If you have been running an email marketing campaign for quite some time now, then you already realize the fact that your number one enemy is not reader apathy its the spam filters. Indeed, spam filters can prevent your messages from being received by your target recipients. And because of the decrease in your recipients numbers, your response rate would likewise take a dip, and with it, the profitability of your email marketing strategy.

Time and time again, people have said that gold is in your mailing list, that your subscriber base is a figurative gold main. Too bad the spam filters sometimes close the road towards that gold mine, preventing us from harvesting whatever bounties it could promise.

The Number One Culprit

The main reason why your messages get flagged down by the spam filters is the presence of what we call as red flag words. These are words which many email programs have pinpointed as likely used by spammers, hence, their spam filters are programmed to check messages for the presence of these words. Once determined, the message goes straight to the bulk folder.

What are these words? Here are the top ten most dangerous red flag words you should start avoiding as soon as possible:

1. free
2. amazing
3. congratulations
4. great offer
5. unsubscribe
6. risk free
7. winner
8. guarantee
9. dear friend
10. click here

Indeed, writing messages have become quite restrictive with the seeming ban imposed on marketing-centric words like those mentioned above. Logically, the first option would be to stop using the aforementioned words altogether. But then again, such a recourse would render your email messages useless. After all, how else will you describe an amazing and great offer? How else would you tell your subscribers that your offer is risk free, or that you promise a guarantee?

Is there something you could do to avoid the spam filters without losing the potency of your messages?

Some Practical Solutions

For starters, you could begin using other words in your vocabulary. A thesaurus would come in handy. Youd be able to convey whatever it is you want to convey without sacrificing the power of your message altogether.

This is not always effective, however.

For example, nothing can beat the sheer power of the word free. Yes, you may use similar terms like gratuitous promise, or available at no charge, but they are not as attention-grabbing as the original. The word free, after all, has always been hailed as the most powerful term in marketing.

So what should you do?

Some marketers go around the problem by ingeniously spelling the red flag words quite differently. Free becomes fr.ee or fr/ee for example. Click here becomes cli.ck.here or cl-ick here. This strategy has been proven to evade the watchful eyes of the spam filters and have contributed in increasing deliverability rate of many marketing emails.

The Value Of Testing

The most prudent approach, however, is to always test your messages before you send them. Once you have composed an autoresponder sequence, try to send each of the messages therein to your own email address. Check if they will all make it through.

If an email or two gets flagged by the spam filer, study them and determine where you went wrong. Correct the error, and send them again to your email address.

Continue repeating this process until such time when all your messages actually arrive in your inbox.

Sounds taxing? Its very much worth it, however, considering the fact that your emails contain your business message, and this is essential for your overall marketing campaign.