[Posted by Ed Hadley
Senior Marketing Manager, Neolane, Inc.]

When I started this post on spam traps, I initially wanted to make the comparison to speed traps.  In a way, it’s an apt analogy because spam traps are intentionally set up by “policing” organizations (ISPs and real-time blacklists) to catch and punish offenders (spammers).  Moreover, hitting one has immediate and lasting consequences for your record (IP reputation)—and your wallet (revenues).

The thing is, though, you can’t spot a spam trap like a cruiser on the side of the road; there are no drivers flashing their headlights to warn you of one ahead; and there’s no instant notification you’ve hit one the way an officer hands you a ticket.  On the contrary, hitting a spam trap is like getting a ticket in the mail days later that levies a huge fine, without informing you where or when the violation occurred.

What’s perhaps most disheartening to marketers is that there’s no magic radar detector for spam

 traps.  In order to function properly and catch spammers, they’re designed to remain undetected.  Therefore, the best course for avoiding spam traps is not detection, but prevention.  Below are six rules of the road for avoiding spam traps, so you can keep your IP reputation intact and your  email marketing program humming.

1. Don’t Harvest or Buy Lists – It goes without saying that email addresses should never be harvested.  While less offensive, list buying also comes with peril.  Despite vendor claims, purchased lists often contain spam traps.  One is all it takes to derail an email program.

2. Ask for the Double Opt-in – A double opt-in sends a confirmation email to new subscribers, requiring explicit action (i.e. clicking a link) before they’re added to your database.  This way, spam traps can’t be maliciously added through web registration forms.

3. Check Email Aliases and Domains – There are certain email aliases and domains to avoid (examples below), as they aren’t likely to be used by actual, consenting subscribers.  While they aren’t automatically spam traps, it’s best to quarantine addresses containing them.

• Aliases: abuse@, info@, ops@, postmaster@, root@
• Domains: @mail-abuse.com, @sorbs.net, @spamhaus.com, @stopspam.org

4. Quarantine Soft Bounces – Soft bounces can safely be retried up to five times.  If these attempts aren’t successful, the email addresses should then be quarantined.  As an aside, all hard bounces should be immediately quarantined.

5. Reengage or Remove Inactive Addresses – Instead of continuing to send inactive addresses your standard emails, segment them for a win-back campaign.  If there’s still no response, they should be quarantined and removed from future communications.

6. Perform Regular Data Hygiene – Ongoing data hygiene is essential to avoiding spam traps and protecting your IP reputation.  Like any maintenance, it’s much less of a burden if performed on a routine and frequent basis.

What other best practices have you implemented to avoid spam traps?  Leave a comment below.