Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to connect with both current and prospective customers. It’s also one of the most affordable compared to paid social media advertising strategies and delivers the best ROI: according to an email marketing study at Forbes, using this strategy resulted in a $36 return for every dollar spent, a rather impressive figure.
All of this sounds great.. until a mistake happens and immediately negates all the efforts you’ve put into developing your email marketing campaign. Once you send an email and it’s out in cyberspace, there’s nothing to be done about it, no matter what your mistake is, and you’ll be left dealing with the consequences of your actions. Luckily, you don’t have to go through this scenario; to keep the worrisome knots out of your stomach, we have compiled a list of the most common email marketing mistakes, so you can avoid them as best as possible and set yourself up for success. Check them out below.
Not having measurable goals
Every successful email marketing campaign starts with goals. If you don’t know what you want to achieve, you’ll set yourself up for failure and are likely to make lots of mistakes that could otherwise be avoided. To avoid this, take the time to craft goals that are SMART: specific, measurable, assignable, relevant, and time-based.
For email marketing specifically, your goals should be focused around deliverability, which refers to the rate emails reach the right inbox, click-through rates( the percent of people clicking on links on your emails), open rate, or the number of people opening your emails, as well as the number of people who choose to unsubscribe so they no longer receive your emails. When defining your goals, it can be helpful to consider available email marketing data and compare your emails’ performance with the average metrics within your industry to identify areas that need improvement.
Buying email lists
This is the quickest way to get your email account flagged. Buying email lists may be easy, but it means violating the rules of consent under the EU’s GDPR, and Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, dating back to May 2018 for all European accounts. If your list includes European email addresses, it’s imperative to ensure compliance with this act.
Apart from the legal aspect, it’s essential to keep in mind that those who own purchased email addresses will lack a genuine relationship with the list buyer, and the truth is that cold emails are nearly never effective. If you choose to pursue this route, it could harm your reputation and annoy potential customers.
Creating unfocused emails
Let’s say you have a measurable goal to determine your email campaign’s success. But have you considered how you will get there? It’s essential to explain how every element included in the email will contribute to fostering better relationships with customers and provide the support and value they need. Emails shouldn’t have the sole purpose of “connecting”, so think about a reason why you want to take up space in the inboxes of subscribers and why they should care.
Creating unfocused emails can be truly costly. If it’s not clear to you what message you’d like them to take away, you cannot expect it to be clear to them, either. Always consider the broader context when crafting an email for stakeholders and customers to ensure that the message is properly received.
Using your personal email address
Sending an email from a business email address with the marketing director’s name is not always a bad idea. However, sending business emails from your personal account is one of the worst mistakes you could make, as it leaves the impression of being unprofessional and not taking your venture very seriously. Even worse, people could think your business is a scam. And that’s only if your emails get into customers’ inboxes, because marketing emails sent from personal accounts often get filtered, so your email may simply end up in the spam folder.
Not to mention that personal email accounts have weak password security, leaving them susceptible to hacking. A business email can help tackle this because it’s designed for greater security, which is paramount, as you’re storing crucial information about vendors, clients, and your business operations, and therefore, you want this data to be kept in a secure place. Additionally, a business email will make you appear more professional and established to clients and partners alike, reinforcing your brand identity, much like a logo or website.
Ignoring personalization
If you believe the solution to not knowing the names of your contacts is to not personalize your emails at all, you couldn’t be more wrong. The truth is that personalization has never been more important than it is now in the world of email marketing, as it can enhance your open rate, as well as other critical metrics.
Besides incorporating a first name in your first greeting, there are other elements that you should include:
- Information based on whether the customer has or hasn’t bought a product;
- Specific and localized details;
- An image of your signature instead of your company logo;
- Personal events, like holidays or birthdays;
- Relevant CTAs.
Not staying on brand
Suppose your business is known for specific services, products, and values, and you’ve created a specific brand voice. It’s very important to stick to all of these, because consistency allows you to build loyalty. Going off brand in your emails is a huge mistake that will only alienate customers.
While there isn’t anything wrong with shaking things up a bit if you want to, your target audience should always be a priority in your decision-making process. Consider if they will appreciate your email or it will leave them feeling confused; also, remember that SPAM blockers can detect images’ content as well, and it’s best to stay on brand to avoid all these issues.
The bottom line
There you have it: a list of some of the most common email marketing mistakes! Now that you’re aware of them, it’s time to take action and create compelling marketing campaigns. Just keep in mind that even if you know how to do something right, you aren’t perfect, and that’s okay! Check for errors before sending an email, and always put customers first, no matter what, as this will help you succeed with your marketing emails.