MxToolbox is pleased to announce our latest Email Deliverability Tool – Inbox Provider Feedback Loops.  Feedback loops are a mechanism where Inbox Providers can submit feedback about how your email recipients perceive the email you send them. With Feedback Loops, you can reduce your spend on email, improve your email deliverability and improve your email reputation.

What are Feedback Loops?

Major inbox providers world wide have created a method to let legitimate email senders obtain feedback on the email they send.  A Feedback Loop or FBL is a standardized XML format that tells a sender which of their emails have been flagged as spam and, often, by what recipients.  Some feedback loops even give insight into which emails were not flagged as spam.

How do Feedback Loops Work?

Most inbox providers allow email senders to apply for the right to receive email feedback.  The application process allows the inbox provider to verify that you are a legitimate sender and owner of the domain you are asking for feedback on.  If you are accepted, then the inbox provider will periodically send you feedback their users provide on the email they receive from your domain.

How do Feedback Loops Improve Email Deliverability?

If you are sending a large volume of email, Feedback Loops give you tremendous insight into how your email is perceived by recipients.  For example:

• Which users routinely mark your email as “SPAM”?  You can compile a list and remove these users from email campaigns in the future, saving yourself money and improving your email deliverability.
  Note: not all inbox providers provide email addresses of users.
• What email campaigns get the most “SPAM” warnings?  Some subject lines, body texts and graphics can be a trigger for spam.  Your marketing team can then change email copy to improve this perception and may even see open rates improve!
• What technical problems may be causing my emails to be flagged?  Occasionally, your email configuration may be detrimental to email deliverability.  SPF, DKIM, over-aggressive re-delivery, multiple emails to the same address, etc. may cause your email to appear as spam to a user or inbox provider.

What does MxToolbox Feedback Loops do?

MxToolbox Feedback Loops goes beyond the basic feedback from Inbox Providers like Yahoo!, Rackspace and others.   We provide both the original header and our expertly tuned analysis of the “Spammy” nature of the email.  With MxToolbox Feedback Loops, you will get better insight into why the user or inbox provider flagged your email as spam and how to correct the issue in future emails.

What MxToolbox Products have Feedback Loops?

Currently, Feedback Loops are available to Delivery Center Plus and Delivery Center Managed Services customers.  Please contact support to begin testing Feedback Loops for your business.