Employing an e-mail marketing campaign in your arsenal is one of the most effective ways to boost your marketing mileage. But it is also one of those things that require a certain amount of finesse in order to be successful.
Digital Offsider utilizes e-mail marketing to complement your marketing needs. In our work with clients, we have discovered 5 e-mail marketing mistakes most people are making and the 5 ways you can avoid them.
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Pedestrian subject lines
Your e-mail open rates depend on a combination of things, and they are by no means equal. Your introductory paragraph and offer message, for example, matter less than the subject line. Your subject line determines whether or not your message will be opened in the first place.
What to do instead:
The first few seconds could make the difference between a successful and a failed e-mail marketing effort. This is the time to make a great impression on the readers. Grab their attention the moment your message appears in their inbox. Achieve this by avoiding fluff words and instead use language that is straightforward, concise, and appeals to your audience’s interests.
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Overused sales lexicon
Using sales-heavy language in your e-mails turns a lot of people off. No one likes a hard sell, especially in their personal inbox. That’s just how it is. Thankfully, this can easily be avoided.
What to do instead:
Instead of promoting your products and services, tell your audience a story. Show them why they need to care about you and what you offer. Cultivate a genuine interest. Selling this way is more organic and subtle and more successful by a long shot. That’s why it pays—literally—to have a great content writer in your team.
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Not optimizing for mobile
With most everyone reading their e-mails on their mobile phones, it’s become crucial that your e-mail marketing be optimized for smaller screens.
What to do instead:
Make sure that your messages can are legible, the images loading properly, and the text formatted accordingly. They should be equally readable no matter the operating system of the device.
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Lackluster design
Aesthetically pleasing messages go hand in hand with an effective copy when it comes to any kind of campaign. E-mail marketing included. So when you have a plainly designed message, even when paired with compelling copy, chances are it wouldn’t be half as effective.
What to do instead:
Invest a little more time in designing a beautiful e-mail for your audience. Ensure that the reading experience is worthwhile. Don’t just bombard them with stock images and irrelevant visuals. Trust us, they will appreciate it. More importantly, it will motivate them to read your message in its entirety.
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Neglecting to call for action
At the end of the day, your e-mails aim to elicit an action from their recipients. So it makes sense that there should be a call to action in each of the emails that you are sending out, right? Otherwise, what’s the point. Yet, you’ll be surprised how many e-mails are sent out wherein the copy is just a rambling mess.
What to do instead:
Don’t end your message without a clear, definitive call for action. If you want to promote a new product or service, leave a hyperlink to the product description. There’s an upcoming sale in the works? Redirect them to your store with a button.
