How We Help Email Deliverability

Happy Grasshopper follows all the guidelines and requirements of the CAN-SPAM act to ensure deliverability

In 2003 the CAN-SPAM Act set the United States national standard for regulating the sending of spam email messaging. CAN-SPAM Act prohibits a variety of potentially deceptive or misleading content, as well as email subject lines, it also requires identifying information regarding the sender - such as an accurate return address for the sender. The act also prohibits future sending of emails to a recipient who has communicated that they do not wish to receive further communication ("opt-out").

As part of our focus on exemplary service to our members, Happy Grasshopper follows all the guidelines and requirements of the CAN-SPAM act to ensure deliverability. To help insure the deliverability difference that sets our service apart from others, we offer these helpful tips via our Success and Support teams to all our members.

Comply with the CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act was created to regulate emails used for marketing purposes. There are 6 main guidelines to follow, also known as the "core requirements" of the act:

1. Don’t use false or misleading header information
2. Don’t use deceptive subject lines
3. Tell recipients where you’re located
4. Tell recipients how to opt-out of receiving future email from you
5. Honor opt-out requests promptly
6. Monitor what others are doing on your behalf

If you are using Happy Grasshopper’s content and sending it through our portal, you are automatically covered. We ensure compliance with all CAN-SPAM guidelines. If you are creating your own content, you’ll want to follow the guidelines above and below.

Avoid Trigger Words (Especially in Subject Lines!)

There are bunches of catchphrases someone would use when trying to sell you something, but you’re much smarter than that and would never use this verbiage within your subject line (also, be sure to  check out this great post on the best subject lines for email messages)...

1. DON’T USE ALL CAPS IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE
2. Avoid using “$” and “!”
3. Don’t use the following words - SALE, CHEAP, DISCOUNT, OFFER, MONEY, FREE, MILLION, BILLION, TRIAL, 100%

Send a Simpler Message and Avoid HTML overkill

It’s very common to include too much information within your message, and all of this additional data may cause your message to end up as spam. You’ll want to avoid this by sending a much simpler message, and it’s another reason why you won’t be able to create a templated message within our system.

We’ve already created a simple message for you to send, but you may edit a message to include an image or hyperlink to any webpage or video online. This will help ensure your message will get delivered (compared to embedding, for example, a video directly into your message that can get blocked for the additional data).

Feel free to also include an image, but don’t get carried away! You’ll find it best to share any additional information once someone has responded to your message. =)

Reach People Who Want to Hear From You

When you collect contacts for messaging, make sure they know you’re going to be emailing them. You’ll want to be careful how you treat your contacts, and be very clear when you first send a message to let someone know you will continue to reach out over time. Remember, nurturing and email marketing are not the same thing and should never be combined, that's a surefire way to  shut off your audience completely.

Trust your sources!

It’s quite embarrassing to message someone that wasn’t expecting a message from you, and you don’t want them to mark a message as spam. This could cause any messages to get blocked in the future when sending to other contacts, too.

Sourcing contacts directly from your MLS or BrokerMetrics are a great help, but reaching outside your pool of lead sources into any purchased list will cause more harm than it does good. Instead, you may consider hiring additional help to build your database from a source that has a targeted process aligned with your marketing goals.

Finally... be sure to keep the conversations going!

As spammers evolve and adapt, email providers do too - but you’ll remain in good standing as long as you’re starting real conversations with everyone you meet. Everyone loves someone genuine, so be sure to keep it simple! You can always share greater details after you’ve started a conversation and as you continue to keep in touch. =)

These best practices and tips make your emails even more engaging.  If you have any additional questions, comments or suggestions to add, please post below! We’re glad you joined us!