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Industry Strength Email Delivery.
MailChimp utilizes the same industrial-strength email delivery engine that Fortune 500 companies use. Our servers aren't just extremely powerful, fast and scalable---they're setup using years of email delivery experience to follow all the rules and best practices defined by the ISPs.
Reputation is everything. Infrastructure is reputation.
Once your email subscriber list reaches a certain size, there are certain things that ISPs look for from an email sender. There are lots of rules. If you don't play by the rules, your emails get blocked. Oh, and the rules change almost every day.
MailChimp's been delivering email marketing campaigns since 2001. We've sent hundreds of millions of emails for tens of thousands of customers all over the globe. So we've learned a thing or two about email delivery. And we know that it's not just about pumping out tons of campaigns. Email marketing is a 2-way street. Our infrastructure is setup to continuously monitor:
Incoming lists:
- We do not leave the front door wide open. Along with built-in algorithms that watch for red flags, we have a human review team that must approve any new signup before they can send campaigns from MailChimp. We don't believe in "shoot now, apologize later" and we don't churn through thousands of disposable IP addresses.
- The MailChimp list management system only uses the double opt-in (also known as confirmed opt-in) method. We don't give people a choice of "opt-out" or "single opt-in."
Outgoing campaigns:
- Our system automatically splits very large campaigns into smaller "chunks" and distributes them across multiple IP addresses to lessen the impact on ISP spam filters and firewalls.
- Our human review team constantly monitors the outgoing mail queue for any signs of trouble.
- Our list management system makes sure that all outgoing campaigns include our one-click unsubscribe link, to help you comply with CAN-SPAM.
Bounced emails
- If you don't process your bounce backs properly, you will get blacklisted by ISPs and email firewalls for poor list management.
- After you send an email campaign, MailChimp automatically processes your bounce backs, determines why they bounced, and sorts them appropriately.
- Undeliverable email addresses are removed from your list immediately, and "temporarily unavailable" email addresses are kept for 4 more campaigns.
- We keep full smtp header records of every single recipient who bounced, so you can find out exactly why some people bounced (and pinpoint deliverability issues with your list).
- Bounced emails cannot be accidentally imported to your list. We keep track of anyone that has unsubscribed or bounced, and we do not allow them back on the list (unless they double opt-in themselves).
Feedback Loops
- We've setup feedback loops with ISPs to monitor spam complaints as they happen, and prevent deliverability problems before they happen. If a MailChimp customer sends a campaign and their recipients report them for spamming, we'll automatically remove those recipients from the list (to prevent future complaints). We'll also investigate the account for any signs of abuse, or consult with the sender on their list management practices. We're setup to parse feedback and complaints from the following:
- AOL
- Comcast
- Earthlink
- Microsoft Hotmail/MSN/Live
- Outblaze
- Roadrunner
- United Online (Netzero, etc)
World-class Data Center
Unlike some of the cheaper email service providers, we don't manage your lists on a hamster-powered desktop computer sitting in our broom closet. Our servers are managed 24x7x365 in a data center equipped with the following:
- Keycard protocols, biometric scanning protocols and round-the-clock interior and exterior surveillance monitor access to every one of our data centers.
- Only authorized data center personnel are granted access credentials. No one else can enter the production area of the datacenter without prior clearance and an appropriate escort.
- Every data center's HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) system is N+1 redundant. This ensures that a duplicate system immediately comes online should there be an HVAC system failure.
- Every 90 seconds, all the air in our data centers are circulated and filtered to remove dust and contaminants.
- Advanced fire suppression systems stop fires from spreading in the unlikely event one should occur.
- N+1 redundant UPS power subsystem, with instantaneous failover if the primary UPS fails.
- Only fully redundant, enterprise-class routing equipment is used.
- All MailChimp customer data is mirrored and backed up remotely for added safety in the unlikely case of of system failure
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