An Introduction to Bayesian Filter for Microsoft Outlook
SPAM – Everyone hates it, few read it, and the majority ignore it. Before we dive into what I’m talking about and to avoid unnecessary confusion, I’m not referring to that spam meat that some people actually like (though we can’t ignore that entirely). Instead, I’m talking about the spam that infiltrates our email inboxes, often left ignored and unopened.
If you’re like me and receive spam emails daily, dealing with spam used to be just a daily nuisance—a joke that no one laughs at, an essay that no one reads. However, over time, email junk, aka spam, has become more sophisticated and is now more than just a simple annoyance. These messages can carry threats in the form of malicious links and malware, which can be dangerous if we don’t actively protect ourselves.
So, how do we actively keep ourselves protected while keeping spam at bay? If you’re a business owner, another question that you have to face is, How do I assure current and potential customers that my emails are not spam?
How Spam Filter Works?
To provide an additional layer of protection, Microsoft Outlook offers a spam filtering process that screens out spam messages, ensuring a clutter-free inbox and safer email usage.
For businesses that have been sending campaign emails for a while, it’s inevitable that we encounter issues where our emails often go unread or, worse, are marked as spam. We might not always realize it, but if we don’t assess the emails we’re sending, we risk not reaching the inboxes of our current and target customers.
The question now is: How can we ensure that our emails pass the spam filters set by Microsoft Outlook?
It’s important to understand how spam filters work and take the right actions to ensure that our emails, which we’ve worked hard to get into the inboxes of our current and target customers, are not flagged as spam.
What is Bayesian Filter?
One well-known spam filter is the Bayesian filter. This filter is based on Bayes’ Theorem, which means that the probability of an email being classified as spam increases based on new evidence.
In layman’s terms, a Bayesian filter categorizes incoming messages to determine whether they are likely to be spam or valid based on historical data, past user actions, and the characteristics of the incoming email. Over time, as it continually analyzes incoming and outgoing emails, the Bayesian filter calculates probabilities for each word or phrase to improve its accuracy in identifying unsolicited emails.In Microsoft Outlook, a Bayesian filter is part of its spam filtering system and is built into the ‘Junk Email Filter.’
What does Bayesian Filter look like in Microsoft Outlook?
Microsoft Outlook’s Junk Email Filter moves suspected spam to the Junk Email folder. It works by analyzing and filtering the contents of emails. It works by analyzing first the contents of emails that landed in your inbox, and it bases its filtering process by comparing them to the previous emails you have received that were marked as spam or not spam.Through this process, the filter determines whether a new email is spam. By default, the Junk Email Filter is turned on, but the intensity of filtering is based on the user’s preferences, as users can choose the level of junk email protection in Outlook.
To change the options for the Junk Email Filter:
click Home > Junk > Junk Email Options.
If you are reading this, and you are a business owner, how can we avoid having our campaign emails land in spam and boost our email deliverability?
The strategy to make sure that your email lands to the primary inbox is to make sure that our emails don’t look like spam. This sounds easier than it actually looks like, because we need to make sure that we are sending thorough and quality emails to our current and target market.
How do we make sure that our emails are not going to spam? Here are some tips to help you start:
1.Authenticate Your Emails
To protect your domain and be recognized as a legitimate inbox provider, authenticating your email is a must. You can set this up using SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance).
2.Avoid Using Spam Trigger Words in Your Subject Lines and Content
In a nutshell, authenticity is key—something spam emails lack. Steer clear of promotional or transactional words in your emails, like “buy now” or “earn money.” Also, avoid addressing each customer with “Dear…” It just sounds fishy.
3.Use a Valid ‘Reply-To’ Address
No one likes receiving emails from a robot, so why should we send emails that look like they come from one? Using a valid reply-to address shows that there is a real person behind the email, which can build trust and increase your credibility with customers. It also makes your email appear more legitimate to Microsoft Outlook.
These are just a few of the many tips to ensure your emails don’t end up in spam. As a bonus, we’ve provided an exhaustive list of thirteen reasons why your emails might be going to spam.
Following these tips religiously will not only help ensure that your emails don’t end up in spam but also give you the advantage of being visible in your current and target customers’ inboxes. However, one of the best solutions for additional assurance is to use Email Warm-Up.
How does Email Warm Up work?
Email Warmup gradually increases your sending volume and builds your reputation with mailbox providers. This helps improve email deliverability and strengthen the sender’s reputation. Just, like how cash is considered as king in the world of finance, In email marketing, a strong sender reputation is the king.
Conclusion
Keeping spam at bay through Bayesian filters serves as protection for email users but can be an obstacle to your email campaigns. Familiarizing yourself with how Bayesian filters work can be key to your success, as it offers an opportunity to enhance your campaigns by making them more authentic to your target audience. For added assurance that your emails reach the right inboxes, email warm-up gives you an edge by strengthening your sender reputation and ensuring that the emails you’ve worked hard on end up in the inboxes of the people you want to reach!
If you’ve reached the end of this post, here’s another bonus we want you to try: Start your Email Warm-Up journey for free to help you strengthen that good reputation you’ve worked so hard to build!
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