Avoiding Blacklisting: Making Sure Your Email Gets Through

We all know that email is probably todays most popular way to advertise. Every day our inboxes are filled with messages from people who want our business--whether we asked for the contact or not. Email is todays biggest communication factor; but why shouldnt it be Its all but free to use, and its almost instantaneous.

But there is one problem with advertising via email that you may not think of very often: blacklisting. All it takes is one complaint, and your ISP or domain name can be put on someones black list. If youre on the black list, your emails are not getting through--and neither is your advertising message.

So how big of a problem is this Well, AOL, one of the worlds biggest Internet service providers, winds up blocking a whopping 80% of messages to its subscribers due to blacklising. Your email could be the most legitimate message ever sent, but if one person forgets they signed up or decides to complain, you could be blacklisted. And for your business, the resulting slump in sales can be devastating.

What is a blacklist, exactly A blacklist is a database of known Internet addresses or IPs used by individuals or companies sending spam. Various ISPs and bandwidth providers subscribe to these blacklist databases in order to filter out spam sent across their network or to their subscribers. Companies like AOL, MSN, and Yahoo all have very strict policies on spam, so many well-intended, legitimate emails never get through.

So how can you be sure you havent been blacklisted Unfortunately, you really cant be 100% sure. You may be on someones black list and not even know it, and be added to and removed from black lists at the drop of a hat. The only way to prevent being blacklisted unfairly is to use todays technology to keep track of it all. There is cutting-edge software technology available that checks all the major black lists like Spamcop, MAPS, and SPAMHaus to ensure your domain or ISP hasnt been added.

Taking a few moments to understand and solve your potential blacklisting problem can mean a world of difference in your bottom line.