There Goes the Neighborhood

No matter how upright you are as a mailer, your good reputation won't follow you to a new IP address: for all an ISP knows, you could be a spammer. This means you have to "warm up" any new IP address to gain acceptance in your new "neighborhood." Stefan Pollard recently offered this warm-up advice in an article at ClickZ:

Lay the groundwork. Before you send any emails, be sure to update authentication records, establish feedback loops and get approvals for whitelist requests.

Create a highly receptive sublist. Choose established, active subscribers who have clicked on at least three campaigns, and whose email addresses represent major domains. "Avoid both brand-new and older addresses," says Pollard.

Send an initial message that builds your relationship. "Send a message that isn't time-sensitive," he advises. "Your goal is delivery."

Monitor delivery metrics. Your goal should be reaching at least 95 percent of your sublist's inboxes. Also, keep close tabs on bounces, spam complaints and any mailbox associated with your email program.

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