Email – Checklist for New Clients

1. Determine sending domain(s)
   • We cannot share a domain with another ESP nor are we able to send from a domain that is a URL you are currently using for web pages.
   • Based on volume/sending cadence/types of sends, client may want to use more than one domain.  If your volume is sufficient, having separate domains for newsletters and promotional emails may be beneficial.
     
2. Determine if dedicated IP’s or a sending pool is most beneficial.  A discussion regarding the pros and cons of each will be conducted with the client and the Omeda team.  As above, the volume/sending cadence/types of sends are the factors we consider when making these choices.  Good reference articles for background on this can be found in the Shared Environments and Dedicated IPs articles.
   
3. Bounce thresholds will be reviewed and finalized.  Omeda maintains both a soft bounce counter and a hard bounce counter threshold.  Once an email address hits either one of the threshold limits, it will then be flagged as Invalid.  The threshold limits are customizable at the database level.
   
4. Omeda can purchase the sending domain(s) on the client’s behalf or the client can purchase and point to our nameservers:
   • namesrv.omeda.com
   • namesrv2.omeda.com
     
5. Omeda will provide a template for client to complete where we ask you to provide all deployment type names, the associated sending domain, designation, and any of the default information you would like pre-populated for the subject, from and mailbox fields.
   • Deployment type – This may be synonymous with a ‘list’ that is currently used at another ESP.  Each newsletter product has a corresponding deployment type.  Unique deployment types are also assigned to 3^rd party sends, subscription renewals, digital alerts, webinar invites, etc.  Unsubscribes/Optouts are stored at the deployment type level.  When creating a new deployment for sending, you must declare the deployment type – optouts are then automatically removed.  It is impossible to send an email to someone who has opted out of that deployment type.
   • Designation – This assigns a value of newsletter, marketing, audience promotion, etc. to each deployment type.  The benefit of this is to allow you to run specialized reports on each designation category.  It is easily changeable at any time.
     
6. Once the template is returned, the Omeda team will set up the sending infrastructure.  This will take approximately 5 days.
   
7. As part of conversion and onboarding, all optin and optout data will be loaded to the corresponding products and deployment types.  NOTE: due to legal regulations, the client is responsible for providing all optouts that occur after the final conversion files are presented to Omeda.  Legally, you must collect these for 60 days for CASL and 30 days for CAN-SPAM.  There is specific time element declared in GDPR for the EU countries.  We recommend that you use the baseline of 60 days post-conversion for all.
   
8. Omeda will send warm-up deployments for new clients.  Information can be found in our Knowledge Base on email deliverability. Please reference the New Domain/IP address Warm-up section
   • The client is responsible for providing the content.  The Omeda team can provide samples.
   • Ideally, new clients will provide the email addresses for the warm-ups divided into the following buckets
     • Engaged in the past 3 months
     • Engaged in the past 4-6 months
     • Engaged in the past 7-12 months
     • Not engaged in the past year
   • The Email Success team will monitor deliverability and address any blocking that occurs at the ISP’s.  The client will be alerted if there is blocking at corporate domains. The client is responsible for reaching out to customers at those domains, personally requesting the whitelisting.
   • Once the warm-ups are completed, live sending can immediately commence.
     
9. The Omeda team will register all new domains and IP’s with all available feedback loops.