Salesforce, a leader in customer relationship management (CRM), has recently introduced a suite of email deliverability features designed to optimize email performance and enhance marketing outcomes. This article delves into these new tools, their impact on email marketing, and provides insights backed by data and case studies.
Understanding Email Deliverability
Email deliverability refers to the ability of an email to successfully land in a recipient’s inbox without being flagged as spam or bouncing back. Factors influencing deliverability include sender reputation, authentication protocols, and content quality. High deliverability rates are crucial for effective communication and achieving marketing objectives.
Key Email Deliverability Benchmarks
- Excellent: 98%+
- Good: 95% – 98%
- Average: 90% – 95%
- Needs Improvement: Below 90%
Factors Affecting Deliverability
- Bounce Rate: Should be below 2%
- Spam Complaint Rate: Should be below 0.1%
- Open Rate: Ideally 20-25% or higher, depending on the industry
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Generally 2-5%
Salesforce’s New Deliverability Features
Salesforce has rolled out several features aimed at improving email deliverability:
- Enhanced Email Experience Retirement: Salesforce announced the retirement of the Enhanced Email Experience, with plans to phase it out by the Summer ’25 release. This move encourages users to adopt more advanced and efficient email tools within the platform.
- AI-Powered Personalization: Leveraging artificial intelligence, Salesforce’s Einstein Engagement Frequency helps marketers determine the optimal number of emails to send to each recipient, balancing engagement and avoiding email fatigue.
- Comprehensive Analytics and Reporting: Salesforce provides robust analytics and reporting capabilities, offering valuable insights into email performance. These tools help marketers monitor key deliverability KPIs, such as open rates and click-through rates, enabling data-driven decisions to enhance campaign effectiveness.
- Contacto by BigWorks: Contacto, a mass emailing app built on the Salesforce platform, provides seamless integration with Salesforce CRM, making it an efficient tool for large-scale email marketing campaigns. With its user-friendly interface and advanced automation, Contacto enables businesses to send personalized emails at scale while maintaining high deliverability rates. (BigWorks)
Impact on Email Marketing
The introduction of these features has significantly influenced email marketing strategies:
- Improved Sender Reputation: By implementing authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and utilizing dedicated IP options, marketers can enhance their sender reputation, reducing the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.
- Personalized Customer Journeys: AI-driven personalization allows for the creation of tailored customer journeys based on various triggers and actions, leading to higher engagement rates.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Access to comprehensive analytics enables marketers to track performance metrics, identify areas for improvement, and optimize future campaigns for better results.
Case Studies & Real-World Impact
- Litmus & Salesforce Partnership
- Litmus, a leader in email testing, has integrated with Salesforce Marketing Cloud to help businesses improve deliverability by analyzing email rendering, spam filter testing, and engagement tracking.
- Marketers using these tools have reported a 20-30% improvement in inbox placement rates by optimizing subject lines and email content based on AI-driven recommendations.
Source: Litmus & Salesforce
- AI-Powered Personalization Boosts Engagement
- A B2B SaaS company adopted Salesforce’s Einstein Engagement Frequency, which predicts the ideal email cadence for each recipient.
- After implementing AI-driven email frequency adjustments, they saw:
- A 15% increase in open rates
- A 10% decrease in unsubscribe rates
Source: Salesforce Marketing Cloud AI Features
- Authentication Protocols Reduce Spam Complaints
- A global e-commerce brand struggled with email deliverability due to high spam complaints. After switching to Salesforce’s DMARC, SPF, and DKIM authentication setup, they observed:
- A 25% drop in spam complaints
- A 40% reduction in bounce rates
- A global e-commerce brand struggled with email deliverability due to high spam complaints. After switching to Salesforce’s DMARC, SPF, and DKIM authentication setup, they observed:
Source: Salesforce Deliverability Best Practices
- Contacto Streamlines Mass Emailing
- A financial services company adopted Contacto to manage its high-volume email campaigns while ensuring compliance with email deliverability best practices.
- By leveraging Contacto’s integration with Salesforce, they achieved:
- A 22% improvement in email open rates
- A 30% boost in campaign efficiency due to automated segmentation
Source: BigWorks Contacto
Conclusion
Salesforce’s new email deliverability features, combined with powerful integrations like Contacto, offer marketers advanced tools to enhance their email marketing strategies. By focusing on authentication, personalization, and data analytics, businesses can improve deliverability rates, foster better customer engagement, and achieve greater marketing success.