IP Warming Overview and Implementation Using Eloqua

Agenda Background Overview of IP Warming Methodology Campaign Prerequisites List Criteria Content Monitoring Authentication Migration

Background To keep pace with spammers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) now perform reputation filtering and focus less on content filtering Each sender of email has a reputation that is based on their historical email behavior Reputation is measured and published by ISPs in the form of a Sender Score Analogous to credit score for financial institutions It takes 30 days to run an effective IP warming program

Overview of IP Warming What is IP Warming? Why is it important? Establishing a positive sender reputation for your new Eloqua IP address by gradually increasing the volume of email that is sent from that IP Allows Eloqua to cleanse your list from hard bounces, Spam Traps, and complaints not given to you by your last provider Allows us to check best practices in list management, technical set-ups of your installation, etc. More information: http://www.clickz.com/3631092 Why is it important? There is no historical email activity on your Eloqua IP address so ISPs do not know if your message is legitimate, relevant and permission-based There is a higher risk that ISPs will block your email if: A high number of hard bouncebacks or complaints are generated A sudden, large volume of email is sent from a new IP address

Methodology Suggested messaging / objective Data harvest campaign with incentive (must be CAN-SPAM compliant) Update your subscription options Newsletter View archived web content (white papers, demos, etc.)

Campaign Prerequisites Email with simple design, not too image heavy Branding & deliverability setup Dedicated IP(s) Bounceback, Reply-To, and branded image and tracking links Subscription management and email footer setup Distribution list of email addresses Large lists make it easier to identify and address problems No matter the size, it will allow us to address invalid email address, complaints, and Spam Traps in list To generate a Sender Score, sufficient email volume must be sent (roughly 160,000 emails over the course of the campaign) Warming should still be performed even if the total list is not sufficient to generate a score

List should be clean in order to minimize hard bouncebacks List Criteria List should be clean in order to minimize hard bouncebacks Previous email provider (where applicable) may not have had a robust bounceback system, so it is possible that higher bounces than expected may occur List should not contain opt outs If possible, target recent contacts (those who have been sent email in the past three months)

Email content should have clear, targeted messages Avoid using time-sensitive emails since the warming process requires minimum 30 day period Use simple HTML/Template or Plain Text; avoid complex code, excessive images, or CSS Include messaging that is what contacts expect to see Use familiar domains/branding

Monitoring Prior to sending each batch, run a General Deliverability seed test to be used as a baseline report Check for any IP blocks and address as needed After each batch send: Check the Bounceback History report to look for comments like ‘SPAM’ or ‘Blocked for Abuse’ and take any required action If bounce rate exceeds 10%, consider revising the list before proceeding with the campaign Check the SPAM Unsubscribe report for complaints After two weeks, run another General Deliverability test to check progress After the one month warming process is complete, run another General Deliverability report to see the final results

Existing Reputation / Authentication Migration You can leverage your existing sender reputation by adding your Eloqua assigned dedicated IP range to your existing SPF record prior to IP warming This means you will have your existing IP(s) and new Eloqua IP(s) co-mingling in your SPF record allowing for IP reputation migration Once the IP warming project is complete, you can remove your old IP(s) from the SPF record If DK/DKIM is being used, your private key information can be transferred to Eloqua as long as you use the same domain configuration/structure that has an existing public key in it Eloqua can configure its servers to send using your private key thus allowing domain reputation to migrate as well