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Deliverability Fundamentals
Effective email marketing starts with good deliverability, which means that the messages you send are reliably arriving in recipients' email inboxes. Mailbox providers (MBPs) and spam filters evaluate the emails that you send. Part of an email sender's job is to keep data updated and create relevant content that supports a positive reputation.
Note This content provides general information for all marketers, instead of describing
specific Salesforce products. For product details and instructions, look for Further Reading
tables throughout this Help section.
Concepts
When you send marketing emails with Salesforce marketing tools, you're expected to follow certain rules regarding consent and preference processing.
This table outlines the factors that contribute to your deliverability.
| Sending Reputation |
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| Authentication |
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| Data Hygiene |
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| Branding and Messaging |
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Definitions
- Bounce
- A bounced email can’t be delivered. There are two types: soft bounce and hard bounce. Soft bounces are usually temporary, such as when someone has an out of office reply set up, and are retried. A hard bounce can’t be delivered because the email address is invalid or can’t be found.
- Email Deliverability
- The likelihood of your email reaching a recipient’s inbox.
- Email Service Provider (ESP)
- A platform that helps businesses send emails to large groups of people. Salesforce Marketing products act as Email Service Providers.
- Envelope Domain
- The background domain that email servers use to route messages and manage server notifications, such as bounces or spam results. Alternate names include the MailFrom, return-path, or bounce domain. It's typically different from the sending domain that your customers see. For example, a sending domain of em.example.com often pairs with an envelope domain of bounce.em.example.com.
- IP Address
- A unique ID that identifies the server your emails are sent from, like a return address. IP stands for internet protocol.
- Mailbox Provider (MBP)
- A consumer service, such as Gmail or Outlook, that supports email addresses and mailboxes. Some practitioners use Mailbox Service Provider (MSP) as a synonym.
- Subdomain
- A human-readable ID that appears before the primary domain, and which is frequently used for email sending or reply management, such as mail.CompanyA.com
- Processing an Email
A lot happens between clicking Send and an email arriving in someone’s inbox. Salesforce kicks off processes that prepare, build, and deliver your message. The exact sending infrastructure and tooling varies by product, but the overall process is similar for most email sends. - Addressing Delivery and Reputation Issues
To help you identify and address deliverability and reputation issues, Salesforce provides metrics and reports that help you monitor your messaging performance. We recommend evaluating these metrics every three to six months.
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