Email campaigns are only as good as their ability to reach your audience's inbox. One of the most crucial aspects of ensuring your email is delivered correctly is by setting up a valid and professional sending address. Alongside that, testing your email before sending it to your full list is essential for catching any errors and ensuring everything looks perfect.
In this detailed guide, we’ll walk you through how to connect your sending address and run test emails, while also explaining the significance of the sending address in the email marketing process.
What Is a Sending Address and Why Is It Important?
A sending address refers to the email address from which your emails are sent to your recipients. This address is displayed in the "From" field of your email and is one of the first things your recipients will notice.
Your sending address plays a key role in both deliverability and trustworthiness. Here’s why it’s essential:
Professionalism: Using a branded, domain-based sending address (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com) helps create a professional image. Free or generic email providers (e.g., Gmail or Yahoo) may reduce trust and credibility.
Deliverability: Many email clients filter emails based on the sending address. If you’re sending from a free or unauthenticated email provider, there’s a higher chance your email will end up in the spam folder.
Brand Consistency: A sending address that matches your brand’s domain reinforces your identity and helps recipients recognize your emails as legitimate.
Compliance: In compliance with regulations like CAN-SPAM or GDPR, your sending address should ideally be a real, monitored email address, ensuring recipients can easily contact you if needed.
Steps to Connect a Sending Address to your Email Template
1. Choose a Domain-Based Email Address
Before you set up your sending address, ensure you have an email associated with your domain. Instead of using a free email address like Gmail, opt for something professional like yourname@yourbusiness.com.
If you don’t have a custom domain email address, you can set one up through your domain provider or hosting service.
Note: Please make sure you connect your domain for Email Services with your CRM before proceeding. check here for how to connect your domain for email services
2. Access Your CRM’s Email Settings
Log into Your CRM and navigate to the Settings section.
Look for the Email or Email Campaign settings, which will allow you to configure your sending address.
3. Add a New Sending Address
Within the Email Template, click on the 3 dots to open up additional settings on your email template, then click on "Test Email" to add your sending address before testing
Or click on the Send or Schedule button to add your sending address before sending or sceduling your email
Enter the email address you want to use for sending. This is the address that will be shown in the "From" field of your emails.
Make sure this is a domain-based address (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com) for better deliverability.
Note: Ensure your sending address aligns with the email services doamain you connected with the CRM to prevent email deliverability issues
How to Run Test Emails
Once you’ve connected your sending address, it’s time to run test emails. Testing helps ensure that your email looks great, functions correctly, and reaches the inbox as intended.
1. Create Your Email Campaign or Template
In the Email Templates or Email Campaigns section of Your CRM, create or edit the email you plan to send.
Add all content, images, links, and custom values to the email template.
2. Preview the Email
Before sending, always use the Preview feature in the email builder to see how your email will look on different devices, such as desktop and mobile. Check for any formatting issues, broken images, or alignment problems.
3. Send a Test Email
Running a test email is an essential part of the process. This allows you to see how the email will appear in an actual inbox and whether everything works as expected.
In your email builder, look click on the 3 dots then on test email.
Enter your own email address, or the address of a colleague, to receive the test email after correctly adding your sending address. Send the test email and check your inbox.
Once you’ve received the test email, review it closely:
Email Formatting: Ensure that the email looks the way you intended, including spacing, fonts, colors, and image alignment.
Links and Buttons: Click all links and buttons to verify they work correctly and direct the user to the intended URL.
Custom Values: If you’re using custom values (like the recipient’s first name), ensure they are populating correctly.
Sender Information: Make sure the From Name and Sending Address are accurate and match your brand’s domain.
Inbox Placement: Check if the email landed in the primary inbox or if it was sent to the spam or promotions folder. If it goes to spam, review your domain authentication and improve email content to reduce spammy elements.
4. Make Final Adjustments
After reviewing the test email, return to the email builder to fix any issues you identified during the test.
Adjust any formatting, content, or links as needed. If the test email went to the spam folder, consider removing excessive links, reducing heavy imagery, or simplifying the subject line to avoid common spam triggers.
5. Schedule or Send Your Campaign
Once everything looks perfect, you can confidently schedule your email campaign or send it out immediately.
Use the Send or Schedule button to determine the timing of your campaign. You can send it immediately or choose a date and time in the future.
Make sure you’ve toggled on any tracking options so you can analyze campaign performance metrics after it’s been sent.
FAQs
Can I use a free email address like Gmail for my sending address?
Can I use a free email address like Gmail for my sending address?
While you can use a free email address, it’s not recommended. Using a domain-based email address (e.g., yourname@yourbusiness.com) is better for deliverability and professionalism. Free email addresses are more likely to be flagged as spam, which can harm your email campaign’s effectiveness.
What should I do if my test email goes to the spam folder?
What should I do if my test email goes to the spam folder?
If your test email lands in the spam folder, review your content for spammy elements like excessive links, large images, or misleading subject lines. Additionally, ensure that your sending domain is properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to improve deliverability.
Can I run test emails to multiple addresses at once?
Can I run test emails to multiple addresses at once?
Yes, you can send test emails to multiple addresses to see how the email performs in different email clients and devices. Simply enter each email address you want to test in the test email feature of your CRM before sending.
How can I ensure that the sending address is correctly set up before launching my campaign?
How can I ensure that the sending address is correctly set up before launching my campaign?
Double-check that your sending address is a domain-based email linked to your connected domain. You should also run a test email to verify that the address appears correctly and that the email is delivered to the inbox.
What happens if I forget to add a sending address before sending an email campaign?
What happens if I forget to add a sending address before sending an email campaign?
If you forget to add a sending address, your email may fail to send, or it could be sent from an unintended or default address, which might confuse recipients and reduce the campaign’s effectiveness. Always verify your sending address before sending.
Can I change the sending address after the campaign is scheduled?
Can I change the sending address after the campaign is scheduled?
Yes, you can usually change the sending address before the campaign is sent out, but it's best to make sure everything is correct before scheduling. If the campaign is already sent, the address cannot be changed.