Ecommerce brands rely heavily on email marketing, but did you know that over 20% of emails never make it to the inbox?
Klaviyo, being a reputable email marketing tool, can significantly enhance your inbox deliverability, but only if you set it up correctly.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the following steps required to warm up your Klaviyo account:
- Account Setup
- Initial List Import
- Marketing Automation
- Campaigns Warmup
- Some Advance Tips
These steps will ensure that your emails consistently land in your subscribers’ inbox.
Here in this article, I’ll also discuss why some of the accounts might not even require to go through the warmup process at all.
The Importance of Warming Up Your Klaviyo Account
So, you’ve just migrated to Klaviyo from your previous email provider, and you have a substantial subscriber list—perhaps 30,000, 200,000, or more.
But before you can fully enjoy all that Klaviyo has to offer, you must first warm up your account.
Neglecting this crucial step can lead to your emails ending up in the dreaded spam folder, resulting in reduced visibility and missed opportunities to engage with your customers.
So, let’s begin with the essential aspects of warming up your new Klaviyo account, ensuring you achieve 100% inbox deliverability.
Account Setup
Before delving into the warm-up process, you must ensure your account is set up correctly. There are three key elements to consider:
#1 Setup Custom Domain Provider
A custom domain is a dedicated sending domain.
Klaviyo employs shared IP addresses for sending emails. To build a strong reputation for your domain, set up a custom domain.
#2 Organizational Information
This is necessary for CAN-SPAM compliance. It is available in the settings in the account area section.
This is significant as the footer of the email picked up from here.
#3 Setting Up Master List
An organized master list will make the warm-up process smoother and more effective.
There are two settings required in the master list:
- Your consent setting
- Opt-in process
Initial List Import
Once your account is properly configured, you’ll need to import your email list.
There are two ways to do this:
#1 Integration with Ecommerce Platforms
If you’re using platforms like Shopify, Magento, or BigCommerce, you can integrate your store to import your list seamlessly.
#2 Manual List Import
For email providers without direct integrations, manual import is the way to go.
However, ensure that your list meets certain criteria, including turning off double opt-in and enabling unsubscribe from all lists.
Your Secret Weapon: Marketing Automation
Automations are your secret weapon in account warmup.
They play a crucial role in the account warm-up process, and Klaviyo’s approach is particularly effective.
Unlike other email marketing tools, Klaviyo uses the same infrastructure for campaigns and automation.
This means your automation reputation directly influences your campaign performance.
I prefer setting up the automations at least two weeks in advance, before beginning the warm-up process.
Automations send emails in small, staggered batches, resulting in high open and click-through rates and low unsubscribes and spam complaints.
Set up as many automations as you want, for example, the welcome, cart abandonment, browse abandonment, and post-purchase automations are all excellent options for getting your Klaviyo account warmed up.
You can also visit my automation guide on how to setup automations in Klaviyo.
You Might Not Need Warmup
Some users may find that their accounts do not require a warm-up process.
If you have fewer than 5,000 subscribers or have been running multiple automations for over three months, you can likely start sending regular campaigns without extensive warm-up procedures.
In these cases, it’s still essential to maintain ethical data practices, ensuring that your email addresses were collected through first-party data, meaning users willingly provided their email addresses on your website.
Campaigns
For those with engagement data from previous platforms, start by leveraging that data.
Engagement data can include openers from the last 90 days, openers from the last 180 days, or four- or five-star users in your previous email marketing tool.
Create one list with your best-performing audience, which should comprise no more than 50% of your total list but no less than 10%.
For those without engagement data, you can use your primary list as your warm-up list.
The key is to segment your list into smaller batches, gradually increasing the frequency of your campaigns.
Advanced Tips
As you progress through the warm-up process, consider these advanced tips:
#1 Suppression
Don’t forget to suppress existing unsubscribes and bounces in Klaviyo.
#2 Initial High Bounce Rates
The initial campaigns may experience higher bounce and unsubscribe rates as subscribers may not remember you. This is a natural way to clean your list.
#3 Low Open Rates
If you’re not seeing the expected open rates, pause your campaigns for two weeks and let your automations run. Then, resume your campaigns.
Conclusion
By following these steps and tips, you can ensure that your transition to Klaviyo is smooth and that you achieve 100% inbox deliverability.
Warming up your Klaviyo account is a critical process that will improve your email marketing effectiveness and help you engage with your customers more effectively.
With over 20% of emails failing to reach the inbox, Klaviyo offers a reliable solution, but only if used correctly.
By following the steps outlined in this article, from account setup to list import, leveraging automations, and managing campaigns, you can optimize your inbox deliverability.
Whether you’re transitioning from another platform or starting fresh, a well-executed warm-up process is the key to 100% inbox success.
Implementing the best practices mentioned here will enhance your email marketing effectiveness and allow you to engage with your audience more efficiently.