STOP IT! - Don’t Be an Email Marketing Fool by Avoiding These 5 Common Mistakes
by Audrey Howes
Email marketing mistakes happen to the best of us, but taking the time to learn the most common ones can help us avoid some of the pitfalls of email marketing. We’ve pulled together the mistakes we see the most often, explained what happens and given you tips to recover or regroup with a phrase inspired by a famous Bob Newhart skit (see the video to the right).
Email Mistake #1: Sending image only or single image emails.
Did you know, most email marketing services require you to click to download images? Therefore, if you send an image only email, many of your recipients may never see your images. Many of the big name retailers can get away with image only emails because of the deep commitments to their brands AND the amount of money they can spend on well coded emails. Most of us smaller businesses simply can’t compete with what they can do in their emails, but we can stand out in our own ways.In this same mistake category is sending a single image as your email. When I used to run our creative division, Bright Peak, I would regularly receive requests to, “Turn this beautiful brochure I just had created into an image to send as an email.” My response was (and is), “Bad idea.” As previously mentioned, most email clients don’t show images by default so all my recipients are going to see is a blank screen and an email footer. Can you say, “SPAM!”?
Recovery Strategy: So we caught you red handed and you don’t know how to fix your emails. The first thing you need to do is, “Stop it!” Stop sending image only or single image emails. Here are some ideas to correct your emails:
- Include a balance of text and images. Read the email without images to see if the message is clear. Use images to enhance your message rather than communicate it.
- If you are using an HTML email template, add ALT text to your images which add to your message. Avoid just describing the image itself.
- For those sending a single image email, consider creating a thumbnail version of your brochure or image and writing a brief teaser about it. Then, link the brochure or a button to the full brochure. This way, those who are most interested can download the information and you gain valuable tracking in your reports.
Email Mistake #2: Sending emails without a purpose.
With email marketing, it can be tempting to think we just need to send, send, send to keep our brands in front of our customers. The problem with this way of thinking is we often send emails without a clear purpose in mind. For example, we send an email about a product but we don’t include an offer or a clear call to action. Another example, we send an email detailing our features, but fail to edit the content to make it scannable and provide clear opportunities to click through.Recovery Strategy: Well first of all, "Stop it!" Now that you’ve stopped, read adjust your email sending strategy with some of the ideas below:
- When you are getting ready to create an email, start with the end in mind. What is the purpose of the email? Write your call to action before writing the rest of your content.
- Edit your content ruthlessly. Paragraphs in an email should be no more than 3 sentences. Include bolded headlines, bulleted lists, and images to help guide your reader’s eyes through your message to your call to action(s).
- Download our email sending checklist and keep in an easily accessible place to review when you are planning your campaign. Don’t skip steps!
Email Marketing Mistake #3: Sending emails on a random schedule.
Consistency in email marketing is key. When you send emails without a schedule, you can easily confuse your recipients and even upset them. Our brains become used to receiving certain emails at certain times of the month or week from the companies we follow. For example, I know I will always have a LivingSocial email in my inbox as soon as I wake up whereas I receive an email from MarketingProfs only once a week.Recovery Strategy: I bet you can guess our first piece of advice… “Stop it!” Now, here are some techniques to get you back on track with your email consistency:
- Sit down with your team and create an email marketing schedule. Add your send dates to your calendars to make sure everyone knows when emails are going out.
- Send an email with a link to a survey asking your readers to tell you how often they’d like to receive emails from you. Respond to their requests by segmenting them into groups based on their preferences. Keep the survey on your sign-up page to track the preferences of new subscribers.
- If you haven’t been sending emails, start somewhere and gradually increase your sending. Communicate your plans with your contacts so they know what to expect from you, then deliver on your promises.
Email Marketing Mistake #4: Forgetting the importance of the From name and subject line.
The From name is really the first thing a reader sees in their inbox (i.e. Swiftpage Thoughtspot Newsletter [newsletter@swiftpage.com]) followed quickly by the subject line. Since these 2 things are the first things a reader sees, they should be well thought out. However, both the From name and the subject line are often the after thoughts of an email campaign. Sometimes the subject line is even forgotten all together.Recovery Strategy: First, “Stop!” thinking of the From name and subject line as afterthoughts. Then take some of the ideas below to improve your email marketing efforts:
- Use a consistent From name for each type of email communication. For example, you could use newsletter@yourco.com for your newsletters and promotions@yourco.com when you send special offers. Many companies also create a persona to send their emails from using a name such as pete@yourco.com or a friendly idea such as hello@yourco.com. Pick a theme and remain consistent.
- Take time to create a subject line which hints at your call to action and draws readers in. Consider split testing your subject lines to see what type your readers most respond to.
- If you forgot a subject line, don’t worry, even the biggest and best companies have made the same mistake. Recover by sending another email with a subject line such as, “Oops! We made a mistake!” Most readers appreciate the humanness of admitting a mistake.
Email Marketing Mistake #5: Sending emails without permission.
We’ve all heard sending emails without permission is a no-no, but many of us ignore it with hopes of building our business and email list. This philosophy will always backfire and it can get you blacklisted on spam lists as well as weakening your image/trust in the eyes of your contacts.Recovery Strategy: “Stop it!” Really, “Stop it!” Now, here are some better ways to build your list:
- Review our Spam Policy to see if your techniques are in line with our policy as well as the federal policy.
- Include an email sign-up form on your website, social media sites and even in your office or store. Train your team to mention your email newsletter or communications and invite customers to join the list.
- When you attend events or tradeshows, offer entry in a drawing in exchange for permission to send marketing emails to those who sign up. Send emails full of excellent content and relevant information to keep them hooked on your campaigns.
Do your best to apply our ideas above to improve your email efforts. Remember Bob Newhart’s advice to, “Stop it!” for any of the mistakes you are continuously making. As we said before, email mistakes happen to the best of us. Strive to improve your email marketing prowess with every campaign and watch your ROI jump.