In today’s data-driven world, email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to engage customers, nurture leads, and drive conversions. But there’s a catch, your carefully designed campaigns are only as good as their deliverability. If your emails aren’t reaching the inbox, your ROI plummets.
For businesses using the Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC), ensuring strong email deliverability can feel challenging. Between changing ISP rules, domain authentication requirements, and evolving spam filters, marketers often struggle to maintain consistent inbox placement.
In this guide, we’ll break down:
Why email deliverability matters
The most common causes of poor deliverability
Proven strategies to fix issues
Best practices to maintain a healthy sender reputation
How Mountainise can help you optimize Salesforce for higher engagement
Understanding Email Deliverability in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Before fixing issues, it’s important to understand what email deliverability really means.
Email delivery simply means the email reached the recipient’s server.
Email deliverability, however, measures whether your email landed in the inbox, not the spam folder.
In Salesforce Marketing Cloud, inbox placement is influenced by several factors:
Sender reputation (how trustworthy ISPs consider you)
Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC records)
Content quality (avoiding spam triggers)
Subscriber engagement (open rates, clicks, and complaints)
If any of these factors are weak, your emails might get blocked, filtered, or marked as spam.
Common Causes of Email Deliverability Issues in SFMC
1. Poor Sender Reputation
Your sending reputation is one of the biggest drivers of inbox placement. Salesforce relies on ISPs like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo to decide if your email is trustworthy. If recipients frequently mark your emails as spam or delete them without opening, your reputation suffers.
2. Missing or Incorrect Domain Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Without proper authentication, your emails look suspicious to mailbox providers. Salesforce offers a Sender Authentication Package (SAP), but many businesses don’t configure it properly, leading to increased spam filtering.
3. High Bounce Rates & Spam Complaints
A high bounce rate signals to ISPs that you’re emailing invalid or outdated contacts. Similarly, spam complaints damage trust and lower inbox placement.
4. Poor List Hygiene & Low Engagement
If you continue emailing inactive subscribers, ISPs assume your emails aren’t valuable, reducing deliverability.
5. Spammy Email Content
Using excessive caps, promotional triggers like “FREE!!!” or embedding too many links can activate spam filters. Salesforce provides a built-in tool, Content Detective, to flag risky phrases before sending campaigns.
How to Fix Email Deliverability Issues in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Here’s a step-by-step action plan to improve inbox placement and resolve common problems:
1. Authenticate Your Sending Domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
One of the most effective fixes is properly setting up domain authentication:
Configure SPF (Sender Policy Framework) to authorize Salesforce’s sending servers.
Enable DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) to digitally sign outgoing emails.
Set up DMARC to protect your domain from spoofing attacks.
In Salesforce, these settings are managed through the Sender Authentication Package (SAP). Proper authentication tells ISPs, “I’m a verified sender”, improving inbox placement.
2. Warm Up Your IP Address for Better Inbox Placement
If you’re sending from a new Salesforce IP, start small and scale gradually.
Send to your most engaged contacts first.
Increase volume 10–20% daily until you reach your normal sending limits.
Monitor open rates and adjust based on engagement.
This builds trust with ISPs and strengthens your sender reputation.
3. Clean & Optimize Your Email Lists
A poor-quality list is one of the top reasons for deliverability failures. Use Salesforce Marketing Cloud tools like Einstein Engagement Scoring to:
Identify unengaged subscribers
Remove invalid addresses
Segment highly engaged users
You can also integrate data cleansing tools to remove duplicates and reduce bounce rates.
4. Improve Your Email Content Strategy
Even perfectly authenticated emails can land in spam if the content triggers filters. To improve your odds:
Use personalized subject lines instead of generic ones
Keep your copy natural and avoid excessive caps or salesy triggers
Limit the number of links and attachments
Leverage Salesforce’s Content Detective to scan for spammy phrases
5. Monitor Deliverability & Sender Reputation Regularly
Salesforce Marketing Cloud offers built-in deliverability tracking tools to monitor:
Inbox vs. spam placement
Bounce trends
Spam complaint rates
Engagement metrics
You can also integrate third-party tools like Return Path or 250ok for deeper insights into inbox placement.
Best Practices to Maintain High Deliverability in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Once you’ve fixed existing issues, follow these proven best practices to avoid future problems:
Maintain bounce rates below 2%
Use double opt-in for list sign-ups
Send emails consistently instead of in random bursts
Segment audiences based on engagement to send relevant content
Test every campaign using A/B testing and Content Detective
Troubleshooting Salesforce Email Deliverability Issues
If your emails are still landing in spam:
Check SPF/DKIM/DMARC records for misconfiguration
Validate your sending domain reputation
Review bounce error codes in SFMC
Simplify your email template structure
How Mountainise Can Help Improve Your Email Deliverability
At Mountainise, we specialize in Salesforce Marketing Cloud consulting and email deliverability optimization. Our experts can help you:
Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly
Improve IP warming strategies
Enhance email engagement with personalization
Maintain a healthy sender reputation
Book a Free Consultation today and let’s make sure your emails reach the inbox, every time.
Conclusion
Your marketing campaigns deserve better than landing in spam. By authenticating domains, cleaning lists, optimizing content, and tracking performance, you can significantly improve your email deliverability in Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
And if you want expert guidance, Mountainise is here to help you fix issues fast, improve inbox placement, and maximize ROI.
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