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Email Marketing Mistakes You Might Be Making

Strunk Media Group
What Mistakes Are You Making in Your Email Marketing Campaign?

Have you been trying to reach your customers through email marketing campaigns but you haven’t seen any real results? That could be because there’s a difference between email marketing and effective email marketing. Email marketing is creating an obligatory email and blasting it off to your database, hoping for the best. Effective email marketing involves much more. It entails first designating a list of target customers that you want to reach, designing an email specifically for them, implementing an intriguing subject line, sending the email at the right time, and reviewing your campaign’s analytics. While an effective email marketing campaign involves more time, commitment, and resources, it pays off in the long run with a much higher ROI.

Are you making mistakes that are stopping your email campaigns from being effective? Check out the most common email marketing mistakes below and how to fix them.

1. You're Not Sure Who You're Emailing

What’s the most important part of an email? While some people might think it’s the look and design, that’s actually not correct. The most important part of any marketing campaign is the people you’re targeting. Your email can only be effective if it’s relevant to those who receive it. If you own a home renovation company and you want to stir up some bathroom remodeling projects, you’d want to make sure that you’re sending your emails to people that at least own a home, right? If your email ended up in the inbox of an 18-year-old in college, it wouldn’t matter how good your email looked because that person is probably not in need of your services.

QUICK TIPS

  • Segment, segment, segment!
      1. You (hopefully) have a detailed CRM with all of your customers that you can call upon for your email campaign. As long as you do, you can create lists of customers based on their characteristics and design your email accordingly. Example: A landscaping company can segment their customers based on property size, so they can send different emails offering different services based on the amount of land their customers need groomed.
  • Beware of buying lists.
      1. If you don’t have a detailed customer base and are instead thinking about buying an email list, tread lightly. There are a lot of companies offering lists that aren’t up-to-date or not properly segmented as you want. Your best bet is to go through a marketing company that will create a well-researched database based on the criteria you want. It may be more time-consuming and expensive, but it’s the better option if you want your campaign to be effective. Trust me, the email address I made when I was eight years old still receives a lot of emails, meaning it’s definitely on some bogus email lists.
2. You Don't Have a Design Plan

Once you’ve determined who the email is intended for, next answer why you’re creating the email. If the answer is “because I send them an email every month”, that’s not a good enough answer. Don’t jam up people’s inboxes with emails that don’t serve a purpose. Instead, think about the list you’re emailing and what they would like to see in an email.

QUICK TIPS

  • Design your email with your customer in mind.
  • Don’t create an email just for the sake of it.
  • Include relevant content that you think your audience would enjoy or engage with.
3. Your Subject Lines Need Improvement

The subject line is what gets your email opened. Since you should know exactly who you’re emailing and create an email designed for optimal engagement, your subject line is the last piece to getting your email read. Think about what your email is about and create a subject line reflecting that. Keep it short, simple, and maybe even find a way to add a little bit of humor. You should have a good understanding of who you want to open your email, so create a subject line based on what you think would work.

QUICK TIPS

  • Keep your subject line simple and sweet. The recommended length is 65 characters.
  • Keep it relevant to the email. Don’t advertise something that isn’t in the email.
  • Design your subject line with your audience in mind. What would make them open an email?
  • Avoid Spam Triggers
    1. Make sure you’re not including words that could trigger a spam filter. Certain words like “free”, “cash”, “cheap”, “price”, “quote”, and “click” can make your email go right to the spam folder.
4. Your Email Could Be Better Timed or Have a Better Design

Timing and design are two more important elements of an effective email marketing campaign. If you have a great email, it needs to be sent at the right time for the best chances of being opened. Using an email automation software like MailChimp or Constant Contact allows you to pick an optimal time for your email to send based on their data. Once your email is ready to send, make sure its design is flawless. It should look professional to reflect your business. Include your logo and business information like your website, address, and phone number. A well designed email is respected and yields higher results than a sloppy one.

QUICK TIPS

  • Send your email at the right time. Use an automated email software for scheduling or conduct your own research to find out when the best day and time to send emails to people in your industry is.
  • Keep a professional design with business information.
  • Use more text than images. Emails with high image content are more likely to end up in a spam folder. When you do use images, be sure to include proper ALT text in case the images don’t load.
5. You’re Not Reviewing Your Analytics

What is the point of an email campaign if you’re not tracking your progress? Just like you’d want to know the effectiveness of a radio or television ad, you need to analyze your email campaign’s results as well. Track how many people opened, unsubscribed, or replied to your email. If you use an email marketing company or software, be sure that you’re receiving reports of all of your email campaigns to evaluate their effectiveness.

  • Use a company or software to track your results. Review every campaign’s analytics.
  • Try A/B testing to determine the best email marketing practices for your clientele.
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