How To Maintain A Healthy Email Deliverability Score and Reach Cannabis Prospects with Confidence

“With great power comes great responsibility.” 

This well-known adage doesn’t just apply to Spiderman—it applies to every sales and marketer with access to a cannabis business intelligence tool like Emerald Intel.

With access to actionable contact details for thousands of cannabis decision makers across the US and Canada, it can be tempting to take a ‘spray and pray approach’ with your email outreach to see what sticks and who responds. While this may have been standard operating procedure twenty years ago, email etiquette has changed drastically, and indiscriminate spamming isn’t just frowned upon; now it carries ramifications that can bring your email game to a screeching halt.

Why is a good email sender score important?

The email sender score is a metric used to evaluate an email sender’s reputation. This score helps email providers (e.g. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, etc.) determine whether your emails are legitimate or spam. It should go without saying that emails flagged as spam will be blocked and will never see the inside of a recipient’s inbox. 

What is the score based on?

The score is based on several variables, including domain reputation, IP reputation score, email sending volume, email content quality, bounce rates, engagement rates (opens/clicks), unsubscribe rates, and spam complaints. The criteria are weighted and combined to get a score ranging from 0-100. 

What is a good email sender score?

A score of 80 or better is what you should be shooting for. To find out your score, you can use this free website: https://senderscore.org/.

Now that we understand its importance, how do we ensure a score of 80 or higher? Following are key strategies and best practices involving a combination of email marketing, list management, and compliance with regulations to maintain a healthy score and ensure your message is reaching your cannabis prospects.

1. Build and Maintain a Quality Email List
   1. Regularly Clean Your List: Remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses to maintain list quality.
   2. Segment Your Audience: Group your audience based on interests, behavior, and demographics to send more targeted and relevant emails.
   3. Respect Opt-Ins and Opt-Outs: Provide your subscribers with a way to control their subscription preferences (e.g. type of content, frequency) and ensure you make opt-out easy for those that choose to do so. 
      
      
2. Craft Engaging and Relevant Content
   1. Personalize Emails: Use the subscriber’s name and tailor content based on their persona, preferences and past interactions.
   2. Provide Value: Ensure your emails offer valuable content, such as tips, industry updates, product or services information, and exclusive offers.
   3. Maintain Consistency: Regularly send emails and avoid sudden spikes or drops in email volume without overwhelming your subscribers with too many messages. While it’s safe to send marketing emails to a few thousand (<5,000/day), most email sending platforms limit the number of daily emails per individual email address or allow an admin to set the limit themselves (we recommend no more than 500/day). 
      
      
3. Optimize Email Design and Layout
   
   1. Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure your emails are responsive and look good on all devices.
   2. Clear Call-to-Actions (CTAs): Make it easy for subscribers to understand the purpose of the email and take action.
   3. A/B Testing: Experiment with different subject lines, content, and designs to see what resonates best with your audience.
      
      
4. Monitor and Improve Deliverability
   1. Use a Reliable Email Service Provider (ESP): Choose an ESP known for good deliverability rates.
   2. Authenticate Your Emails: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve email authentication and reduce the chances of your emails being marked as spam.
   3. Monitor Bounce Rates: Regularly check and address hard and soft bounces to maintain list health.
   4. Track Key Metrics: Monitor open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates to gauge email performance.
      
      
5. Comply with Legal Requirements
   1. Follow CAN-SPAM Regulation and Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL): Ensure you include unsubscribe links in every email and honor opt-out requests promptly. In the case of CASL, remember that Canada requires “express” consent.
   2. Stay Up to Date on Individual State Regulations: Recently, numerous states have enacted data privacy laws to regulate a business’s handling of personal data. The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) is one example which provides extensive rights to consumers, including the rights to access, delete, and opt-out of the sale of personal information​—and requires specific website cookie language. 
   3. Maintain Clear and Honest Subject Lines: Avoid misleading or deceptive subject lines to build trust with your audience.

By implementing these strategies, you can maintain a healthy email business score, ensure high deliverability, and build a strong relationship with your cannabis clients and prospects.

To learn more about Emerald Intel's actionable data, Schedule time with us here.