Bulk email campaigns are a great way to stay in contact with your clients. You can provide clients with helpful tips, news, specials and more. These informative emails can be created using simple text or fancy HTML.

Knowing how to properly send mass email is extremely important. If you make a few minor mistakes, your email address, domain name, and IP can all end up on a blacklist also known as RBL (Real-time Blackhole List).

There are approximately 160 email blacklists actively tracking recent offenders. To put it simply, a blacklist is a list of any IP address, domain or email that is suspected of sending out SPAM. Blacklists help keep the Internet clean of unsolicited email by giving email providers a list of naughty email senders they can automatically block and keep away from inboxes. But sometimes legitimate senders get caught up in the crossfire.

• buy an email list from a random provider
  
• sending an email to over 30 email addresses (this number varies)
  
• not utilizing opt-in
  
• not utilizing opt-out
  
• if you have a feature on your website that allows users to forward a page to multiple recipients
• use an ISP or web host that has often been blacklisted
  
• having a link to another site that is having trouble with their own email communication
  
• using an e-mail address from an "unrecognized" domain
  
• switching from a private domain in-house emails to an email service provider, where ISP didn't get immediately recognized
  
• using words or phrases often associated with SPAM i.e. free, buy, test
  
• using all CAPS
  
• multiple exclamation marks
  
• font colors in red or yellow
  
• very large fonts
  
• most of the message is an image(s)

Recipients can also report you as SPAM, even if they've opted-in, below are a few reasons they might report your emails as SPAM.

• email is sent more often then they opted-in for
  
• off-topic emails
  
• devoted to partner messages or ad-space instead of regular content

If you do get blacklisted by your email, domain, or IP your emails could be rejected by some or ALL of your recipients. ALL email you send out might not be received.

If you suspect you may be listed on a blacklist there are several tools at your disposal.

• Delivery Watch
  
• MXToolBox
  
• DNS Stuff **OUR TOP PICK** (see if you're on a SPAM database, plus a whole lot more tools)
  
• EmailReach
  
• RepCheck
  
• Blacklistedip
  
• Blacklist.ie

If you find yourself on a blacklist there are general guidelines you can follow to get removed from the list.
1.) Find out what blacklist(s) you are on
2.) Visit the website that corresponds to that blacklist
3.) Read the FAQ and other info on that website
4.) Follow any instructions given by the blacklist website carefully

You should now be well informed on what not to do, but you are probably wondering how to properly send mass email.

As a reminder we would NOT suggest sending an e-mail with 100's or 1000's of recipients. It is best to sign up with a company that specializes in sending mass email campaigns. We use iContact. By using iContact the risk is low that we will be blacklisted. There are also many reporting features to track the success of your email campaigns. You can also follow some of these helpful tips...

• add a line at the top of your email stating how the recipient got this list: i.e. where they signed up
  
• provide an "unsubscribe" link. It's better for you if people unsubscribe instead of clicking a "this is spam" link
  
• ensure all of your emails are CAN-SPAM complaint
  
• avoid "spammy" subject lines
  
• confirm opt-ins

If you need any help avoiding being blacklisted or creating an HTML mass email campaign call Onsite Computer Systems at 856-626-3349.