Trying to figure out why an email didn’t get to one (or a bunch!) of your members is usually confusing and frustrating. If you have ever asked one of the questions below… read on. While there are many reasons why email messages don’t make it to your members, there are several reasons that seem most common to our customers.
- "Why do some members say they don’t receive email messages that I send through GrowthZone?"
- "Why do some messages "bounce" when I know the email address is valid?"
- "Why can some members receive messages from me when I send through Outlook but not when I send out of GrowthZone?"
- "What can I do to make sure my members get the email messages I am sending through GrowthZone?"
Your Domain Name Server (DNS) is the source of truth for your website and email identity. It contains a plethora of "pointers" that tell other servers who you are and where things go (like which server hosts your email, your website, etc.).
Because of Spam, many ISPs (Internet Service Providers - i.e. Charter, Cox, RoadRunner, etc…) and email providers (AOL, Yahoo, Google, etc.) have begun performing a type of SPAM check called a reverse domain lookup to verify that the sending IP address of a mail server is authorized to send email from your domain. In plain language – the member’s email provider is asking, "Is this email message coming from an authorized sender?" If the answer is "no" they will either reject it or filter it to your member’s SPAM folder.
These lookups include your SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record, your DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) record, and your DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) record. All of these are managed through your organization's domain, which is usually managed via a registrar (like GoDaddy, BlueHost, etc).
Definitions
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SPF: Sender Policy Framework is an email authentication method which ensures the sending mail server is authorized to originate mail from the email sender's domain. Essentially- this record authenticates GrowthZone servers to send email on behalf of your domain. These servers are specifically designed to help ensure the highest possible email delivery rate, but if a member’s email provider performs an SPF lookup and your association's record does not list the GrowthZone email server as an approved sender, the message will most likely not get to the member.
- Why is SPF important? A brief answer to this question is here.
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DKIM: DomainKeys Identified Mail lets an organization take responsibility for a message that is in transit. The organization is a handler of the message, either as its originator or as an intermediary. Their reputation is the basis for evaluating whether to trust the message for further handling, such as delivery.
- Why is DKIM important? A brief answer to this question is available here.
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DMARC: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance is an email authentication, policy, and reporting protocol. It builds on the widely deployed SPF and DKIM protocols, adding linkage to the author (“From:”) domain name, published policies for recipient handling of authentication failures, and reporting from receivers to senders, to improve and monitor protection of the domain from fraudulent email.
- Why is DMARC important? A brief answer to this question is available here.
Solution: Set up SPF/DKIM/DMARC in your DNS
Your member’s email message box may be full, the email address may be incorrect, or it may not even exist anymore.
Solution: Contact the recipient
Contact the specific recipient to verify the email address or let them know that their email doesn’t seem to be working properly – they may not be aware of it and you could be the "hero" who helped them not miss that important business deal because their inbox was full!
To fight spam, many ISPs limit the number of emails coming from one sender in a given time period. If you exceed this limit your domain may be "blacklisted" and you will have a difficult time getting messages through to anybody.
Solution: Contact the organization that has you blacklisted
Contact any ISP’s which have "blacklisted" your domain and request that they add you to their list of safe senders or "white list". To see if your domain is "Blacklisted", Use the tool at the link below to determine if the domain you use for email is blacklisted by any of the major email servers. You may see some of them to return a "timed out message" – This response is normal. http://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx
Final thought:
Unfortunately, even if you have everything setup properly, not every email you send will get through to every member. That’s why we recommend using all the tools at your disposal to get important information to your members – email messages, website updates & banner ads, RSS feeds, "snail mail", phone calls and personal visits are all part of an effective communication plan to make sure that your members know what is happening at your association/chamber. The good news is that many of those tools are already available to you as GrowthZone users!