Email marketing is an important online marketing channel in Russia. And if you don’t know how to use right, we will help you with it!

Here is a list of the 10 most important steps you need to start email marketing in Russia.

Choose a right service

If the address database is up to 10,000 subscribers, and we are only talking about setting up basic triggers, such as welcome emails, then a simple service is enough. For example, you can use Sendsay, Unisender, SendPulse or GetResponse for such projects.

If the base is more than 10,000 contacts and you are sure that you need complex mechanics, it is better to immediately include advanced services. We use the Mindbox. Exponea, Retail Rocket, and Emarsys are also suitable.

Set up subdomain of a sender

All mails should be sent only from the subdomain of the third level and higher. This is a kind of safety net: if the reputation of the main domain deteriorates (and this can happen even if you do not send spam), everyone will suffer – both mailing lists (including transactional ones) and corporate mail.

Set up technical titles

Don’t forget about DKIM, SPF, and DMARC. At least the first two, if you don’t want mail services to perceive your mails as spam.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a technology that works for the benefit of email recipients. It uses public encryption keys and other obscure words to confirm that the email was actually sent from the claimed subdomain. Simply put, it reduces the risk of automatically getting mails in spam.

SPF is a Sender Policy Framework or Protocol that the sender uses to specify a list of servers that can send messages on their behalf. The goal is the same-to minimize the risk of getting into spam.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) is optional, but useful. In principle, the presence of SPF and DKIM is already sufficient, since DMARC works on the basis of their authentication protocols. One way or another, it detects the sender’s domains and prevents phishing attacks (fake emails from pseudo-banks, for example).

Set up FBL

FBL is another important abbreviation for Feedback Loop. This thing automatically unsubscribes from mailing lists of users who send them to spam. Without it, you will still send emails to those who don’t want to. This ”hygiene” of the database reduces the risk of getting into spam.

Set up postmasters

These are tools of mail services where you can track the sender’s reputation – how much % is delivered to Inbox, how much to spam. And some of them have advanced statistics on mailing lists, such as how many users opened, how many read, and how much time they spent reading. Postmasters are configured in the interface of mail services for subdomains from which messages are sent. To configure it, you will need to confirm ownership of the subdomain, so you will need the developer’s help here.

Set up a script of monitoring

This should be done if the email platform needs data about user actions on the site. In order for the platform to know that the user, for example, put the product in the” basket”, but did not complete the order, the site must have a special code that will track this information and send an email.

Create a template of mails

All platforms have standard templates, but they are difficult to customize. So it’s better to create your own template with a lot of universal and interchangeable elements, from which each newsletter can be collected in blocks, like a constructor. As a result, all emails will be in the same style, and their coordination will be easier, because all the main elements have been agreed for a long time.

Set up integration with CRM

If you plan to launch mechanics that require information from the CRM (for example, the current status or order composition), then this integration is necessary. Ideally, such data should be transmitted in real-time mode, but not all email platforms can do this. Then you need to set up uploading several times or at least once a day.

Warm up a database

A newly created subdomain should be ”warmed up” – gradually increase traffic from it. For example, first send the first newsletter to 1500 addresses, then-to 3000 addresses, and so on. If you send it to a large number of addresses at once, there is a risk to worsen the reputation of the sender’s subdomain.

In the first mailing list (especially for a long-collected but unused database), you should immediately indicate its value, so that users do not rush to unsubscribe from a company that suddenly wakes up.

Test all

Be sure to test after completing each step. Otherwise, you will never know that something is not working for you. For example, a user puts a set of pots in the ”Basket” and doesn’t buy them, but they won’t get a reminder letter. Or due to incorrect DKIM settings, emails will start getting into spam.