SenderID and SPF may cause YOUR email, sent from Voodoo servers, to be rejected.  Please have your IT experts set up your mail (DNS) servers to authorize Voodoo’s mail server today.  You’ll be impressed at the results!

 

What is SPF?

 

SPF is an extension to Internet e-mail. It prevents unauthorized people from forging your e-mail address and/or those of your employees.  There is no central institution that enforces SPF, but the SPF Project is a great source of information about it. For SPF to work properly, your company’s email server will need a line or two of code added or modified. Otherwise, receiving ISPs may mistake you and your other Voodoo users for unauthorized senders.

 

If you send trackable email campaigns from your Voodoo account(s), anti-SPAM compliance requires you to install a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record in your email domain settings.

SPF authorizes Voodoo’s mail server to send on your behalf and helps authenticate the validity of your mail to receiving Internet Service Providers (ISPs). As ISPs become more stringent in blocking SPAM, these settings are more important than ever. A missing or incorrect SPF record on your email domain may cause email sent from your Voodoo account(s) to bounce or be flagged.

Ask your email domain manager to add the line(s) of code explained below into the TXT record of your DNS settings. This helps everyone!

Your outgoing Voodoo email messages, and incoming support notifications may be sent from the following server host names:

server1.voodooviral.com
server2.voodoovideomarketing.com

 

How to setup your SPF records to authorize Voodoo servers

 

In most email domains, you will access your SPF records via a path such as this:

Manage Domain (or Domain Settings) > Manage DNS (or DNS Records) > Advanced > Edit DNS.

 

Example 1 — You have a Company Email Domain (non-Google or Microsoft)

 

Access the records under TXT > SPF. If you already have SPF setup, a typical record will look something like this (the ip4 addresses correspond to the ip4 addresses of your current email server):

 

v=spf1 ip4:208.65.144.0/21 ip4:208.81.64.0/22 include:mailserver.net –all

  

Action: Immediately following any ip4 addresses, add Voodoo’s server names (shown in bold), to complete your TXT record like this:

 

v=spf1 ip4:208.65.144.0/21 ip4:208.81.64.0/22 include:server1.voodooviral.com include:server2.voodoovideomarketing.com include:mailserver.net –all

 

 

Example 2 — You use a Google or Gmail back end for your Email Domain

 

Your current SPF record will probably include these items:

 

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

 

Action: Immediately following any ip4 addresses, and before the final “include,” insert Voodoo’s domain hostnames like this:

 

v=spf1 include:server1.voodooviral.com include:server2.voodoovideomarketing.com include:_spf.google.com ~all

 

 

Example 3 — You use an Microsoft Outlook back end for your Email Domain

 

Your current SPF record will probably show these items:

 

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all

 

Action: Immediately following any ip4 addresses, and before the final “include,” insert Voodoo’s domain hostnames like this:

 

v=spf1 include:server1.voodooviral.com include:server2.voodoovideomarketing.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all

 

 

IMPORTANT: Be sure to Save your revised SPF record!

 

You can test the “public-facing” SPF using the Query tool here:

http://www.kitterman.com/spf/validate.html

 

 

Finally, a word about Sender Reputation.  Voodoo prides itself on having among the absolute highest Sender Reputations of mass email senders.  

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Here's a vital time-saving behind-the-scenes feature now active in all Voodoo user accounts: Automatic Bounceback Handling!

The Old Way

As you know, Voodoo sends emails directly from the address you enter in your Personal Settings. In the past, that meant that when an email “bounced,” you received an "undeliverable mail" message from postmaster@voodooviral.com or directly from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) that rejected the email.

These notifications usually contained system-generated error messages offering more information about why the mail has bounced.  These messages were helpful, but they could clog up your email inbox—especially for large campaigns. Voodoo has always recommended that our users use these bounceback notifications to clean their lists and keep things current. But it was a time-consuming pain!

The New Improved Way

Voodoo now includes Automatic Bounceback Handling, allowing you to:

• keep your lists cleaner
• improve deliverability rates
• protect your sender reputation
• save time!

Voodoo QuickTip #195 - Automatic Bounceback Handling

After sending a campaign, its a good practice to login to Voodoo and check your campaign statistics/reports. 

Business Builder users can access their reports by logging in and clicking the My Reports icon.

eVideo Launcher users can access their reports by logging in and clicking the View Tracking Statistics button.

Bounced Emails are now included in the Failed Count within the Campaign Report as well as the Funnel Statistics (for Business Builder Users). This gives you a more accurate view of  campaign performance.

To access the email addresses for contact records that have failed, simply access the Campaign Report and look at the Failed count located with the Total Contacts, Sent and Opt-Out counts).   Once you locate the Failed count in the report, click it to see each recipient email address that failed or bounced.
In the detail view, you will see specific contact email addresses that bounced. This view also includes an Error Code for each contact record. Hover your mouse over the Error Code for a description of the code.

Business Builder Users: for Funnels, go into the Funnel Report, either via My Reports, or from Funnel Statistics. Click the plus icon next to Failed to see detail on each failed contact. 



An email can bounce for many reasons. The most common is an invalid email address but you will encounter many other reasons, too.  Email bounces fall into two main categories:  soft- and hard-bounces.  

A soft-bounce is usually a temporary failure like a mailbox that is full or temporarily unavailable. When a soft-bounce occurs, Voodoo includes it in the Failed count, but the contact remains active and can keep being used in new campaigns.  

A hard-bounce is usually a permanent failure.  As previously mentioned, invalid email addresses are the most common hard-bounce. In the case of a hard-bounce, the contact record will be noted with an automatic opt-out and will not be sent any future emails. 

This new feature saves you time and frustration by keeping all bounced emails out of your personal inbox. It also helps keep your lists clean and gives you more accurate statistics on how your campaigns are performing! 

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This is part 3 of a 3 part QuickTip series on email deliverability. In the series we've talked about: 

• What are undeliverable and bounceback emails
• Using undeliverable emails to clean your lists
• Other aspects of email that affect deliverability

 

What to Expect from Your First Campaigns:  
Part 3:  Other Aspects of Email that Affect Deliverability 
 
What other factors affect email deliverability?

In addition to people changing their email addresses, non-delivery of email can happen for a variety of reasons.  Here are some of the most common: 

Active Content embedded in the email.  Video links, trackable links, survey links and graphics are considered active content by receiving ISPs.  Most campaigns from Voodoo contain one or more links to active content—probably more than you otherwise send in your personal emails. Most ISPs allow active content within specific parameters, but if spam filters are set more aggressively, some messages may not get through.  If you have a problem with a specific recipient, we recommend asking them to add your email address to their safe-sender list.

The Destination Server is temporarily unavailable.  When this occurs, Voodoo automatically tries to resend your email—a total of three times over a 72-hour period.  Many such messages get through on the second or third attempt.

Unauthorized Sender.  If receiving ISPs check and find no record of SPF or other authorization on your outgoing email server allowing Voodoo to send on your behalf, the email may be rejected as potential spam.  Make sure you've followed Voodoo’s instructions to install Sender Policy Framework on YOUR company's outgoing email server. This authorizes Voodoo’s email servers to mimic your address and send on your behalf, and it improves your deliverability rates. See our QuickTip Blog post, The Quest for Email Deliverability:  Sender ID and Sender Policy Framework (SPF).

Sender reputation. Voodoo’s sender reputation and your own sender reputation (or lack of one) may jointly be factored into determining if a specific ISPs block delivery of your message. We often encounter new clients whose email domain has not yet sent enough bulk email to have a sender reputation ranking.  Be patient and stick to your plan.

We are constantly parsing and analyzing returned emails to determine the reasons for non-delivery to make additional improvements where possible.    

What about blacklists and whitelists?  
 
Voodoo is considered a “very high volume sender” of email. We stand alongside a legion of reputable third-party email providers who serve the purpose of email list management and bulk email broadcasting on behalf of thousands upon thousands of US companies. 

Our reputation metrics and blacklist status are monitored constantly through services such as ReturnPath and MX Toolbox.  We consistently rank among the top of companies that push the volume of emails from the variety of clients that we do. We monitor close to 100 blacklists and have appeared on no known blacklists in the past five years.  In addition, we take direct action to be whitelisted with many providers including Verizon, Time Warner, Comcast, Cox and others.
 
We rely on customers like you to install SPF so your emails are recognized as legitimate by receiving ISPs.  This further improves Voodoo's sender reputation, so we really appreciate it!
 
We also appreciate knowing if you have delivery problems with any particular email provider.  These sometimes occur as the result of a settings change or system upgrade at the provider, and can usually be rectified within 72 hours. 

Business Builder, Deliverability, eVideo Launcher, Quick Tip deliverability, non-delivery notifications, bouncebacks, SPF, sender policy framework, active content

This is part 2 of a 3 part QuickTip email series that focuses on email deliverability. In this series we will talk about: 

• What are undeliverable and bounceback emails
• Using undeliverable emails to clean your lists
• Other aspects of email that affect deliverability

 

Voodoo now uses Automatic Bounceback Handling. To learn about how this feature works please visit our blog post at http://voodooviral.com/Tips/post/Voodoos-Automatic-Bounceback-Handling.aspx

In part 3 of this email series we will talk about other aspects of email that affect deliverability.

Business Builder, Contact / Database Lists, Deliverability, eVideo Launcher, Quick Tip deliverability, bounce, bouncebacks, non-delivery messages, cleaning email lists

This is part 1 of a 3 part QuickTip series that focuses on email deliverability. In this series we will talk about: 

• What are undeliverable & bouncebacks emails
• Using undeliverable emails to clean your lists
• Other aspects of email that affect deliverability

 

Have you emailed to prospect and customer lists before?

Are you aware that about 30% of email addresses go bad each year?

 

Here’s how to be ready for undeliverables and bouncebacks. And how they can actually help you improve your sales and marketing efforts.

 

I’m launching my first Voodoo campaign. How many undeliverables and bouncebacks will happen?
 

 

Probably quite a few. 

Email lists go stale, and it happens surprisingly fast. Due to job changes, people signing up for new personal accounts and abandoning old accounts, it’s common for about 30% of email addresses to go bad each year! 

 
So BEFORE sending any campaigns, ask yourself:

• Do I have express permission to email these contacts or a transactional business relationship with them? 
• Has my contact list been cleaned and validated in the past year? 

If the answer to either of these questions is no, you should expect a significant percentage of your emails to bounceback or not get delivered. Voodoo clients commonly report delivery failures representing between 5 and 30% of a Contact List the first time they broadcast to it.  It can be surprising…  

But keep some perspective.  While it can be disappointing to have delivery failures, always keep your marketing goals in mind.  Bulk email broadcasts are designed to leverage the efficiency of one-to-many outreach, which carries the highest ROI of any form of digital marketing*.  By sending these campaigns, you will generate far more opportunity than if you DON’T send them just for fear of non-delivery! 

*Source: Direct Marketing Association 

Why aren’t all my emails getting delivered?

Bad emails are a primary reason, but there’s more to it than that.  When you send a campaign from Voodoo, our system and servers mimic (the technical term is “spoof”) your email address. Unless you take precautions, some receiving Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will reject your email as suspicious.

 

Vital Tip: Follow Voodoo’s instructions to install Sender Policy Framework on YOUR outgoing email server. This will authorize Voodoo’s email servers to mimic your address and send on your behalf. This usually improves deliverability significantly.

 

Second Vital Tip: Spend a little extra to get your email list cleaned, validated and data-matched. Voodoo offers these services and you can find out more by clicking here.  It may seem counter-intuitive, but cleaning your list and removing inactive contacts often generates MORE opportunity. Your Sender Reputation improves and Open and Click-Through rates often increase, even though you’re sending to a smaller list. 

 

Voodoo automatically captures Undeliverables and interprets Error Codes.

 

Voodoo prevents your email in-box from getting flooded with non-delivery messages by capturing your undeliverable email. They are compiled under the Failed category in your Voodoo reports and statistics.

 

Clicking the word “Failed” opens the list of emails that failed to deliver. Each displays an associated Error Code. We constantly parse and analyze returned emails to determine the reasons for non-delivery and to make additional improvements where possible. 

 

Some failures occur due to improper email addressing or formatting. Error codes of 500 and above indicate a permanent failure. Hover your cursor over each number for a pop-up explanation.

 

 

How do my initial delivery results compare to others?

 

Once your campaign has been out the door for at least a week, take a moment to check your Voodoo Tracking Statistics and calculate your estimated non-delivery rate. Take the number of Failed emails with an error code of 500 and above and divide it into the number of emails you originally sent. For example, if you received 13 such Fails out of the 100 you sent, you likely have a 13% non-delivery rate. Remember, anywhere from 5-30% is normal.

 

Compare this to your campaign’s Open and Click-Through rates. As a general rule, if your open rate is 10% or more, you’re doing fine and your ongoing campaigns are likely to generate real opportunities for you.  If your Click-Through Rate is 5% or more of the number of Opens, you’re on the right track. 

 

Remember, digital marketing and Automated Video Communications are a process. You can work on improving these numbers over time in a variety of ways.

  

What else affects email deliverability?

In addition to email address changes, non-delivery of email can happen for a variety of reasons.  Some of the most common are: 

Active Content embedded in the email.  Video links, trackable links, survey links and graphics are considered active content by receiving ISPs.  Most campaigns from Voodoo contain one or more links to active content—probably more than you otherwise send. Most ISPs allow active content within specific parameters, but if spam filters are set more aggressively some messages may not get through.  If you have a problem with a specific recipient, we recommend asking them to add your email address to their safe-sender list.

The Destination Server is temporarily unavailable.  When this occurs, Voodoo automatically tries to resend your email—a total of three times over a 72-hour period.  Many such messages get through on the second or third attempt. 

Unauthorized Sender.  If receiving ISPs check and find no record of SPF or other authorization on your outgoing email server allowing Voodoo to send on your behalf, the email may be rejected as potential spam.

Sender reputation. Voodoo’s sender reputation and your own sender reputation (or lack of one) may jointly be factored into whether specific ISPs block delivery of your message. We often encounter new clients whose email domain has not yet sent enough bulk email to have a sender reputation ranking.  Be patient and stick to your plan.  

What about blacklists and whitelists? 

 

Voodoo is considered a “very high volume sender” of email. We stand alongside a legion of reputable third-party email providers who serve the purpose of email list management and bulk email broadcasting on behalf of thousands upon thousands of US companies. 

Our reputation metrics and blacklist status are monitored constantly through services such as ReturnPath and MX Toolbox. We monitor close to 100 blacklists and have appeared on no known blacklist services in the past five years or more. In addition, we take direct action to stay whitelisted with many internet service providers including Verizon, Time Warner, Comcast, Cox and others.

 

We rely on customers like you to install SPF so your emails are KNOWN to be legitimate by receiving ISPs. This helps further improve Voodoo's sender reputation, so we really appreciate it! 

We also appreciate you letting us know if you are having delivery problems with any particular email provider. This can sometimes occur as the result of a settings change or system upgrade at the provider, and can usually be rectified within 72 hours. 

 
Part 2 of this series will explain how to use bouncebacks & undeliverable email notices to clean your lists.

Business Builder, Deliverability, eVideo Launcher, Quick Tip undeliverables, bouncebacks, failed emails, deliverability

Like all commercial email providers, Voodoo's servers utilize an outgoing Throttling Rate to slow the sending process. 

This is a built-in anti-spam measure, to prevent Voodoo and our clients from being perceived as email spammers by receiving servers—and potentially getting blacklisted as a result.There are notable benefits of a slower throttling rate.

1) Higher Deliverability—Slower broadcast speeds almost always result in higher deliverability rates and fewer problems with receiving ISPs' and companies' spam filters and firewalls.

2) Manageable Customer Service—Another benefit involves your ability to provide improved customer service and response. A slower-paced email broadcast helps you control how quickly people respond to a given offer, so your staff is not overwhelmed by the need for immediate personal follow - up. For cases like this, Voodoo allows clients to dial back the send rate all the way down to 10 emails per hour—a trickle by commercial email standards. With email throttling, the best choice is always the slowest choice you are comfortable with.

 

Voodoo Default Send Rates

Voodoo clients have a maximum send rate of 600 emails per hour, so calculate your delivery times accordingly. For example, at a send rate of 600 emails per hour, a broadcast to 1800 contacts will take just over 3 hours to complete. Any Voodoo client can apply for approval and installation of a doubled throttling rate for an additional fee. Approval is at Voodoo’s sole discretion, and based on certified assurances that the client adheres to strict anti-spam emailing policies and utilizes only "clean" double-opt-in lists in their Voodoo accounts.

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