Over 40% of all emails within your marketing campaign are not 
being delivered. You may not even be aware of this, as many 
ISPs will not send back a bounce message. In fact if you are 
sending messages to AOL customers, AOL is now blocking over 
80% of the messages that come into their servers.

One of the main reasons that this is occurring is that your
IP or Domain may be Black Listed. All major ISP's and many 
corporate email systems now check against Black Lists and will 
refuse to deliver any emails that come from an IP that is Black
Listed.


But what exactly is a Black List?

DNS black lists are lists of domains and IP's that are known
to originate Spam. Many anti-spam software programs used by
corporations and ISP's use these lists to control Spam by
refusing any email that originates from one of these domains
or IPs.

Unfortunately there are many instances of false positives as
there are few checks and often little objectivity when listing
a particular IP. In order for a black list to know that a
domain is sending Spam, the offence must be reported. It may 
take only one report via a web form for you to be listed.

You may be listed maliciously through one complaint of a client,
or that of a competitor. Many Black Lists, as well, will list 
not only the IP that is suspected as spamming, but will list 
any IPs in that range of addresses. If someone using the same 
Internet provider as you is accused of spamming and is placed
on a Black List, you may be listed as well.

DNS blacklists are usually maintained by anti-spam organizations
or by individuals.


What are some of the most popular Black Lists that ISPs are using?

Some of these include:

MAPS - http://www.mail-abuse.com/
Spam Cop - http://www.spamcop.net/
SpamHaus - http://www.spamhaus.org/
SPEWS.org - http://www.spews.org/
ORDB.org - Open Relay Database - http://www.ordb.org/


How do I know if I am on a Black List?

Unfortunately, you really can't be 100% sure if you have been 
black listed.  You may be on someone's black list and not even 
know it. There are, however,  ways to check most of the lists.

One way is to check your server log when sending your 
campaigns. You will often see an email bounce notice 
indicating that the message has bounced because you
are on a particular black list.

Many of the major black lists also allow you to enter your IP
into a form on their site. These checks will tell you whether 
you appear, or not, on their list.

A useful tool, is the Black List Monitor. 
http://www.blacklistmonitor.com 

It automatically checks your IP against most of the major Black 
Lists and tells you which ones you are listed on.  It also 
gives you help in getting removed. All your IPs are constantly 
monitored for any changes, listings, or delistings.


But what is a White List and how can this help?

Many corporations and ISPs will create a white list.  This
is a list of trusted IP addresses that they feel confident
will not send spam to their customers.  If your IP is listed
on a particular white list then your email messages will be
delivered to the destination email address. It is important 
for reputable marketers to work with the major ISP's such as 
AOL to ensure that you are on their white list. For most, it 
can be a lengthy process, but well worth your efforts.

Other third-party email certification programs now exist. 
Bonded sender http://www.bondedsender.com is one such agency. 
By joining Bonded Sender, senders improve deliverability rates 
and differentiate their brand. Senders go through a formal
application process, adhere to email standards and post
a bond against potential complaints. Major ISPs such as
MSN/Hotmail now check against Bond Sender's white list and
allow these email to pass.

Knowing if you are on a black list, getting removed if you
are and getting established on white lists is critical
if you are email marketing. The more messages delivered equals
more sales!