As a business owner or marketer, sending proposals is often the final step in closing a deal. But did you know that before you send that proposal, there’s a final hurdle?
A poorly managed email reputation can result in your message being ignored or, worse, sent directly to spam. In this post, we’ll dive into why email warm up is crucial before sending out proposals and how investing in email deliverability can significantly boost your open and reply rates.
What is email warm up?
Email warm up refers to the gradual process of increasing your email sending volume in a way that looks natural to email service providers (ESPs). The goal is to build a solid sender reputation, which is critical for email deliverability. If you send too many emails too quickly from a new or inactive account, it can raise red flags with ESPs, causing your messages to be marked as spam.
Why email warm up is essential before sending proposals
When you send a proposal, you want to ensure it reaches the recipient’s inbox and not the spam folder. Here’s why warm up email strategies are crucial:
Improved inbox placement
ESPs use a variety of signals to decide if an email should be allowed to land in the inbox or the spam folder. One of the key factors is your sender reputation, which is built over time by sending emails that are opened, read, and responded to. When you warm up your email account, you demonstrate consistent, trusted behavior to ESPs. This helps ensure that your proposal ends up in the inbox.
Better engagement rates
If your emails are placed in the inbox, they have a better chance of being opened and read. Since proposals are typically time-sensitive and require action, ensuring that your email has a high chance of being opened can significantly improve your chances of getting a response.
Avoid spam filters and blocks
Sending unsolicited emails or using an email address that has not been properly warmed up can trigger spam filters. So if your email address or domain has a low reputation, it will likely be flagged by ESPs and blocked, meaning your proposal might never be seen.
Tips for effective email warm up
If you want to see concrete improvements in your email deliverability, you need a structured approach to warming up your account. Here are the steps to follow:
- Start slow and steadily. Begin by sending a few emails per day to your most engaged contacts and gradually increase the volume as you monitor your open rates.
- Use real engagement signals. It’s not just about sending and sending. You also need actual interactions so ESPs see your domain as genuine and authentic. For those doing manual warm up, this often involves creating a network of trusted senders who will open, click, and reply to your emails. There are now also warm up email tools like Warmy which ensure your warm up emails are being sent to actual inboxes who will engage.
- Monitor continuously. Track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. These show whether your warm-up strategies are working. It is also helpful to review SURBL blacklist info regularly; if engagement rates dip, it may be a sign that your domain has been flagged by a security filter, requiring you to slow down or address a reputation issue.
- Avoid words that trigger spam filters. There are some words and phrases often tied to spam emails or phishing emails so it’s crucial to be careful with the words you’re using. Take extra care to not come across as overly sales-y or aggressive. Even email sign offs, when not used properly, can trigger spam filters.
How email warm up tools like Warmy.io can help
Warming up your email account manually can be time-consuming and inefficient. That’s where Warmy.io comes in. Warmy is a warm up email tool that automates the entire process for you. This includes sending emails to real inboxes and gradually increasing your sending volume, while maintaining a positive sender reputation.
Not only does it ensure your emails are delivered to the inbox, but it also improves engagement rates, resulting in more opens and replies. This is especially important when sending time-sensitive proposals that require action.
Before you hit send on your next proposal, remember: email warm up is not optional. When you take the time to properly warm up your email account, you’ll improve deliverability, boost engagement, and avoid the dreaded spam folder. Combine this with well-crafted email sign offs, and you’re on your way to making your proposal stand out and driving better results.
