Product Details:
Product Family: Act! Growth Suite
Integration: Act! Marketing Automation
This article discusses how to avoid using spam keywords in your emails in order to increase their chances of being delivered.
Has your marketing email ever been delivered to the junk folder? While sender reputation is the most common and likely cause, spam keywords are another factor in the equation that can trigger a spam filter to block or junk your email. Spam filters will check for specific keywords like “free” or “no credit check” both in the subject and body of your email and calculate a score based on the severity and combination of words used. The context of spam keywords can increase their weight in the equation as well. For example, use of the words “all” or “new” may not have any impact, but combine them into the phrase “all new” and it may add to the likelihood that your email will be flagged as spam.
The list of keywords that get flagged is always being updated and can vary from one inbox provider to the next. Before the dawn of the ubiquitous Nigerian Prince Scam, the word “Nigerian” was probably fine. Now it’s a highly weighted spam keyword. Words get flagged because they are correlated with spam, but the words themselves are not really the target - spam filters aim to flag spam-like behavior and ultimately identify unwanted email. For example, starting an email with “Dear {Firstname}” would be an unusually formal introduction for a marketing email if the recipient had actually provided explicit permission, and likely indicates the lack of an existing relationship between the sender and the recipient. To this end, keywords from the latest scam, certain industries, and “clever sales tactics” will eventually become flagged when they are associated with unwanted email.
Addressing the Root Cause
As you examine your own templates, don’t just avoid the spam keywords, be sure to avoid the underlying behavior as well. The goal is not just to make sure your emails don’t appear to be spam, but to make sure they are not spam, in any way, shape, or form. Scams and spam tend to be overly persuasive because there’s no real value underpinning their offering, so you can differentiate yourself from the textbook profile of spam by engaging in industry standard best practices and focusing on providing valuable information about your product or service.
Suppose you ran a completely legitimate Nigerian lottery, marketing it via email would always be an uphill battle. If your industry uses keywords commonly associated with spam, you should try to limit their use in email. Knowingly using spam keywords comes with inherent risk, so you’ll also need to make sure your other reputation factors are squeaky clean, as you’ll effectively be afforded less leeway by spam filters.
Below is an example list of spam keywords for reference. If these words appear in abundance in your templates, be sure to remove not only the keywords but also consider why these words or phrases are in your template to begin with.
Spam Keywords
#1
$$$
100%
100% free
100% Satisfied
4U
50% off
Accept credit cards
Acceptance
Access
Accordingly
Act Now!
Action
Ad
Additional income
Addresses on CD
Affordable
All natural
All natural/new
All new
Amazed
Amazing
Apply now
Apply Online
As seen on
Auto email removal
Avoid
Avoid bankruptcy
Bargain
Be amazed
Be your own boss
Being a member
Beneficiary
Best price
Beverage
Big bucks
Bill 1618
Billing
Billion
Bonus
Boss
Brand new pager
Bulk email
Buy
Buy direct
Buying judgments
Cable converter
Call
Call free
Call now
Calling creditors
Can’t live without
Cancel
Cancel at any time
Cannot be combined with any other offer
Cards accepted
Cash
Cash bonus
Casino
Celebrity
Cents on the dollar
Certified
Chance
Cheap
Check
Check or money order
Claims
Clearance
Click
Click below
Click here
Click to remove
Collect
Collect child support
Compare rates
Compete for your business
Confidentially on all orders
Congratulations
Consolidate your debt
Copy accurately
Copy DVDs
Cost
Costs
Credit
Credit bureaus
Credit card offers
Cures
Cures baldness
Deal
Dear
Debt
Diagnostics
Dig up dirt on friends
Direct email
Direct marketing
Discount
Do it today
Don’t delete
Don’t hesitate
Dormant
Double your cash
Double your income
Drastically reduced
Earn
Earn $
Earn extra cash
Earn per week
Easy terms
Eliminate bad credit
Eliminate debt
Email harvest
Email marketing
Exclusive deal
Expect to earn
Expire
Explode your business
Extra
Extra cash
Extra income
F r e e
Fantastic
Fantastic deal
Fast cash
Financial freedom
Financially independent
For free
For instant access
For just $xxx
For Only
For you
Form
Free
Free access
Free cell phone
Free consultation
Free DVD
Free gift
Free grant money
Free hosting
Free info
Free installation
Free Instant
Free investment
Free leads
Free membership
Free money
Free offer
Free preview
Free priority mail
Free quote
Free sample
Free trial
Free website
Freedom
Friend
Full refund
Get it now
Get out of debt
Get paid
Get started now
Gift certificate
Give it away
Giving away
Great
Great offer
Guarantee
Guaranteed
Have you been turned down?
Hello
Hidden
Hidden assets
Hidden charges
Home based business
Home employment
Homebased business
Human growth hormone
If only it were that easy
Important information regarding
In accordance with laws
Income
Income from home
Increase sales
Increase traffic
Increase your sales
Incredible deal
Info you requested
Information you requested
Instant
Insurance
Internet marketing
Investment
Investment decision
It’s effective
Join millions of Americans
Junk
Laser printer
Leave
Legal
Life
Life Insurance
Lifetime
Limited
Limited time offer
Limited time only
Loans
Long distance phone offer
Lose weight
Lower interest rates
Lower monthly payment
Lower your mortgage rate
Lowest insurance rates
Lowest Price
Luxury
Luxury car
Mail in order form
Maintained
Make $
Make money
Marketing
Marketing solutions
Mass email
Medicine
Medium
Meet singles
Member
Member stuff
Message contains disclaimer
Million
Million dollars
Miracle
MLM
Money
Money back
Money making
Month trial offer
More Internet Traffic
Mortgage
Mortgage rates
Multi-level marketing
Name brand
Never
New customers only
New domain extensions
Nigerian
No age restrictions
No catch
No claim forms
No cost
No credit check
No credit check/experience
No disappointment
No experience
No fees
No gimmick
No hidden
No hidden Costs
No interests
No inventory
No investment
No medical exams
No middleman
No obligation
No purchase necessary
No questions asked
No selling
No strings attached
Not intended
Not junk
Not spam
Notspam
Now
Now only
Obligation
Offer
Offer expires
Offshore
Once in lifetime
One hundred percent free
One hundred percent guaranteed
One time
One time mailing
Online biz opportunity
Online degree
Online marketing
Online pharmacy
Only
Only $
Open
Opportunity
Opt in
Order now
Order shipped by
Order status
Order today
Orders shipped by
Outstanding values
Passwords
Pennies a day
Per day
Per week
Performance
Phone
Please
Please read
Potential earnings
Pre-approved
Presently
Price
Print form signature
Print out and fax
Priority mail
Prize
Prizes
Problem
Produced and sent out
Profits
Promise
Promise you
Purchase
Pure Profits
Quote
Rates
Real thing
Refinance
Refinance home
Refund
Removal
Removal instructions
Removes wrinkles
Request
Requires initial investment
Reserves the right
Reverses aging
Risk free
Rolex
Round the world
S 1618
Safeguard notice
Sale
Sales
Sample
Satisfaction
Satisfaction guaranteed
Save
Save $
Save big money
Save up to
Score
Search engine listings
Search engines
Section 301
See for yourself
Sent in compliance
Serious
Serious cash
Serious only
Shopper
Shopping spree
Sign up free today
Social security number
Solution
Spam
Special promotion
Stainless steel
Stock alert
Stock disclaimer statement
Stock pick
Stop
Stop snoring
Strong buy
Stuff on sale
Subject to cash
Subject to credit
Subscribe
Success
Supplies
Supplies are limited
Take action
Take action now
Talks about hidden charges
Talks about prizes
Teen
Terms
Terms and conditions
The best rates
The following form
They’re just giving it away
This isn’t a scam
This isn’t junk
This isn’t spam
This won’t last
Thousands
Time limited
Traffic
Trial
Undisclosed recipient
University diplomas
Unlimited
Unsecured credit
Unsecured debt
Unsolicited
Unsubscribe
Urgent
US dollars
Vacation
Vacation offers
Valium
Viagra
Vicodin
Visit our website
Wants credit card
Warranty
We hate spam
We honor all
Web traffic
Weekend getaway
Weight
Weight loss
What are you waiting for?
What’s keeping you?
While supplies last
While you sleep
Who really wins?
Why pay more?
Wife
Will not believe your eyes
Win
Winner
Winning
Won
Work at home
Work from home
Xanax
You have been selected
You’re a Winner!
Your income