content Using Salesforce Content Builder:
  Test subject lines, images, or offers to see what resonates.
  How-to: In Content Builder, create A/B test campaigns and analyze results.

💡 Removing unengaged subscribers may seem counterintuitive, but it can boost your open rates by up to 30%.

Your subscribers aren’t just email addresses, they’re real people with inboxes full of distractions. By taking the time to build trust, deliver value, and adjust your approach based on their preferences, you show them they matter. And when your audience feels valued, they’ll reward you with loyalty and clicks that drive results.

Equals 11 helps enterprises and business leaders optimize Salesforce for better deliverability, engagement, and ROI. Let’s talk about how we can improve your email strategy. Contact us today.