The answer to that question may determine whether your marketing emails end up in the junk folder or the inbox. You see, a large share of deliverability challenges can not be mitigated by clever technology or reputation management solutions. They are caused by companies, who do get permission to deliver email, but then send only sales messages.

Many recipients don’t remember or care whether they subscribed to your emails. At best they will unsubscribe — often, you run the risk of getting a click of the notorious “this is SPAM” button. Sending welcome email is in large part a result of your intent.

A recent article by Jackie Huba outlines the basic differences between sales messages that are imposed and evangelizing messages that are more often welcomed. These differences are remarkably similar to the differences between spam and welcome email.

To adapt Huba’s idea to email marketing, we would have a chart of characteristics that looks something like this:

Within these characteristics, how do your recipients rate your messages? Are they bored by the same old sales pitch in every message or are they sometimes engaged by your unconventional ideas? Do you share the passion and mission of your organization or only the latest discounts?

Over time, the answers to these questions will affect your email deliverability even when recipients have asked to receive your messages.