Spam traps can be an email marketer’s worst nightmare. It’s a sure-fire way to damage your domain reputation and possibly even blacklist your domain. Spam traps are just that - a trap. They are meant to catch people who have poor sending practices and keep those messages out of your inbox. There are lots of traps out there, but here are a few of the most common ones and how to avoid them:
- Typo Traps - These types of traps use misspelled versions of common email domains to catch those with sloppy lists. An example of an email used as a typo might be yourname@gmial.com instead of yourname@gmail.com. You can avoid typo traps by using double-opt in options on your forms, using an email validation tool, or doing a quick find and replace for common misspellings before mailing your list.
- Gray/Recycled Traps - These are addresses that Email Service Providers (ESPs) use to catch spammers that were once active addresses, but are no longer in use. These are good for catching people who are continuing to mail old, out of date lists. You can avoid recycled traps by only emailing those who have engaged or subscribed recently, say in the past 6-12 months.
- Pristine Traps - These are real email addresses that ESPs create that have never opted into any types of email communications. They know that if someone emails this address they have not acquired it organically. These can be a big ding on your reputation and can easily be avoided by only emailing addresses who have opted in to receive your communications or that have engaged with you in some way (met at a tradeshow, purchased your product, etc.).
Does anyone else have suggestions for keeping your lists clean and ensuring that you are sending to good contacts? We'd love to hear them!
