RealTown's e-MailHeaven

By Mike Barnett
CTO/VP of Technology
InternetCrusade's RealTown.com

Today, many real estate practitioners are using different eMarketing programs to promote their listings and/or other services. More eNewletters, eFlyers, eEverything are being sent every day. What many don't know is quite a large percentage are being denied delivery because certain aspects of the eMail are failing tests.

In order to help curb the amount of SPAM that is being circulated today, most ISPs are checking the eMail before allowing it to come into their network.

To help accomplish this goal -- and because of the vast amount and quantity of eMail being processed, an eMail message is broken down into two different areas, the envelope area and the content area.

Messages are checked first at the envelope area before even considering the message's content.

What types of items are examined and tested within the envelope?

There are many different areas of the envelope that can be examined, but the areas of most concern are: the "To:", "CC:", "From:", "Reply to:", "Subject:", and "Message Id:"

Each of these envelope areas are reviewed individually on the server level, and depending on the results of the tests, the eMail might be blocked and/or marked as SPAM.

One of the basic checks on eMail addresses is called SAV (Sender Address Verification).

Let's look at an example. Let's say you have a web form on your site and (for one of many reasons) you name the reply address on the form DoNotReply@YourDomain.com. One reason to do this is to inform the recipient to not use the eMail address (or reply to it). But, even so, it has to work.

For purposes of this article, we will substitute DoNotReply@YourDomain.com for DoNotReply@InternetCrusade.com and we will run the tests.

First we start with, the domain "InternetCrusade.com". We have to verify that the domain is valid and (must have an IP address) and in addition, the IP address must have a reverse (PTR) entry (record).

For instance, let's validate DoNotReply@InternetCrusade.com.

The first step is to see if InternetCrusade.com is a valid domain. To check, we do a NSLookup (a name server lookup) and we find that InternetCrusade.com returns with an IP address of 69.43.139.84

The next step is to see if the IP address had a reverse lookup, so we do a NSLookup (name server lookup) for the IP 69.43.139.84 and it returns the PRT entry of InternetCrusade.com. So it passes that part of the test.

Next we see if InternetCrusade.com will accept eMail for DoNotReply@InternetCrusade.com. To accomplish this test, we attempt to send an eMail to DoNotReply@InternetCrusade.com and if the server will accept eMail for that address it passes the test. (and in this case it passes).

If DoNotReply@InternetCrusade.com was not a valid address, it would fail SAV (sender address verification) and most mail exchangers will NOT accept the eMail under the rational 'if you won't accept eMail for this eMail address, why should we (or any mail server)?

Once the eMail passes all the envelope tests, then the eMail is scanned for content including viruses.

So, the bottom line is that understanding how eMail works and how each ISP determines valid eMail is critical to knowing if your eMail is being delivered. And, as such, determining how effective your eMail marketing campaign will be.

For more on this and other eMail solutions, go to the eMail Heaven Community on RealTown.com (http://eMailHeaven.RealTown.com)

See you online,

Mike

Mike Barnett is the CTO and VP Technology of InternetCrusade�. InternetCrusade is the creator and provider of e-PRO (NAR's only technology certification course) as well as the host of RealTown.com, the oldest and most respected social networking site in real estate. InternetCrusade also manages tens of thousands of eMail accounts representing millions of pieces of eMail on a daily basis.

Hi Mike,

Great post, and really clear in explaining why and how things can go wrong.

Any equally clear was to suggest and recommend to avoid getting shoved in the electronic garbage pit, before reaching the intended client.

I have not yet started using e-newletters etc, because of this fear of getting blacklisted and not being able to communicate with others.

I have an e-card and realtytimes subscription, but I never send the new update to my clients other than by a snail mail announcement and I post a link on my website.

so far I have not found a solid and reliable (easy) to implement system for sending announcements etc to my database.

Your thoughts and reply would be appreciated.

Live a Pfanntastic life

Peter Pfann,

Victoria BC