If you are an email marketer or otherwise work in the digital marketing field, you already know the crucial importance of newsletters. Also, you know that even the most perfect campaign can be ruined by email marketing mistakes.
Here we will warn you against of the most common oversights you can commit. And we’ll tell you how to avoid them succesfully.
Email marketing mistakes: first things first
According to this research on Bluehost.com, every 1$ spent on a campaing return approximately 44$ in ROIIl ROI (Return Of Investment) è il ritorno sull'investimento ossia il guadagno complessivo generato dall'investimento... Leggi (return of investment). So, this is exactly how important a good email marketing campaign is.
But you even the most seasoned professional make errors in judgment. Maybe because they have too much on their plate, or simply because this field changes greatly on a daily basis.
For this reason, you need to always be up-to-date with the most important news and the most common email marketing mistakes to avoid.
1. The wrong subject line
You can write the most wonderful, engaging, sweet and valuable content. Even so, it won’t convert and won’t acquire new customers if no-one reads it.
For instance, the subject line of your message is not intriguing enough for people to open it. Or maybe it’s too promising and people directly throw it in the spamIn gergo la parola spam significa spazzatura. Difatti, indica un messaggio indesiderato. Un messaggio che... Leggi folder.
Either way, you made the most unforgivable of email marketing mistakes. That is, you lost users instead of acquiring and retenting them.
2. Overselling is one of the most common email marketing mistakes
Did you know that? You can be hell-bent on gaininig new customers or obtaining their trust… and actually get the opposite. In fact, when your email marketing strategy is too overselling, it promises too much or is too enthusiastic, people get suspicious.
Think about it: how many people fall victims of online scams every day? Naturally they get super distrustful of something that can be seen as “too good to be true”.
So, for instance, try to be both optimistic and realist in your email copy. This way users will understand your value and how you can help them. But at the same time, they won’t perceive your services as shady.
3. Personalize your emails, always
Maybe you think it’s a useless and tiresome job. And you are right: who wants to address every single one of their users (especially when the number increases) by personal names? No-one does. That’s why email marketing automation exists.
As a rule, you should always address your recipients with their name. But that’s not the only thing. Also, try to personalize the content of your emails as much as possible.
Do that through targeted email contact lists and life-saving automated bulk email services. Those agencies and companies are there to provide you with the most precise and targeted messages. Each email will go the right person at the right time.
4. Also, personalize yourself
That means, don’t make people think they are interacting with a robot. Conversational interfaces and automated messaged are a great way to engage your users while also saving time and energy.
But be too robotic and impersonal is one of the biggest email marketing mistakes to avoid. People don’t like to talk to machines (who does, honestly?).
So, what’s the solution? Use technology at its highest potential. For example, apply automation to your relationship with customers, but set it out to be as human as possible. This will allow you to delegate boring jobs to artificial intelligence without sounding too cold.
5. Use storytelling wisely
You already know storytelling is a powerful tool in your digital marketing belt, right? So try and apply it to email marketing, too. In fact, people are more likely to engage with you if you tell a story.
You can try and alternate transactional emails, offers and promotions with some cool and well-written storytelling. For example, involve your empoyees to tell a funny office-related anecdote.
Or else, tell something about the company yourself, why that was your dream, how you can help people with their problems because you experienced the same thing. Of course, you don’t have to do it alone: hire a good copywriter to turn your personal story in an engaging one.
6. Don’t forget visual marketing
When you send an email, you want it to be impactful. So, of course you need good and powerful photos or images. But don’t be too eager about that.
Hire a graphic designer or apply one of the many newsletter templates. Some of them are free or very cheap to use. In that way, you will avoid some email marketing mistakes.
For instance, if your images are too heavy, people won’t wait for them to be downloaded. As a result, they will close your email without reading its full content.
7. Email marketing mistakes to avoid: timing is key
When we talk about emails, we talk about tons of messages received by a single person. One can get overwhelmed and just shut everything down. In order to avoid the worst email marketing mistakes, choose your perfect timing.
Too many email will lead prospects to abandon you. As well as too little contacts make them fortget you. As always, you need a compromise.
People will love to read your newsletter if it arrives at the right time. For example, set for a weekly newsletter. Your users will be eager to read your next message and wait that day with anticipation.
8. Use a call to action
One of the worst email marketing mistake is not having a goal. How can you convert your email marketing campaign, if there’s nothing to convert? You need to have a clear goal in mind when sending your emails.
Then write a direct, easy-to-read call to action. Put it front and center or at the very end of the message. Either way, people will be tempted to open it and perform the action.
Whether you want to acquire new customers or have loyal ones make another purchase on your website; you want them to follow you on social media or to download a freebie; just ask them.
9. Marketing mistakes to avoid: mobile users
Don’t ever forget to make your newsletter mobile-friendly. This is the worst email marketing mistake you can make, because most of the people read their emails on mobile devices.
Think about it. First thing in the morning, you scroll through social media and emails on your smartphone, right? Well, your prospects do the same.
So, don’t forget about them. More importantly, make their life easier. For instance, use light and easily readable fonts, newsletter templates and images. That way, they can read the whole content on a tiny screen. Be sure all your links work and all your content is super easy to read in every circumstance.
10. Integrate social media
One of the email marketing mistakes most people overlook is not integrating social media. In this day and age, everything is connected. So why do you think your campaigns are different?
Your digital marketing strategy needs to have a clear goal, a consistent aesthetic and the same tone of voice as your social media pages.
This way, people will instantly recognize you among the hundreds of messages they receive every day on every platform.
Other minor email marketing mistakes
Those 10 are the worst email marketing mistakes you can ever commit. But there are also minor slips you may be making.
- If you have not already subscribed to your newsletter, do it. That way you will have a first-hand impression of what works and what not.
- Apply A/B testing to your email marketing campaigns. You can experiment with different subject lines, copies, images, and call to action.
- Also, don’t forget to analyze results. You know your email marketing mistakes only when you analyze data.
In conclusion
Email marketing is crucial for your brandIl brand coincide con il marchio di un'azienda, ma la sua definizione ha più a... Leggi, whatever it is, so please be careful. Avoid this email marketing mistakes at all costs and always revise your strategy according to new trends and tools.
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