Email usage grew dramatically from the 1980s and into the 90s, causing email marketing to skyrocket. Since then, email marketing strategies have greatly evolved and continue to be an effective digital marketing tool for any business.
According to Mailchimp, 69% of marketers use email marketing to share their content, making it the third most popular distribution channel.
While an important part of any brand’s digital marketing strategy, many businesses struggle with properly leveraging its power. Understanding some common pitfalls and how to avoid them is crucial for creating effective email marketing communication.
Here are some common mistakes to avoid with your business’s email marketing strategy:
Poor List Management
Email marketing efforts will only be successful if the message is sent to the right audience. Sending emails to outdated, unverified, or uninterested contacts can result in low engagement rates and high bounce rates. Businesses should regularly clean their email lists by removing inactive subscribers, duplicate entries, and invalid email addresses. Email verification tools can help to ensure the accuracy of your list.
The most effective emails lists are those that have been scrubbed for accuracy and are segmented by audience based on things such as demographics, behaviors, and preferences. This targeting allows for more relevant messaging being sent to the right audience.
Email Overload
Experts relay that the average person sends and receives over 120 business emails each day. Don’t add to a user’s cluttered inbox by sending too many emails! Your messaging is likely to get buried in the constant influx of emails, so it’s best to focus on the best moments for deployment and how to get consumers to open up what you’re sending them.
While engagement for every business varies, it’s recommended to send 1-3 emails per month, and no more than 4. Set a regular cadence for your emails (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) and then track how your audience responds to your frequency. Adjust accordingly to avoid email fatigue.
Lack of Personalization
Whether you use first name personalization, thank a user for joining your email newsletter list, or send offers based on previous purchases, it’s crucial to send relevant messaging to your users.
Sending generic “canned” emails will lead to lower open and click-through rates, so in order to connect with consumers, it’s important to send personalized emails. Use data on past behaviors, such as purchase history or browsing patterns to personalize your emails and make them more relevant.
Neglecting Mobile Optimization
42% of emails are opened on a mobile device. Not optimizing for mobile can make the content confusing and even difficult to read on a device. Failing to consider how an email will be viewed on all devices can lead to poor user experiences and lower engagement rates.
Email marketing strategies must factor in Responsive Design, which means that emails are designed to adjust to fit any screen size. Consider using simple layouts that are easy to read and navigate on mobile devices.
Overlooking Subject Lines
Just a few impactful words can make all the difference! The subject line is the first thing recipients see, and the most effective ones cause a user to open and read more. A weak or misleading subject line can result in low open rates or even trigger spam filters—steer clear of all caps, excessive punctuation, and spammy words like “free” or “urgent”!
What makes a good subject line? Be clear and concise, yet thoughtful.
Experts recommend keeping subject lines within 30 to 50 characters or 4 to 7 words. Consider A/B testing of different subject lines to see which ones resonate with your audience,
Ignoring Analytics
The beauty of email marketing is that your efforts can be refined and improved by paying attention to metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
By constantly looking at what’s working and what’s not, you can adjust your strategies accordingly so that your email campaigns can be more successful.
Need Support With Your Email Marketing Strategy?
Email will continue to be a powerful digital marketing tool, however it’s important to remember that up to 80% of your audience may not even open your message. How can you ensure that your message will reach your target demo?
Here at LSC Marketing Group, we can help develop an effective email marketing strategy built on consistent testing and optimization.
Contact us and let’s start to enhance the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns!
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