This document provides guidance on conquering the Gmail inbox by focusing on the user experience. It discusses that Gmail prioritizes inboxing emails that users want, so content and permissions must align with user intent from the start. Engagement over the user lifecycle is key, as positive interactions like opens and clicks help the sender's domain reputation, while lack of engagement or complaints can lead to spam filtering. Technical best practices like SPF, DKIM and DMARC authentication, warming up new IPs and domains, and optimizing for mobile are also covered.

1. Secrets to Conquering
the Gmail Inbox
PRESENTED BY:
SCOTT WOLF, CEO OF ARCAMAX PUBLISHING
THE LEADER IN NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT BY EMAIL

2. • Without success in Gmail, your email program will underachieve.
• 1.2 billion users (as of July 2017)*
• 20% share of the global email client market*
• Android mobile devices
• More responsive users
* from https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/gmail-statistics/
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Why Gmail?

3. • Gmail is outstanding at determining if a particular user wants mail from a
particular sender.
• You cannot build a long-term business on the email channel sending people
email that they don't want.
• You can consistently send marketing email into gmail and hit the inbox, but only
if you make user experience your top priority.
• "Inbox" - Primary inbox is ideal; promo and update tabs are 2nd best. Spam
folder is a disaster.
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Guiding Principles

4. Gmail is a "Black Box"
• According to "Word to the Wise", gmail's filtering includes 700
different components and updates via AI every 10 minutes.
• Any tactical "tip" could be obsolete before you get home.
• My outcome: Share my experience and what works for us (1
MM opened emails in gmail currently per day).
• Not a basic deliverability talk – rather, a mailing philosophy to
help you develop your "gmail worldview."
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5. Your Inbox "Recipe"
• Think of Gmail inboxing like "cooking soup."
• Every mailer/website will have a unique recipe with unique
ingredients.
• Your Sending Domain Reputation is the type of soup – the
primary ingredient.
• If your domain rep is lousy, your soup will be lousy and not
much can save it.
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6. Your Inbox "Recipe"
• Other ingredients:
•Any domains in the email (image paths, url's, bounce domains,
from domains, etc.)
•Associated domains: redirect and link destination domains
•IP reputations
•From lines
•Content
•Sending infrastructure (more about this later)
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Gmail User Lifecycle: Inception
• Permission: we use double opt-in (DOI)
• Most important: Intent
•Do people really want your email?
•Clearly set expectations.
• Gmail is very good at figuring out if the recipient wants your
email, and this is where it starts.
• If you DOI, slower list growth but more engaged users. More
likely to inbox from that point forward. You fight the battle on
your confirmation emails then.

8. 8
Gmail User Lifecycle: Engagement
• Biggest factor in inboxing and domain reputation
• To what extent do your users respond, open, click
and read? Complain or move to spam?
• How frequently?
• Once they engage positively, your mail should inbox
to that user. If they stop engaging, you could fall out
of the inbox to that user.

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Gmail User Lifecycle: Engagement
• Engagement with your website.
•Google is a search company. They index your pages.
•Browsing data via Chrome.
• My company's process:
•Pages with content indexed (for years).
•User confirms their sub, landing on a page on our domain.
•We then send mail on that domain including content that is
similar to indexed pages.

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Gmail User Lifecycle: Retirement
• Monitor back-end engagement as users tend to fade
away. Newer users are more engaged.
• Stop mailing after a period of time of inactivity.
•Otherwise you could hit the spam folder for that user.
•Too many of these and your domain rep drops.
• It's a vicious circle – the death of many a mailer.

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Technical Considerations
• Age of Domain. Older implies security.
• SPF, DKIM, DMARC must all pass.
• Warm up your IP's and domains.
• Code for mobile experience.
•A large % of your users are on android phones.
•If they find your material is easy to read, they'll engage
more.

12. • Word to the Wise: https://wordtothewise.com/blog/
•Gmail Postmaster to register sending
domains: postmaster.google.com
• Blacklist information: https://returnpath.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/02/blacklists_infographic.png
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Useful Links

13. SCOTT WOLF
SCOTT.WOLF@ARCAMAX.COM
757-596-9730 X202
ARCAMAX PUBLISHING
THE LEADER IN NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT
BY EMAIL
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