Zoho Marketing Automation Deliverability: Into the Inbox

Zoho Marketing Automation: Email Deliverability and Getting into the Inbox

An email campaign only works if it reaches the inbox. Deliverability is the measure of how often your messages are accepted and placed in the inbox, and not rejected or sent to spam. This article explains what affects deliverability in Zoho Marketing Automation, formerly called Zoho MarketingHub, and the practical steps that improve it, including how to authenticate your domain.

What decides whether an email reaches the inbox

Mailbox providers judge each message using several signals. Zoho lists the main ones as:

Factor Why it matters
Sender domain reputationProviders assess the reputation of the domain you send from. A positive reputation makes inbox placement likely, and a negative one can send you to spam.
Domain authenticationSPF, DKIM, and DMARC show that a message really comes from your domain.
IP reputationA poor reputation, usually from spam complaints or high bounce rates, can lead to messages being blocked or filtered.
List qualityClean, valid, permission-based lists bounce less and draw fewer complaints.
EngagementOpens and clicks signal that people want your email. Unsubscribes and complaints signal the opposite and count against your sender domain and IP address.
Content and volumeRelevant, non-spammy content and sensible sending volumes help. Sending a lot from a new setup suddenly can hurt.

Zoho's email systems keep known bounced and complaining addresses away from you, so you do not email them by mistake and damage your reputation.

Authenticate your domain

Authentication is the best first step. SPF and DKIM are the two checks Zoho Marketing Automation helps you set up, and they are also the required groundwork for DMARC. In outline:

  1. Add a sender address to your account. Zoho Marketing Automation identifies its domain from the address.
  2. Click the Settings icon, choose Email under Marketing Channels, and open the Senders and Authentication tab. Find your domain and click Setup.
  3. Copy the SPF and DKIM record values shown.
  4. Publish those values as TXT records in your domain's DNS settings. The DKIM record is unique to your account.
  5. Return to Zoho Marketing Automation. Once the records are found, the domain moves from Incomplete to Authenticated.
Menus vary. The path above is from a recent version of Zoho's guide. If yours differs, look for Senders and Authentication under the Email settings. DNS changes can take time to spread, so allow for a delay before you verify.

A practical checklist: our advice

This section is our own advice, not Zoho's.

  1. Authenticate before your first big send. Wait until the domain shows as Authenticated.
  2. Add DMARC once SPF and DKIM are working, starting with a monitoring policy, and tightening it only when you are sure all your legitimate mail passes.
  3. Warm up gradually. If you are new or have been quiet for a while, begin with small sends to your most engaged contacts, and build up.
  4. Clean your list regularly. Remove addresses that bounce, and think about retiring people who have not engaged for a long time.
  5. Make unsubscribing easy. A quick unsubscribe costs you less than a spam complaint.
  6. Watch the numbers. Check bounce, complaint, and unsubscribe rates after every campaign, and act on sudden changes.

For Zoho Mail's own authentication, see Zoho Mail DMARC Overview, and for the permission rules that sit behind all of this, see Zoho Marketing Automation: Campaign Policy.

Need help? As a Zoho Partner serving the UK and Ireland, we can authenticate your domain, set up DMARC, and diagnose why your campaigns are landing in spam. Email zoho@1cloudconsultants.com or raise a support request with 1 Cloud Consultants.