Sender behavior includes the content that you send, how you deliver that content, and any other marketing actions that you take. You can implement good sender behaviors to improve your sender reputation and deliverability score.

Examples of good sender behavior

The following examples show how different aspects of sender behavior improve your message deliverability:

• Lead sourcing
  Careful address acquisition improves the quality of your database.
• Database maintenance
  Continued maintenance ensures the quality of your database over time.
• Preference centers and snooze features
  Allows your recipients to customize their experiences, increasing overall open rates and email interaction.
• Send time optimization (STO)
  Delivers an email when recipients are most likely to be checking their email.
• Email content
  Content is the driving force behind customer interaction.

Lead sourcing

Good lead sourcing results in a cleaner database that is populated with contacts who expressly opted in to your emails. With a cleaner database, you might have fewer bounces and more favorable responses.

The following examples show good lead sourcing habits that you can implement to improve your sender behavior:

• Send a confirmation message to contacts when they are added to your database.
• Use a double opt-in database when you create a new database.
• Use an organic method to build your database by allowing contacts to easily manage their email preferences for your organization.

Bad lead sourcing increases the likelihood that your database includes unverified contacts and bad addresses and domains. The following examples show bad lead sourcing practices:

• Purchasing a list from a third party: Purchased lists are often populated with old or expired data that results in hard bounces.
• Contacts within a purchased list did not explicitly opt in to your emails, which increases the likelihood that your email will be labeled as spam.
• Pre-populating opt-in check boxes: Prospects who opt in to your emails did not give their expressed consent, which increases the likelihood that these recipients might file complaints or label your email as spam.

Database maintenance

The following examples show good database maintenance:

• Regularly scrub your database for duplicate and inactive records.
• Ensure ease of access to preference centers and profile information so contacts can opt in or opt out of specific email groups.
• Use Programs or other Acoustic Campaign resources to reengage contacts.

Preference centers and snooze options

Use preference centers to help maintain your database and allow your contacts to opt in or opt out of specific email groups. By sending your contacts only the content that they requested, they are more likely to interact with your emails.

When you add a "snooze" option in your preference center, your contacts can further customize their experiences. Rather than opt out entirely, they might choose to opt out for a short time. Emails are not sent to these contacts until the snooze period ends.

Send time optimization (STO)

STO tracks when contacts are most likely active in their inboxes. STO works to deliver the email within that time frame.

Content

Content is the driving force behind customer interaction. A good database of strong leads cannot make up for bad content. Good content is unique, true, relevant, compelling, and actionable.