Advisors: Spam filters get you down?

November 08, 2014 at 11:00 PM
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The last place you want your email marketing messages to end up is in your prospect's spam folder. So how do you avoid this? For starters, when you're composing your subject line or the body of your emails, don't shout at your prospects. "Shouting" consists of excessive bold face or italics, all capital letters and multiple exclamation points.

Similarly, avoid rushing your prospects into making a decision. "Reduce rates now," "act now," "hurry" and "last chance" are all examples of rush words, which may prompt spam filters to react. The same can be said of "lower premiums," "save money" and "satisfaction guaranteed." Whenever possible, find alternate ways of making such statements.

Beware also of seemingly legitimate, educational information, such as the phrase "the impact of ACA on same sex coverage," which might trigger spam filters because of the word "sex."

Here's a list of top spam words to avoid:

1.     Free

2.     Act now

3.     Best price

4.     Millions

5.     Cost

6.     Save

7.     Lower premiums

8.     Guaranteed results

9.     Increase income

10.     Save millions

11.     Million dollars

12.     Money

13.     Performance

14.     Satisfaction guaranteed

15.     Quote/compare rates

Your carefully crafted email message can't bring in new business if it never reaches its intended target. Outsmart your prospect's spam filter by avoiding common spam words and phrases.

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Alan Blume is an author, and as founder and CEO of StartUpSelling Inc., he works with small businesses on lead generation, sales, marketing, website design and branding. For more information, go to www.StartUpSelling.com.

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