3 Ways Sales Leaders Can Navigate the New Email Requirements by Google and Yahoo 

Google and Yahoo recently announced significant changes to their email acceptance policies, causing some concerns within the industry. Starting in April (formerly February) of 2024, Gmail and Yahoo will enforce stricter policies around email authentication, consent, and engagement. Senders who fail to meet these requirements may experience email delays, blocks, or messages being marked as spam. While these changes may seem sudden to some, they are long-held established best practices for email deliverability.

At Revenue.io, we understand the importance of addressing these changes and supporting our customers. Leading teams have used  Revenue.io successfully to strategically outreach and engage with prospects and customers—and we will continue to support their efforts because, after years of being a leader in this space, we know email works when it’s done well!

But what does the data say? According to a study, 77% of B2B buyers prefer to be contacted via email, which is more than double any other channel. Email marketing is the most widely used technology for customer engagement in Europe, North America, and APAC, with a usage rate of 77.6%. Additionally, according to Backlinko, personalized emails have an average open rate of 29.95%, and segmented campaigns drive a 14.64% higher open rate.

By implementing careful configurations and following best practices, we believe these policy changes will create a healthier environment for businesses and customers.

What Can You Do To Prepare For These Changes?

To ensure your emails are viewed as legitimate senders by Google and Yahoo, we recommend the following actions for GTM organizations:

• Strongly authenticate your emails:
  Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication to verify the sender’s identity, closing security loopholes used by attackers. If necessary, involve your IT or Engineering department to make or verify these changes.

• Provide easy unsubscribe options:
  Enable recipients to unsubscribe from commercial emails with a single click and promptly process these requests within two days. This simplifies the process for opting out of unwanted emails, improving user experience.

• Enforce spam control measures:
  Establish a clear spam rate threshold to prevent excessive unwanted messages. By setting an industry-first standard for spam control, you enhance the quality of your email campaigns.

The Google and Yahoo email acceptance policy changes present a valuable opportunity for businesses to enhance their outbound sales motions and improve customer engagement. By following the recommended actions, you can ensure that your emails are viewed as legitimate senders, maintain compliance with the new regulations, and continue scaling your outbound communications successfully.

To learn more about restrictions on sending bulk emails, check out the following documentation:

• Google:
  • Google Email Sender Guidelines
  • Google Email Sender Guidelines FAQ
• Yahoo:
  • Yahoo Sender Best Practices

We are confident that these policy changes will lead to positive outcomes for our industry, and remain committed to supporting our customers throughout this transition through our platform.

Still not sure where to start or worried you might not be ready for these changes? Whether you’re a VP of Sales, Head of RevOps, GTM Director or CS Leader, we can help – come see how we can guide you through set up and into outbound success during our upcoming webinar on January 16!