Why Your Emails Are Landing in the Spam Folder (and What It’s Costing You)
I’ve seen it happen to dozens of Brisbane businesses. A local electrician or a boutique shop in Paddington spends hours putting together a great offer, hits 'send' to 2,000 customers, and... crickets. No phone calls. No bookings. No sales.
When we look under the hood, we find the problem: Google and Outlook have decided your business is a 'spammer.' They aren't even showing your email to your customers. It’s going straight to the junk folder.
In the marketing world, we call the fix for this "email warm-up." But for you, the business owner, it’s simply about reputation. If the big email companies don't trust you, you’re invisible. And being invisible is expensive.
This guide is a deep dive into how to build that trust so your emails actually get read. We’re going to look at the data, the trends for 2024 and 2025, and exactly what you need to do to make sure your marketing makes you money instead of wasting your time.
The Reality of Modern Email: It’s Harder Than It Used to Be
Ten years ago, you could buy a list of names, blast out an email, and get results. Today, if you try that, Big Tech will shut you down in hours.
Google and Yahoo recently changed the rules. They now have strict limits on how many emails you can send and how many people are allowed to hit the 'report spam' button before they block you entirely. If more than 3 out of every 1,000 people complain about your email, you’re in serious trouble.
I’ve spoken to business owners who thought they were doing the right thing, only to find out their email platform costs were sky-high because they were paying for subscribers who weren't even seeing the messages.
What is "Warming Up" anyway?
Think of it like a new credit card. If you’ve never had credit before, the bank won’t lend you $100,000 for a new truck. You have to start small, pay your bills on time, and prove you’re reliable.
Email is the same. If you suddenly send 5,000 emails from a new address, Google thinks you’re a scammer who just hacked a system. To get results, you have to start with 20 emails, then 50, then 100, proving that people actually want to hear from you.
The Data: Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore This
We’ve analysed data across hundreds of small business accounts. The difference between a "warm" email account and a cold one is staggering:
Cold Accounts: 15-20% of emails reach the inbox. The rest go to junk. Warmed Accounts: 85-98% of emails reach the inbox.
If you have 1,000 customers, a cold account means only 150 people see your sale. A warmed account means 950 people see it. That is a massive difference in potential revenue for the exact same amount of work.
Trend Analysis: What’s Changing in 2024/2025
1. The Death of the "Blast"
Sending the same generic email to everyone on your list is the fastest way to get blocked. The trend is moving toward smaller, highly relevant groups. When people click and engage, Google sees that as a sign of quality.By using segmentation strategies, you ensure that only the people interested in a specific service get that email. This keeps your 'complaint rate' low and your trust level high.
2. AI-Driven Filtering
Google is now using advanced AI to read your emails before your customers do. If your email looks like a scam—too many capital letters, "FREE" written everywhere, or dodgy links—it gets flagged instantly. Expert insights suggest that 'cleaner' emails with more helpful text and fewer flashy graphics are actually performing better for local businesses now.3. Engagement is the New King
It used to be enough that people didn't delete your email. Now, the big providers want to see people replying or clicking. This is why we tell our Brisbane clients to ask a question in their emails. "Reply to this email with 'YES' if you want the discount code" is a great way to prove to Google that you are a real person having real conversations.Step-by-Step: How to Warm Up Your Email Correctly
If you’ve just started a new business or moved to a new email system, do not send a mass blast. Follow this schedule instead.
Phase 1: The Technical Handshake (Week 1)
Before you send a single marketing email, you need to make sure your 'digital ID' is set up. This is usually done in your website settings. It tells the world, "Yes, this email really is coming from My Brisbane Plumber, not a scammer in another country."If you don't do this, you're dead in the water. Most business owners get this wrong because it sounds technical, but any decent web guy can do it in 15 minutes.
Phase 2: The Slow Burn (Weeks 2-4)
Start by sending emails to your best customers—the ones you know will open them. Day 1-3: Send 10-20 emails per day. Day 4-7: Increase to 40-50 per day. Week 2: Move up to 100 per day.During this time, focus on getting people to open your messages. Use subject lines that aren't 'salesy.' Try something like "Quick question about your last service" or "Update for our local customers."
Phase 3: Monitoring the Health
Watch your numbers. If you see that suddenly nobody is opening your emails, stop immediately. You’ve hit a tripwire.What is a Waste of Money?
I’ll be blunt: Buying email lists is a complete waste of money.
I see businesses in Fortitude Valley or Milton buy a list of "5,000 local business owners" for $500. They think they’re getting a bargain. In reality, those lists are full of dead email addresses and people who will immediately report you as spam.
Within two days, your professional email address will be blacklisted. You won't even be able to send an invoice to a regular client because your whole domain is 'poisoned.' It can take months and thousands of dollars to fix that damage. Don't do it.
How Long Until You See Results?
If you do this right, you’ll start seeing the benefits in about 3 to 4 weeks.
Month 1: You're building trust. You might not see a huge spike in sales, but you're laying the foundation. Month 2: Your emails are hitting the inbox consistently. This is when you start seeing more phone calls and enquiries. Month 3: You can run big promotions with confidence, knowing that when you hit 'send,' the money will actually show up in your bank account.Expert Insights: The "Human" Factor
We worked with a landscaping business in Morningside that was struggling to get any traction with their monthly newsletter. They were sending it to 3,000 people, but only about 200 were opening it.
We stopped their big sends and spent 30 days "re-warming" their account. We sent small batches of helpful advice (how to keep your lawn alive in the QLD heat) rather than just "Book now for 10% off."
By the end of the second month, their open rate tripled. Because more people saw the emails, their booking rate went up by 400%. They didn't need more customers on their list; they just needed the customers they already had to actually see their messages.
What Should You Do First?
1. Check your 'Sent' folder: Are you getting lots of 'Undeliverable' notices? That’s a bad sign. 2. Clean your list: If someone hasn't opened an email from you in six months, stop sending to them. They are hurting your reputation. 3. Start small: If you have a big announcement, don't send it to everyone at once. Break it into groups over 3 or 4 days. 4. Ask for a reply: In your next email, ask your customers a simple question. Every reply you get is like a 'gold star' from Google.
Summary for the Busy Owner
Email marketing is still the most profitable thing you can do for your business—but only if the emails get delivered. If you treat your email account like a megaphone and just shout at everyone, you’ll get muted. Treat it like a conversation, build your reputation slowly, and the results will follow.
If this sounds like a lot of work you don't have time for, that's where we come in. At Local Marketing Group, we handle the technical headaches and the strategy so you can just focus on answering the phone when it rings.
Ready to stop landing in the junk folder? Contact us at Local Marketing Group and let’s get your emails working for you again.