We all know what spam mail is and have been subjected to the annoyance of it since the creation of the internet. But, what is graymail and how is it different from spam mail? Graymail is different from spam mail because it comes from a legitimate source and has varying value to different people. It also is solicited and otherwise known as bacn. With graymail, the recipients opt-in to receive but don’t click through. For example, when you opt-in with your email address on a website to get emails and never interact with them. We know we’ve done this on multiple occasions and have eventually unsubscribed when they become annoying. Graymail can be newsletters, sales, ads, and just plain old announcements from a brand. The largest difference between graymail and spam is that users opt-in for graymail whereas spam is unsolicited. So, as a brand how can you use graymail to your advantage? First, you have to verify the IP addresses before delivering to avoid spam complaints. To keep your brand emails from becoming graymail, your content has to remain relevant to keep email service providers from sending them to the spam folder for continued lack of engagement. You can do this with re-engagement campaigns. For example, incentivize your audience with discounts, prize surveys, and even freebies. You can also use Graymail to test your sending frequency. This can help your brand see how much you should send your audience emails. Try different things. Once a week. Maybe once a month. Every other day. Do a run of each for a while and see each CTR. When user’s opt-in for your brand emails it’s important to follow some guidelines to hopefully keep your emails out of the graymail category altogether.
1. Let them know exactly what they’re signing up for
2. Immediately follow up after signing up
3. Segment your audience
4. Send relevant and engaging email content
We’ve all gone on those unsubscribe rampages at one point or another. Keep your brand emails from becoming victims of graymail by following these practices. Protect your brand’s email reputation with interesting content and appropriate mailing frequency. You can also exclude low-engagement users from your mailing lists. Keep your open rates on the up and up.
