Email Deliverability

September Email Deliverability News Roundup

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Hey email marketers and enthusiasts! 

This is the first blog in a new series in which we’ll summarize the top stories from the past month in the email ecosystem, helping you stay on top of the latest trends and changes in the wide and wonderful world of email marketing. Happy reading!

Check for the checkmark 

We here at Validity love BIMI. That’s why we’re excited to see Google has expanded its BIMI system to add acheck markfeature for mobile devices. The feature uses blue checkmarks next to the sender’s name to indicate if the message is from a verified brand or company. This is similar to the verification system used on Twitter, which helps users distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent messages. Google plans to support common mark certificates soon, making it easier for more senders to use BIMI. 

“Google revealed in a blog post that the new feature is designed to help users spot whether an email is from a trusted source or a potential scam. It’s part of Gmail’s Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) system. Senders with BIMI certification and a registered trademark will have verified checkmarks next to their band identity shown in Gmail on mobile devices 

Google adds email security with Gemini AI 

There’s more Google news this month, with Google’s Gemini AI now providing enhanced protection against spam and malware for workspace customers. It uses AI to analyze email attachments and content, identifying potential threats and taking appropriate actions. The tool is being rolled out to paid Google Workspace customers and is expected to significantly improve Gmail’s security. 

“The security advisor will include a security sandbox where all email attachments will be scanned for malicious software employing a virtual environment to safely analyze said files. Google said the tool candelay message delivery, allow customization of scan rules, and automatically move suspicious messages to the spam folder.’ 

Thomson Reuters has implemented AI to combat email fatigue 

In other AI news, Thomson Reuters is deploying AI to increase engagement, implementing Oracle Eloqua’s AI tools to improve marketing campaign engagement and ROI. They have focused on analyzing contactfatiguelevels, looking for aGoldilockslevel of fatigue. This has resulted in increased open rates and overall engagement. 

According to Amanda Chatkin, Manager for Marketing Operations at Thomson Reuters, fatigue levels “Have moved from being oversaturated to eithersaturated,’ ‘just right,orundersaturated’. Fatigue is not send volume—a contact can receive 10 emails every month and actively engage with the majority. Conversely, a contact can get three emails a month for several months and engage with none of them. This non-engaged person is more likely to be oversaturated. 

How much AI is too much AI? 

Not everyone is confident about using AI to improve emails. It could be hurting you.

Nav Thethi, Senior Manager, Digital Optimization at Hitachi Vantara, recommends a hybrid approach. While AI can increase efficiency, it may lead to generic content and missed emotional nuances. Combining AI with human oversight can help maintain personalization and effectiveness.

Overreliance on AI automation can result in impersonal communication and misaligned calls to action. Integrating AI with human insight improves email marketing outcomes by leveraging data efficiency while retaining the emotional depth needed for engagement. 

“While AI in email marketing offers numerous benefits, relying entirely on email automation tools can lead to significant risks, such as impersonal communication, misaligned CTAs, and generic content. A hybrid approach that combines AI’s efficiency with the human touch. 

Humans want to trust—but can they? Three pillars for building trust in your brand 

Last for this month, staying with the theme of making human connections, Fast Company published a great piece about the crisis of trust in the digital age, and offers threepillarsfor how businesses can rebuild consumer trust. The combination of fraud, spam, and AI-generated content has made it difficult for brands to communicate effectively.

To rebuild trust, companies need to focus on delivering value, prioritizing transparency, and eliminating fraud and data theft.  

“Re-establishing trust is critical for business survival, but more than that, creating trust drives engagement and adoption. When consumers trust your brand, ads hit harder, conversion rates soar, customer onboarding becomes seamless, and loyalty turns into advocacy. We can’t build trust with words alone…companies need to follow through on their promises and take positive steps to improve the trustworthiness of their communications. 

Check back next month for our October roundup!

And if you want to stay on top of the latest news and trends, watch our monthly email webinar series, State of Email Live.