Email marketing has long been heralded as one of the most effective and budget-friendly tools for boosting business, and there’s ample data to back this theory up.
In a 2022 report, 77% of marketing specialists said they saw a noticeable increase in email engagement over the past 12 months. In comparison, 50% of buyers said that they make a purchase due to marketing emails at least once a month
However, an effective email marketing strategy is essential to make your wave of emails to new and current customers successful. Additionally, plenty of not-so-obvious pitfalls along the way can result in your emails being condemned to the spam folder.
So how can you ensure that your emails resonate with your target audience? How can you increase brand recognition and engagement while providing a clear call to action that significantly impacts your bottom line?
It starts with knowing the common mistakes in email marketing.
If you’re ready to launch a new email marketing campaign, be sure to avoid the following actions that can diminish your overall success.
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Email Marketing
1. Not Sending a Welcome Email
A welcome email is your initial connection with a new subscriber or customer, and it’s one of the most opened emails in any email marketing campaign. In fact, according to a recent Experian report, welcome emails generate four times the open rate and five times the click rate of regular promotional emails for businesses across all industries.
In addition, a welcome email instigates a relationship, and sets the tone for future emails. A well-structured welcome email is your opportunity to share your brand, values, and core messages. You can stimulate future engagement by providing the new subscriber with a sneak peek at what’s coming up next.
2. Not Writing Effective Subject Lines
The average person receives more than 100 emails a day, so it’s imperative that your email grabs attention as soon as it lands in a recipient’s crowded inbox. Essentially, the success of your email and click-through rate depend on your subject line.
The most effective email subject linesare personalized, inspire curiosity, include promotional or special offers, and connect with a recipient’s interests. Just make sure that your subject line is short and to the point. Most cell phones and mobile devices cut off a subject line after it reaches 33-44 characters, so get your eye-grabbing message out in front.
3. Too Many Large Images
Too many images can cause several issues when it comes to marketing emails. For one thing, they can take a long time to load, which will cause a recipient to lose attention quickly, and for another, they can muddle your message. Use just one or two primary images optimized for the web (or 72 dpi resolution) to ensure that your content – and especially your call to action – is the main focus of your marketing email.
4. Not Including a Message Preview
The preview text is a short section of verbiage displayed below the subject line in some of the most commonly used email platforms, such as Gmail and Outlook. Therefore, if you don’t include a message preview, your email will simply show the first line of your overall text.
As such, it’s essential to include a separate and inspired message preview that encourages your recipient to read more. It doesn’t have to be lengthy content, either. For example, Gmail allows between 100 and 110 characters for preview text on desktop monitors and between 40 and 90 characters on most mobile devices.
Numerous studies have found that including preview text increases open rates, so don’t overlook this essential but subtle part of your marketing emails.
5. Not Developing an Email Marketing Plan & Not Being Consistent with Email Schedules
Many businesses are concerned about sending marketing emailstoo often, but inconsistency is a much larger problem.
If too much time passes between your marketing emails, your recipients may forget that they subscribed to your updates. As a result, they will mark your future marketing emails as spam.
The key is to stay on a recipient’s radar so that when they do require products or services related to what your company offers, you will be at the forefront of their minds and inboxes.
6. Sending Out Emails without Running Any Tests First
Launching an email campaign is exciting, especially after hours of work crafting the perfect message. You spend so much time writing and re-writing a bold subject line and finding an image or two that perfectly sums up your call to action.
However, before you hit send to hundreds or thousands of subscribers, you must test your email first. Send a copy of your marketing email to different email platforms such as, Outlook, Gmail, and Yahoo. Additionally, view the email on multiple devices to ensure it looks perfect across all screen sizes. You’ll also want to do multiple rounds of editing, as a typo or a broken link can cause a distraction. A minor mistake can hurt your business’ credibility and image.
7. Not Enlisting a Partner that Specializes in Email Marketing Services
Email marketing is not a simple venture, and there are many hurdles and pitfalls along the way. There is also a suite of best practices that ensure a high ROI in all your messages.
That is why it’s important to have a partner in email marketing!
Develop an Email Marketing StrategyToday
At ContentFirst Marketing, we have the expertise to ensure that your marketing emails stand out in a crowd, and directly lead to desired results.
Every marketing email needs to be tailored to grab attention and foster action, from promoting your existing business to announcing new promotions or ventures. We can help with each piece of your campaign along the way – from an amazing pitch-perfect subject line to compelling content.
Achieve Your Email Marketing Goals with ContentFirst Marketing
Let’s start a conversation about how you want to connect with your customers with an intriguing email campaign. With email marketing serving as one of the most successful tools to grow your business, an experienced marketing partner can pave the way to generating more interest, engagement, and income.
