Warm Up – IP Address

We have covered some fundamental concepts regarding IP Addresses. Now, let's delve into the topic of IP Warming. Before we proceed further, let's draw an analogy. Just like when baking a cake, you must preheat the oven to ensure even cooking. Similarly, preheating your oven can assist in avoiding the cake being over or undercooked. Likewise, it is necessary to configure the email environment in a way that ensures emails are directed to the Inbox instead of the Spam folder, thereby enhancing deliverability and sender reputation.

If you are a new Marketing Cloud Engagement customer or adding a new IP to your current account, it's important to understand that the IP address you have acquired has no email sending history or sender reputation. This implies that there is no pre-warmed IP available. Due to the common use of new IP addresses by spammers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) restrict the number of emails they receive from IPs lacking sender reputation. Consequently, emails sent from a cold IP address raise suspicions and are closely monitored for any unusual or high-volume activity.

To overcome deliverability issue in initial bulk sending, it is advised to run IP Warm up.

IP warming is the process of gradually increasing the volume of mail sent by a new IP address. The goal is to build up at least 30 days of desirable sending history so that ISPs have an idea of the kinds of mail coming from your new IP address. Basically, it’s your chance to build your reputation as a desirable prospect. The ramp-up period can take longer than 30 days for some senders and a shorter time for others. Factors such as your overall list size, list quality, send frequency, and subscriber engagement can influence the amount of time it takes for your IP address to be fully ramped up.

Ramp Up Recommendations

Limiting the number of messages sent per day per IP address is the recommended starting point. It is necessary to modify your current sending process or frequency. Either of the two methods can be adopted.

1. Identify campaigns:

   1. Select or create non–time-sensitive campaigns (any emails which can be shooted over period of time and not necessarily real-time or urgency) to be used for ramp-up as they can be throttled over various days without impacting business critical messages.

   2. Identify campaigns that can be easily split between a new Marketing Cloud Engagement IP address and your current (legacy) mail system.

   3. Migrate smaller-volume triggered campaigns to Marketing Cloud Engagement before larger marketing programs.

2. Identify subscribers:

   1. Sending domains (business, Gmail, Yahoo, and so forth). Identify the top 10 domains for your company.

   2. Engagement. Focus on sending to your most active and engaged subscribers during this critical period since it can be the initial basis for the ISPs to determine your sender reputation.

      
      

Best Practices to be followed:

Warming up a new IP address can take 4+ weeks to ramp up based on the size of your list. Here’s a general guide for North American ISPs. Do this for any domain where you have more than 20,000 subscribers. Send the suggested volume to your top 10 domains until you’ve reached your complete audience by domain. 

ISPS & DOMAINS	DAY 1 - 3	DAY 4 -5	DAY 6 - 7	DAY 8 -14	DAY 15 -21	DAY 22-28	DAY 29+
Gmail	5,000	10,000	20,000	40,000	80,000	160,000	320,000
All Others (AOL, Yahoo, and so on)	20,000	20,000	20,000	40,000	80,000	160,000	320,000

Following this projection, attempt to increase the volume until you achieve the total audience count in a single transmission.

Alternatively, you can opt for the approach without domain filtering:

DAYS	DAY 1 - 7	DAY 8 -14	DAY 15 - 21	DAY 22 -28	DAY 29 -35	DAY 36+
DAILY VOLUME(MAX)	50,000	100,000	200,000	400,000	800,000	1,600,000

Failure to complete this procedure may lead to deferrals, placement in bulk folders, and potential email blocking.

Despite adhering to the IP Warm-up process, there may still be deliverability challenges during the initial phase. If issues arise, reduce the volume and concentrate on highly engaged recipients. Consistent sending will help build a positive reputation with major ISPs.

Although this process may be laborious, it is beneficial to invest effort in building a positive reputation preemptively rather than attempting to recover from a negative one. 

Suggestions to fix IP Warm up issues:

1. If you observe a significant issue during the warm-up session on a particular day, make sure to review your ESP's reports for any issues reported on that same day.

2. Evaluate if the addresses you are sending emails to during the later phases of your IP warm-up are still current and in use.

3. Search for issues within your deployment infrastructure.

4. Consult your email verification service to understand the process by which it verified and cleaned your email addresses prior to deployment.

5. Reduce the amount of emails you send each day.

Conclusion on IP Warm Up

IP warm-up is a crucial process for businesses looking to establish a positive sender reputation and improve email deliverability. By gradually increasing the volume and frequency of emails sent from a new IP address, organizations can avoid being flagged as spam by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and ensure that their messages reach the intended recipients.

Throughout the warm-up period, it is essential to monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints to gauge the success of the strategy and make necessary adjustments. By following best practices and maintaining a consistent sending pattern, companies can build trust with ISPs and subscribers, ultimately leading to better email engagement and conversion rates.

Remember, a well-executed IP warm-up plan can set the foundation for a successful email marketing campaign and contribute to long-term deliverability and sender reputation. It's an investment worth making to ensure that your messages are seen and acted upon by your target audience.