1. Only talking about you.
Solution: We all love a good sale, but if you’re only promoting yourself all day every day, you risk wearing out your audience or cannibalizing your own offers. Add some diversity to your content by following the “Rule of Thirds.”
- ⅓ of your messages is about you and your content, such as that great sale you’re having or your new website launch.
- ⅓ of your messages is adding value to your customer’s life, like those design tips you get from your favorite furniture store.
- ⅓ of your content is creating personal interactions that build your brand, such as “thanks for visiting our store, *|FNAME|*.”
2. Focusing on open rates instead of results.
Solution: If you’re the click-bait news in your customer’s inbox, you’re guaranteed to piss them off. Instead of tricking your audience into opening a message, find creative ways to say what you REALLY mean. Your subject lines should communicate the real benefits of your promotion in 50 characters or less.
Not sure if you’re hitting the mark? Adestra has an awesome subject line keyword checker to make sure you’re on track.
3. Being sloppy with your content.
Solution: Part of what makes email marketing so special is that it feels personal—even if we know it isn’t. But that connection is quickly lost when your email is riddled with typos and your content is haphazard. Above all else, your messages should communicate one thing to your customers: you are important. To make sure your content is up to par, stay a month (or two) ahead of your messages. That gives you plenty of time to create, copy edit, adapt, keep your list data clean—and even change your mind.
4. Having the wrong list.
Solution: Despite what that list salesman is telling you, if you didn’t acquire your contacts yourself, you’re a spammer. Period. If your list is purchased (or just dated), not only are you risking your reputation, but you could be breaking the law, too. Take the time to build a list the right way. It takes longer, but it will pay off.
Not sure how to go about it? We have solutions for that.
5. Disappearing.
Solution: Ever get an email from a company you haven’t heard from in so long that you forgot they even existed? We have, too. Finding the right email frequency can result in higher opens, fewer unsubscribes, and opportunities to do more business with email marketing. The right cadence will vary from business to business, but if you don’t have time to send monthly messages, you’re better off outsourcing your email marketing or focusing your attention elsewhere. Remember that 73% of email recipients say the frequency is their primary reason for opting out of a list, so take the time to investigate what works for your customers.
