It’s easy to make email marketing mistakes, especially if you’re new to the field or if you don’t keep up with the latest trends.
Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to reach your customers, but the details of a successful email marketing campaign can be complicated.
In this guide, we’ll cover 16 common email marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Not having a clear goal
Before you start writing your email, you should have a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish with your message.
Maybe you’re trying to drive traffic to your website, or you want to increase sales of a new product with a customized rewards program. Perhaps you want to get more people to sign up for your email list.
Whatever your goal is, make sure it’s specific and measurable. That way, you can track your progress and see how well your email campaign is performing.
2. Not having a plan
We get it. As a small business owner, you’re busy. But sending out emails just for the sake of sending out emails isn’t a good strategy. In fact, it can have the opposite effect and annoy your customers.
Before you start your email marketing, make sure you have a plan in place. You should know what you want to accomplish, who you’re trying to reach, and what types of emails you’re going to send.
3. Not segmenting your email list
If you’re not segmenting your email list, you’re making a big mistake. Email list segmentation is the practice of breaking your email list into smaller groups based on specific criteria so you can send more personalized and targeted emails.
Not only does list segmentation allow you to send more relevant and targeted emails, but it also helps you improve the overall performance of your email marketing campaigns. In fact, according to a study by Mailchimp, segmented email campaigns had a 14.31% higher open rate and a 100.95% higher click-through rate than non-segmented campaigns.
4. Not personalizing your emails
Personalization is key to the success of your email marketing efforts. In fact, it’s so important that 74% of marketers say targeted personalization increases customer engagement. That’s because personalizing your emails shows your leads and customers that you understand their needs and that you care about their preferences.
5. Not having a catchy subject line
Your subject line is the first thing your audience will see, so it’s important to make a great first impression.
Your subject line should be catchy and make people want to click on your email. If your subject line is too long, boring, or vague, your email will likely get deleted without being opened.
Instead, keep your subject line short and sweet, and try to pique your audience’s curiosity. You can also use emojis and special characters to help your subject line stand out.
6. Not optimizing for mobile
The majority of people read their emails on mobile devices, and that number is only increasing. If your emails aren’t optimized for mobile, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of your audience.
Mobile optimization is a must for all emails, but it’s especially important for promotional emails. If your emails don’t look good on mobile, people are much more likely to delete them without reading.
7. Not using a call to action
Every email you send should have a purpose.
Whether it’s to increase sales, increase traffic to a blog post, get people to follow you on social media, or something else, you should make sure your email content and design works to achieve your goal.
And to do that, you need to include a call to action (CTA).
A CTA is simply a button or link that tells your subscribers what you want them to do. It should be short and to the point, and you should only include one CTA per email.
If you include too many CTAs, your subscribers won’t know what to do and they may not do anything at all.
8. Not measuring your results
If you aren’t measuring your results, how do you know if your campaigns are successful?
Measuring your email marketing results is crucial to understanding how well your campaigns are performing and what you can do to improve.
Some of the key metrics you should be tracking include open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates. You should also be looking at your overall email marketing ROI.
9. Not testing
You should never send an email campaign without testing it first.
Testing helps you make sure your email looks great, reads well, and is optimized for the best results.
At the very least, you should be testing your email’s subject line, preview text, and from name. You should also be testing your email’s design and content.
With A/B testing, you can test different elements of your email campaign to see which one performs the best.
You can test your email’s subject line, from name, content, and even the time of day you send it to see what works best for your audience.
Testing is the best way to make sure you’re sending the best possible email campaign.
10. Sending too many emails
Just as you can lose subscribers by not sending enough emails, you can also lose them by sending too many.
If you’re constantly showing up in their inboxes, they’ll get tired of you and your brand. And if they find themselves not interested in your emails, they might just unsubscribe.
The key to avoiding this email marketing mistake is to find the right balance. That balance will be different for every business, but a good place to start is by sending one email per week. After a few months, you can look at your email marketing analytics to see if you should send more or less.
11. Sending too few emails
Contrary to what you might think, sending too few emails can harm your email marketing strategy. If you only send an email when you have something to sell, your email list will start to associate your emails with sales pitches.
Instead, send a mix of sales and non-sales emails to your list. This could include things like:
• Tips and tricks related to your product or service
• Industry news
• Company updates
• Customer testimonials
• Personal stories
Sending a variety of emails will help you build a relationship with your email list and keep your audience engaged.
12. Not sending a welcome email
When a new contact signs up for your email list, it’s important to send them a welcome email.
Welcome emails are the first impression a new subscriber has of your brand. They set the tone for future emails and your relationship with your audience. You can use welcome emails to thank new subscribers, introduce them to your brand, and tell them what to expect from your email list.
If you don’t send a welcome email, you could miss an opportunity to connect with new leads and customers.
13. Not creating a custom email template
Using a generic email template is a mistake. These are the types of emails that are automatically filtered to the “promotions” tab in Gmail, and are more likely to be ignored or deleted without being opened.
Creating a custom email template that aligns with your brand and is designed specifically for your offer is a great way to boost credibility and increase your chances of getting your emails opened.
If you’re not a graphic designer, you can use a tool like Canva to create your own custom email templates. Canva has a variety of pre-made email templates to choose from, and you can easily customize them with your own colors, fonts, and images.
14. Not cleaning your email list
Email list cleaning is the process of removing inactive, outdated, or otherwise invalid email addresses from your list. Cleaning your email list helps you maintain a good sender reputation and ensures your emails are reaching engaged, interested subscribers.
If you never clean your email list, you could be sending emails to spam traps, fake email addresses, or people who have unsubscribed from your emails. This can lead to a higher spam complaint rate and, ultimately, a lower deliverability rate.
To keep your email list clean, remove any hard bounces (invalid email addresses) and consider re-engaging or removing any subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in a while. You can also use a list cleaning service to help you identify and remove any invalid or inactive email addresses from your list.
15. Not having an email marketing strategy
Email marketing is a powerful tool, but it’s not one that should be used without a plan. You need to know who you’re trying to reach, what you want to say and how you want to say it.
Your email marketing strategy should include your goals, target audience, the type of content you’ll create, how often you’ll send emails and how you’ll measure success.
Without a strategy, you’ll end up wasting time and resources. You’ll also be less likely to see the results you want.
16. Not automating your emails
Did you know you can automate your email campaigns? This is a great way to save time and ensure your customers get the information they need when they need it.
You can automate a variety of emails, from welcome emails to abandoned cart reminders. You can also create automated email campaigns based on customer behavior, such as a series of emails that are triggered when a customer makes a purchase.
Automating your emails will help you save time and ensure your customers get the information they need when they need it. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure you’re sending the right message to the right person at the right time.
Conclusion
Don’t let these 16 email marketing mistakes hold you back. These can be easily avoided, and your email marketing strategy can be optimized to help you grow better.