Why Your Emails Are Getting Ignored (And How It’s Costing You Money)
Imagine you’ve spent three hours putting together a detailed quote for a big renovation job in Coorparoo. You hit send, feeling confident. Two days go by. Silence. You follow up, only for the customer to say, "Oh, I never saw that. I ended up going with the other guy."
You check, and sure enough, your email is sitting in their 'Junk' folder.
This isn't just a minor tech glitch. It’s a hole in your bucket where profit is leaking out every single day. In the last year, Google and Yahoo (who handle most of your customers' email accounts) have tightened the screws. They are now much more aggressive about blocking emails that don't have the right "digital ID cards" attached to them.
If you don’t have these settings sorted, you are essentially shouting into a void. Whether you are sending out a monthly newsletter or a one-on-one invoice, your business relies on people actually seeing what you send.
In this guide, I’m going to skip the IT-nerd talk and tell you exactly what you need to do to make sure your emails land in the inbox, not the bin.
The Three "Digital ID Cards" Your Business Needs
Think of the internet like a high-security gated community. To get through the gate (the inbox), your email needs to prove it’s not a scammer or a thief. There are three main "ID cards" the gatekeeper looks for.
Technically, these have names like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. But for you, here is what they actually do for your business:
1. The "Authorised Driver" List (SPF)
This tells the world exactly which systems are allowed to send email on your behalf. If you use Outlook for your daily work, but use a different tool for your marketing, both need to be on the list. If a mail server sees an email coming from your name that isn't on the list, it assumes it's a fake and tosses it.2. The "Tamper-Proof Seal" (DKIM)
This is like a digital wax seal on an envelope. It proves that the email hasn't been intercepted or changed by a hacker between the time you hit 'send' and the time it arrives. It guarantees the content is exactly what you wrote.3. The "Security Guard" (DMARC)
This is the most important one. It tells the receiving computer what to do if the first two ID cards are missing. Do you want them to let the email through anyway? (Bad idea). Do you want them to put it in spam? Or do you want them to block it entirely?Without these three things, you are sending emails nobody sees, and that is a massive waste of your time and marketing budget.
Is Your Business At Risk?
I’ve seen this happen to dozens of Brisbane businesses—from law firms in the CBD to landscapers in North Lakes. They think because they can send an email to their spouse or their own personal Gmail, everything is fine.
But the gatekeepers are smarter than that. They look at your "sender reputation" over time. If you send 100 emails and 20 go to junk, the systems start to think all your emails are junk. It’s a downward spiral that is very hard to fix once it starts.
Here is how to tell if you have a problem: Customers constantly tell you "I didn't get that email." Your "open rates" (how many people click on your emails) are dropping lower every month. You’ve never heard of SPF or DKIM and haven't touched your website settings in years.
If any of those sound like you, you are likely losing thousands of dollars in missed opportunities.
What This Costs You
Let’s talk numbers, because that’s what matters. If you have a list of 1,000 past customers and you send them a special offer that usually brings in $5,000 in bookings, but 40% of those emails go to spam because of poor security settings, you just lost $2,000.
And it’s not just the marketing. It’s the email platform costs you’re paying every month for a service that isn't actually delivering your messages. You’re paying for the privilege of being ignored.
The "Big Three" Changes in 2024
Starting earlier this year, the rules changed. Google and Yahoo now require these settings if you send more than a few thousand emails a day. But even if you’re a small operator sending much less, they are using these same rules to filter everyone.
If you don't have these protocols in place, you are basically marked as "unverified." In the eyes of a big tech company, an unverified business is a potential scammer. They won't take the risk of letting you into their users' inboxes.
How to Fix It (The Practical Steps)
You don't need to be a computer programmer to get this sorted, but you do need to be methodical. Here is the path I recommend for most Brisbane small business owners:
Step 1: Audit Your Tools
Make a list of every single service that sends email using your business domain (e.g., @yourbusiness.com.au). This might include: Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace (your daily email) Xero or MYOB (for invoices) Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign (for newsletters) Your website itself (for contact form notifications)Step 2: The "Ask Your IT Guy" Conversation
If you have an IT person or a web developer, send them this exact sentence: "I need to ensure our SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up for all our sending platforms to meet the new 2024 sender requirements. Can you verify this and send me a report?"If they look at you blankly, find a new IT person. This is basic hygiene in 2024.
Step 3: Check Your Website Forms
One of the biggest areas where we see local businesses fail is their website enquiry forms. We’ve worked with a plumber in Morningside who thought his business was just "quiet," but it turned out his website was sending enquiries to his junk folder for six months. He lost dozens of jobs.You need to turn website enquiries into sales by ensuring that when someone fills out a form, the notification actually hits your inbox immediately.
Why Most Businesses Get This Wrong
Most business owners think that if they use a big-name provider like Outlook or Gmail, the "security stuff" is handled automatically. It isn't.
These providers give you the
tools*, but you have to turn the key in the lock. It’s like buying a high-tech security system for your shop but never actually setting the alarm code. The hardware is there, but it’s not doing anything to protect you.Another mistake is setting it up once and forgetting it. If you sign up for a new booking software or a new invoicing tool next month, you have to go back and add that new tool to your "authorised driver" list. If you don't, that new tool's emails will go straight to junk.
A Note on "Spammy" Content
Even if your technical settings are perfect, you can still get blocked if your content is rubbish. If you are constantly blasting people with "BUY NOW" emails that they didn't ask for, they will hit the 'Spam' button.
When enough people hit that button, Google decides you are a nuisance. No amount of technical SPF or DKIM settings will save you then. This is why it is critical to keep your list clean and only talk to people who actually want to hear from you.
The 48-Hour Rule
Once you (or your tech person) update these settings, it doesn't happen instantly. It takes about 24 to 48 hours for the rest of the internet to "see" your updated ID cards. Don't send a massive marketing blast five minutes after fixing your settings. Give it a couple of days to settle in.
Is It Worth the Hassle?
Look, I get it. You’re busy. You’ve got staff to manage, jobs to quote, and a business to run. Dealing with DNS records and authentication protocols sounds like a headache you don't need.
But here is the reality: Email is still the most profitable way to grow a small business.
Social media is great, but you don't own your followers—Mark Zuckerberg does. With email, you own that list. It is your most valuable asset. If you can't reach that list because your technical settings are broken, you are sitting on a gold mine but you've lost the key to the gate.
Fixing this is a one-time job that pays dividends for years. It ensures your quotes get seen, your invoices get paid, and your marketing actually makes you money.
Summary of Action Items
1. Test your current status: Use a free tool like 'Mail-Tester' to see if your current emails are passing the security checks. 2. Identify your senders: Know every app that sends email for you. 3. Update your records: Get your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC set up correctly. 4. Monitor the results: Watch your open rates. If they go up, it’s working.
Need a Hand Getting This Sorted?
At Local Marketing Group, we don't just talk about this stuff—we fix it for Brisbane businesses every day. We know you don't care about the "how" as much as the "does it work?"
We can audit your current setup, fix the technical holes, and make sure your emails are actually working to grow your business instead of dying in a junk folder.
If you want to stop wondering why your emails aren't getting replies, let’s have a chat. We’ll get under the hood, fix the wiring, and get your business communications back on track.
Ready to get more results from your emails? Contact Local Marketing Group today.