Mistakes that are public can be cringeworthy. Email marketing mistakes are one such example that can hurt marketers. Email marketing is a personalized way of communicating the product to the target audience. It is one of the popular market penetration strategies. It has higher ROI than any other marketing, projected as returning 400 % of the investment. Mistakes made at this level can cause big trouble as you are dealing with thousands of people. Each person is a potential customer for your business. So, It becomes crucial to avoid probable email marketing mistakes that can cause the damage.

Following are some of the email marketing mistakes that should be avoided to safeguard the marketers:

#1) Poor Email lists:

Email is one of the best ways to establish a personalized relationship with your audience, but only when they want to hear from you. Bad records will stall your marketing efforts and will sabotage your business. Old email addresses are mostly redundant. Sending emails to poor lists have high-bounce rate. It means that the mail was unable to reach to the recipients’ inbox. This rate is high when your lists are full of purchased and unverified email addresses, or you have added new recipients manually.

Solution - Make Email subscription permission-based: Use the double opt-in method to create your list. In this, the users subscribe to your newsletter or emails twice. First, they subscribe to your website and then verify through their inbox.

You can also segment the list based on previously recorded transactions or email opening history of users. This can help you create an official list which will boost your email marketing efforts.

#2) Unclear Subject Lines:

A lot of efforts are made in creating the content of an email. Marketers tend to ignore the importance of subject lines. They focus more on creating an attractive email design and compelling content.

However, if users don’t open the email, then outstanding content will hardly make any impact. Thus, subject lines are the first impression for your users. If you are giving 5 hours in writing the content, then spend at least an hour or two on writing a brilliant subject line. Research suggests that attractive and personalized subject lines can boost email opening rate by as much as 22.2%. So it is time to focus more on the subject and do some experiments.

Solution -

• Be Specific about you and the specifics of the emails. A clear understanding can increase the chances of the emails being opened by the subscribers.

• Don’t use lots of punctuation signs. They are signs of a scam. Go easy with punctuations marks.

• Conduct A/B test to see which subject line is more suitable.

#3) Sending mass emails:

Sending same emails to all the subscribed users is a wrong marketing method. This is the most common mistake and can turn off the users’ experience. Marketers should always try to be more specific while writing emails. The more personalized an email is, the more are the chances of it getting opened will be. You should not send the same emails to the users over and over again. It should be more specific and personalized and should make sense every time it is sent.

Solution -

• Try to make your content as precise and personalized as possible. This will catch the attention of the subscribers.

• Avoid the interface of the spams.

• Make it original.

• Avoid usage of the words “free,” “sales,” “offer” etc.

#4) Email optimization for mobile devices:

Emails that are not optimized for mobiles have a higher chance of getting ignored. Users these days are heavily dependent on their phones for a lot of purposes such as checking emails, sending them, and other functions.  So, if your emails are not optimized for smartphones, there is a higher chance of users thinking of it as spam.

Solution - Subscribers tend to give importance to those emails which are catchy, relevant, and precise. This easily engages the target audience. It makes it easy for the subscribers to understand your emails. It will surely boost your email marketing efforts.

#5) Sending Redundant Emails:

Sending emails without specific goals can annoy the users. This can hamper the marketer's efforts and the business. E.g., Sending unstructured emails that have unclear headings will not attract the potential customers. Emails may get ignored or get into the trash folder without receiving due attention. Above all, if a user finds the emails redundant, s/he may report it as spam. This will stop you from sending any further emails to the valued subscriber.

Solution - Make your email user-specific. Be very clear about your offerings. Send a structured email.  It should be self-explanatory. Create a hyperlink for call-to-action. While doing so, keep in mind to double check if the link is valid and is functioning. Ensure not to make any typos in emails.

#6) Unscheduled Emails:

Nothing annoys subscribers more than untimely emails. Sending emails at any hour without due reference can turn off the subscribers. Many times, marketers send a lot of mails at one time, and then they forgot to mail it next time. Again after six months when they read about email marketing benefits, they send bulk emails. This inconsistency shows irresponsibility on the marketer's end and can trigger mistrust on the subscribers’ side.

Solution-

• Try to be consistent with your email marketing schedule. This will show commitment and responsibility on your end.

• Try to make a schedule for these emails. This timetable should be followed religiously. Don’t send emails in bulk.

• Once trust is earned, all your email marketing efforts will be materialized.

#7) Only image based Emails:

Sending emails that contain only images are not attractive and are difficult to understand. Different subscribers have a different perception. Communicating one unique idea through the picture is a herculean task. Users may realize differently than what marketers are trying to say. This can create confusion.

Solution- Incorporating images add value to your overall texts. Add pictures with explanatory texts to make it crystal clear for the user to understand your offerings. Add relevant images with an attractive look to make it more approachable.

Conclusion:

Through email marketing, marketers can reach thousands of potential customers. It can help penetrate the market profoundly. One mistake at this level can create havoc for the marketers. Using the methods mentioned above, try to make full-fledged engaging emails. Don’t make any mistakes that can hamper your business. Ensure that all your efforts are getting appreciated and are converting into results. In today’s world, digital marketing can help you boost your business. Use it more effectively and smartly. All the best for your venture.

About Anthony Bergs

Anthony Bergs is a project manager at Writers Per Hour. He always keeps an eye on the marketing sector to implement the best innovations in the strategies that he builds. He’s always open for new connections and partnerships.