Unlock AWS SES: Features, Best Practices for Maximum Email Deliverability

Are you eager to improve your email delivery? AWS SES is packed with features to enhance your campaigns, but it comes with its own hurdles—like avoiding the spam folder. Did you know that almost 17% of emails land in spam, affecting business communication (source: Statista)?

This guide will reveal AWS SES's best strategies, from managing sender reputation to warming up your IPs. But AWS SES isn't the only choice!

Alore stands out as a smart alternative with advanced email warm-up, real-time spam protection, and customized message drip campaigns—all aimed at keeping your emails out of the spam folder. Let's explore both the tools and discover a smarter email strategy!

What is Amazon Simple Email Service?

Amazon Simple Email Service, or AWS SES, is a powerful tool that helps businesses send emails to many people at once.

AWS SES is great for companies that need to reach customers fast and reliably. This service is part of Amazon’s cloud offerings, making it easier to integrate with other Amazon Web Services (AWS) tools.

Key Features of Amazon SES

1. Scalability and Flexibility

• AWS SES is designed to handle a lot of emails at once.
• Whether a company needs to send hundreds or millions of emails, SES can handle it without slowing down. This is what makes it “scalable” — it grows with the needs of the business.

2. Integration with AWS Services

• One great thing about AWS SES is how well it works with other Amazon services. It’s like being able to connect all the tools in a single toolbox.
• For example, you can use AWS SES with Amazon’s storage service (S3) to save email reports or with AWS Lambda to automate tasks.
• Integrate AWS SES with email clients like Outlook for streamlined communication.

3. Easy Configuration for Bulk Emails

• Setting up AWS SES for bulk emails is straightforward. You just need to verify your email addresses or domains, and you’re ready to go.
• Amazon SES allows users to send large volumes of emails without complex setups, and it even includes features to help avoid spam folders by using proper email headers and sender authentication.
• AWS SES allows you to set a custom return path, ensuring undelivered emails are correctly processed.

4. Comprehensive API and SDKs

• For developers, AWS SES offers APIs (tools to build applications) and SDKs (software development kits).
• These tools help create custom email solutions. For example, a developer can set up AWS SES to send personalized emails based on customer data.

Best Practices to Ensure Amazon SES Successfully Delivers Your Emails

1. Implement Proper Email Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

Email authentication proves that your emails are trustworthy and note them as legitimate. To help Amazon SES successfully deliver your messages, set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Here’s a quick look at each:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework) checks if the sender is allowed to send emails from a domain.
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) puts a special digital signature on your emails, showing they really come from you.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) tells the email receiver what to do if the SPF and DKIM checks don't pass.

Email authentication helps protect against cybercriminals trying to misuse your domain. Using AWS SES can help attempt to reduce phishing attacks by providing strong email authentication features.

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2. Monitor and Maintain a Good Sender Reputation

Your sender reputation is like a report card for your email sending. If you have a good reputation, your emails are more likely to be delivered.

Here’s how to do it:

• Watch your bounce rate: This is the number of emails that couldn’t be delivered. A high bounce rate can hurt your sender reputation. Clean your email list regularly to remove invalid email addresses.
• Check your complaint rate: If too many people mark your emails as spam, it could harm your reputation. Always send relevant emails to people who want them.
• Track email deliverability: Look at how many of your emails are delivered successfully and avoid sending too many at once.

3. Use Dedicated IPs for Consistent Sending

When you send emails from a dedicated IP address, only your messages are sent from it, which is better for your sender reputation. With a dedicated IP, Amazon SES can deliver your emails more consistently.

Here’s why it helps:

• Stable sending volume: Email providers like seeing a steady volume from a sender. Sudden spikes can look suspicious.
• Avoid shared reputation issues: If you share an IP with others, their bad sending practices could harm your reputation. A dedicated IP avoids this.

4. Warm Up Your IPs Gradually

Warming up an IP address means starting with small email volumes and increasing them slowly over time. This is important because email providers want to see steady, consistent sending.

• If you send too many emails from a new IP too quickly, it can look like spam.
• So, start slow! For example, begin by sending just a few messages each day, then add more over a few weeks.

5. Use Segmentation to Send Relevant Content

Segmentation is all about dividing your audience into smaller groups. This way, you can send the right content to the right people. Imagine you’re sending an email to both teenagers and senior citizens. Their interests might be very different!

• By segmenting your email list, you can create quality content that matches each group’s needs.
• This keeps your email deliverability high because recipients are more likely to open, read, and engage with emails that interest them.

6. Regularly Clean Your Email List

Keeping your email list clean is like organizing your room—it helps things work smoothly. Over time, some email addresses might become inactive, or people may change their email clients. When you send emails to these inactive addresses, it can hurt your sender reputation.

• Regularly review and remove invalid addresses to maintain a healthy list.
• Attempting to reach inactive emails can hurt your deliverability.
• Amazon SES also provides tools to help you track bounce rates and remove inactive recipients. This keeps your list fresh and improves your chances of reaching active users.

How to Set Up an Amazon SES Account

1. Sign Up for AWS

o use Amazon SES, you need an AWS account. Go to the AWS website and click “Create an AWS Account.” Fill in your details, including your email address, and follow the steps. Once done, you’ll have full access to Amazon services like SES.

2. Verify Your Email or Domain

Amazon SES needs to confirm that you own the email address or domain you’ll be sending from. In the SES console, click on “Verify a New Email Address” or “Verify a New Domain.” Amazon will send email client a verification link to the email address. Click the link to complete the verification.

3. Request Production Access

Amazon SES starts you in a test mode called the SES Sandbox. In the sandbox, you can send emails, but only to verified addresses. To reach more people, request production access. Go to the SES console and fill out the request form. Amazon will review and approve it if everything looks good.

4. Set Up Email Authentication (SPF & DKIM)

Authentication helps your emails look trustworthy to recipients and keeps them out of the spam folder. SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) are two ways to make your emails look trustworthy.

Go to the SES console, select “Set Up Authentication,” and follow the steps. This will improve and protect your email deliverability.

5. Configure Sending Limits and Rules

Amazon SES system has sending limits to help you control email volume. Set limits for sending address based on your needs and adjust as you grow. You can also set rules for when and how emails are sent. This helps you avoid sending too many messages at once, which could trigger spam alerts.

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6. Navigate the Amazon SES Console for Easy Management

The Amazon organization SES console is where you control your email settings. Here, you can view your email statistics, manage email addresses, and adjust settings. Take some time to explore the console to get comfortable with it. The interface is simple, and you can always find what you need.

7. Test and Monitor

Before sending emails to all your users, it’s a good idea to test. Send a few emails to yourself or a small group to check for issues.

Amazon SES servers lets you monitor behavior such as bounce rates, open rates, and other data. This helps you understand how well your emails are performing and make any needed changes.

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Alore - A Better Alternative to Avoid Spam Folder

Alore is a powerful email marketing platform designed to increase your email content deliverability and help users avoid the spam folder. It is especially good for users looking to establish and maintain a high sender reputation and optimize engagement.

1. Advanced Email Warm-Up Capabilities

Alore offers a specialized warm-up dashboard that lets users control daily email volumes, customize email signatures, and track metrics like open rates and spam protection. This controlled warm-up process improves deliverability by gradually building sender reputation and avoiding spam triggers​.

2. User-Friendly Campaign Management

Alore’s dashboard includes options like "Work Campaign Base" and "My Campaign Base," making it easy to manage different campaigns efficiently.

It also offers actionable insights such as open rates, reply rates, and other key performance metrics to help users monitor campaign health and make adjustments to reduce spam rates​.

3. Real-Time Spam Protection and Domain Health Checks

Alore continuously monitors domain health with built-in checks for DMARC, SPF, and DNS issues. Alerts for potential security issues help users ensure their domain is properly set up, increasing email deliverability and reducing the risk of emails being flagged as spam​.

4. Customized Drip Campaigns with Personalization

Alore allows users to set up mail sequences with placeholders (like {{firstName}}) for personalization and optimize sending schedules by time zone. This customized approach ensures emails are relevant and timely, increasing engagement and reducing complaints that could affect the recipient and sender reputation​.

These features make Alore a robust alternative to AWS SES, especially for those looking to avoid spam folders and maintain a high sender reputation.

How to Set Up with Alore

• Sign Up for Alore: Visit the Alore website and sign up for an account. You can start with a free trial or choose a plan that best suits your needs. After signing up, you’ll have access to the Alore dashboard and its features.
• Connect Your Email Account and Domains: Go to the settings in the Alore dashboard and connect your email accounts for campaign use. You can also add domains for email warm-up, which helps build your sender reputation. This process is simple, and Alore provides step-by-step instructions.
• Customize Your Campaigns and Signatures: In the dashboard, select options like "Work Campaign Base" to set up your campaigns. You can personalize your email signatures to match your brand, ensuring consistency across all communications.
• Monitor and Adjust Campaign Performance: Use Alore’s analytics to track open rates, reply rates, and domain health metrics. You can make real-time adjustments to daily email limits or warm-up settings based on the campaign’s performance to improve deliverability.

Alore Pricing Plans

Alore offers a range of pricing plans to cater to different business needs:

• Starter Plan: Priced at $19 per month, this plan includes free email verification, unlimited connected email accounts for sending cold emails, the ability to connect up to 5 unique domains for warming up, 1,000 uploaded accounts, and a monthly email volume of 5,000.
• Professional Plan: At $49 per month, this plan offers free email verification, unlimited connected email accounts for sending cold emails, the ability to connect up to 20 unique domains for warming up, 25,000 uploaded accounts, and a monthly email volume of 100,000.
• Expert Plan: For $149 per month, this plan provides free email verification, unlimited connected email accounts for sending cold emails, the ability to connect unlimited (fair usage) unique domains for warming up, 100,000 uploaded accounts, and a monthly email volume of 500,000.

Conclusion

Amazon SES is a powerful tool for sending emails reliably. By following best practices like authentication and warm-up, you can improve email deliverability and avoid the spam folder. With its scalability and helpful features, it's good for businesses wanting efficient, secure email campaigns. But if you want to make a smart choice Alore stands as an even better alternative to AWS SES, with personalized drip campaigns, advanced automated scheduling, and clear pricing plans.

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