Despite the unprecedented influence of social media, the classic email remains a top marketing choice for business owners.
However, many mistakes are made regularly that hurt prospects to increase sales and gain conversions. Even the most seasoned experts can slip up.
Here are 5 of the top mistakes made in email marketing and tips on how to avoid them:
1. Not Welcoming Subscribers
You know that feeling when you receive the email update in your inbox, “New Subscriber.” You did it! Another follower is eager to learn more about your business or product.
But wait, you didn’t welcome them to your growing community or give them more information about your company…
If you are not sending a welcome email to new subscribers, you have already lost them.
Remember, the initial email will set the tone and expectations for the future, which means you have to woo your audience from the beginning. Win them over with your gratitude and ensure that signing up will be worth their while.
It could be a funny note, a professional mission statement, or simply something short and informative. Plus, you can do this automatically so you don’t forget!
As long as you accurately reflect what your business is providing and how it will benefit the reader, you are on the right track. Also, be sure to add a touch of personalization. A simple, “Hi Zoe” sets a friendly and familiar mood.
2. Poorly Written Subject Lines
Another way to lose your audience in a heartbeat is with a boring subject line.
Just think about when you scroll through your own inbox. What catches your eye? What keeps you scrolling? This is what you should consider when planning your next campaign. Otherwise, your subscriber will do the same as you: delete the message or let it be lost in the constant influx of information.
In addition, be sure to avoid long subject lines. A wordy preview text will likely be overlooked when scrolling through a busy inbox, so kill your darlings. Especially if the subject is chock-full of filler words that fluff the text with no apparent necessity.
Be concise and provide only the most essential copy. Entice the reader to click for more. Be creative with your words and provide a catchy subject line that says more with less. Again, a little personalization goes a long way. This will help your email stand out from the rest.
3. Not Setting a Clear Call-To-Action
The purpose of having an email campaign is to get your subscribers to engage in some way.
By setting goals that are clear, subscribers will easily understand what they are being asked to do. These goals are your call-to-actions or CTAs.
Do you want subscribers to follow you on social media? Maybe you have a new promo video you’d like to show off, or you are advertising a running sale. Whatever the case, it is easy to add these actions to your email campaign.
There are email automation platforms like Mixmax that allow you to create and insert customizable call-to-action buttons, like calendar scheduling links, directly into your email.
Just be sure to limit your CTAs per campaign. You do not want to overwhelm the subscriber with too many options and if the action is not clear, you will likely lose the lead.
Have a succinct objective and keep your overall strategy in mind.
4. Neglecting Mobile Users
Handheld devices have become second nature to us all. Yet, it is easy to forget when you are building an email on a laptop or computer, many subscribers will be viewing it on their phones in a more compact way.
With this in mind, formatting your campaign to ensure optimal readability on mobile devices is absolutely key.
Most marketing platforms will show you a preview of what your email will look like in every format, including mobile.
It is important to view each mode so that your message comes across as viewable and professional.
5. Ignoring Your Analytics
Analytics is key! If you are not monitoring click-thru rates or how many times your emails are opened, you are missing out on the opportunity to tailor your campaigns so they fit your audience.
Numbers are not everything, but they certainly speak. By tracking your analytics, you will better understand the success rate of your emails and what areas need adjusting. You can even track email open rates in real-time with email tracking software such as Mixmax.
It lets you track opens, clicks, downloads, replies, even where the email is opened!
This will help you break down the demographics of your subscribers, figure out what content they are responding to the most and when they are engaging. From there you can tweak your campaign to better fit what your audience wants.
Are You Ready to Revamp Your Email Marketing Campaign?
Whether you are the most experienced marketer or a complete newbie, it is always good to take a step back to reassess your method and strategy.
What email marketing mistakes are you making? How can you better meet the expectations of your audience to improve conversion rates?
You now know five of the most common mistakes and how to prevent them. Be sure to identify which areas you need to improve on and use these guidelines to pave your way to a more successful email campaign.
