Switching email marketing platforms is an exciting step toward optimizing your marketing efforts, but it’s not as simple as flipping a switch. One critical step that’s often overlooked is warming up your domain—a process that ensures your emails continue to reach inboxes and maintain engagement after the transition. Domain warm-up is not optional whether you’re moving from MailChimp, Constant Contact, or any other platform to a new tool like HubSpot. It’s a universal best practice to safeguard your sender reputation, protect email deliverability, and keep your audience engaged.
Failing to warm up your domain correctly can lead to emails landing in spam folders, higher unsubscribe rates, and even long-term damage to your sender reputation. This isn’t an issue unique to any platform; it’s simply how email providers work. They need to trust that your domain sends relevant, safe, and desired messages. Skipping the warm-up phase can signal to email providers that your domain is suspicious—causing frustration for both your team and your recipients.
In this article, we’ll walk you through a tactical, step-by-step guide to properly warming up your domain when switching email marketing platforms. Follow these steps to ensure a smooth transition, avoid deliverability pitfalls, and keep your audience connected and engaged. Let’s dive in!
1. Pre-Warm-Up Preparations
Before starting the domain warm-up process:
1.1. Authenticate Your Domain
Ensure your domain is authenticated in HubSpot:
1.2. Evaluate Your Email List
- Clean Your List: Remove inactive or unengaged subscribers, invalid email addresses, and hard bounces.
- Segment Your Audience: Create an "engaged subscribers" list to start warming up with users who have interacted with your emails in the last 3-6 months.
1.3. Maintain Consistency
- Use the same "From" email address you used in your previous platform.
- Keep your email design and branding similar to avoid confusing recipients.
2. Warm-Up Process
The warm-up process typically spans 4–8 weeks, depending on the size of your email list.
Week 1: Start Small
- Send Volume: Email 1-2% of your total list size (preferably to your most engaged contacts).
- Example: If your list is 50,000 contacts, start with 500-1,000.
- Content:
- Use high-value, engaging content like welcome emails, exclusive offers, or personalized updates.
- Monitor Metrics:
- Focus on open rates (20%+ is ideal), click-through rates, and bounce rates (<1%).
Week 2: Gradually Increase Volume
- Send Volume: Increase by 2-3x the number of contacts you emailed in Week 1.
- Example: If you sent to 1,000 in Week 1, email 2,000-3,000 in Week 2.
- Content: Continue using content targeted to high-engagement segments.
- Segment Carefully:
- Begin emailing slightly less engaged users but avoid inactive subscribers.
Week 3-4: Expand Gradually
- Send Volume: Continue doubling the number of recipients weekly until you reach your full list size.
- Week 3: 5,000–10,000 contacts.
- Week 4: 10,000–20,000 contacts.
- Introduce New Segments:
- Gradually include segments with moderate engagement, such as contacts who clicked but didn’t open in the last few campaigns.
Week 5 and Beyond: Full List
- By this stage, you should be emailing your full list regularly.
- Continue to segment and target based on engagement to maintain good deliverability.
3. Key Best Practices During Warm-Up
3.1. Monitor Key Metrics Daily
- Open Rates: Aim for 20%+.
- Bounce Rates: Stay below 1%.
- Spam Complaints: Should be <0.1%.
- Unsubscribes: Maintain at <0.5%.
3.2. Send Consistently
- Maintain a regular schedule (e.g., same time, same day of the week) to set expectations with ESPs and subscribers.
3.3. Personalization
- Use personalized subject lines and dynamic content to increase engagement.
3.4. Engage and Reconfirm
- Consider a re-engagement campaign for less active contacts:
- Example: "We’d love to stay in touch! Click here to continue receiving updates."
3.5. Use HubSpot’s Tools
- Email Health Tool: Monitor your sender score and deliverability in HubSpot.
- A/B Testing: Test subject lines, email designs, and calls-to-action for higher engagement.
4. Post-Warm-Up Maintenance
After the warm-up period:
- Continue Segmenting:
- Regularly remove unengaged contacts.
- Monitor Deliverability:
- Use HubSpot's reports to track metrics like spam placement and engagement rates.
- Gradual List Growth:
- Avoid adding too many new contacts at once. Onboard new subscribers in small batches.
5. Troubleshooting
5.1. If Open Rates Drop
- Check if emails are landing in the spam or promotions folder.
- Review email content for spammy words, excessive links, or large images.
5.2. If Bounce Rates Increase
- Revalidate your email list to ensure there are no invalid addresses.
5.3. If Spam Complaints Rise
- Audit your content for clarity, transparency, and alignment with subscriber expectations.
Example Timeline for a 50,000-Contact List
Conclusion
Switching email marketing platforms is a big move, and properly warming up your domain is a critical step to ensure success. It protects your sender reputation, improves email deliverability, and keeps your audience engaged throughout the transition. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you’ll set yourself up for email marketing success and avoid common pitfalls like increased spam placement, unsubscribes, or damaged sender credibility.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure about handling the domain warm-up process on your own, ThinkFuel is here to help. Our team of email marketing experts specializes in helping businesses like yours navigate platform transitions smoothly and effectively. From domain warm-up to audience segmentation and crafting high-impact campaigns, we’ll take care of the technical and strategic details so you can focus on growing your business.
Ready to make the most of your email marketing platform? Contact ThinkFuel today to learn how we can help optimize your email strategy and ensure your emails hit the mark—every time.
Let’s fuel your growth together.
