We all know that email is probably today's most popular way to advertise. Every
day our inboxes are filled with messages from people who want our business--whether
we asked for the contact or not. Email is today's biggest communication factor;
but why shouldn't it be? It's all but free to use, and it's almost instantaneous.
But there is one problem with advertising via email that you may not think of
very often: blacklisting. All it takes is one complaint, and your ISP or domain
name can be put on someone's black list. If you're on the black list, your emails
are not getting through--and neither is your advertising message.
So how big of a problem is this? Well, AOL, one of the world's biggest Internet
service providers, winds up blocking a whopping 80% of messages to its subscribers
due to blacklising. Your email could be the most legitimate message ever sent, but
if one person forgets they signed up or decides to complain, you could be blacklisted.
And for your business, the resulting slump in sales can be devastating.
What is a blacklist, exactly? A blacklist is a database of known Internet addresses
(or IPs) used by individuals or companies sending spam. Various ISP's and bandwidth
providers subscribe to these blacklist databases in order to filter out spam sent
across their network or to their subscribers. Companies like AOL, MSN, and Yahoo
all have very strict policies on spam, so many well-intended, legitimate emails
never get through.
So how can you be sure you haven't been blacklisted? Unfortunately, you really
can't be 100% sure. You may be on someone's black list and not even know it, and
be added to and removed from black lists at the drop of a hat. The only way to prevent
being blacklisted unfairly is to use today's technology to keep track of it all.
There is cutting-edge software technology available that checks all the major black
lists like Spamcop, MAPS, and SPAMHaus to ensure your domain or ISP hasn't been
added.
Taking a few moments to understand and solve your potential blacklisting problem
can mean a world of difference in your bottom line.
