Email marketing can be an very effective tool for small to medium-sized businesses to grow brand awareness and convert more prospects into paying customers. But – as with other forms of marketing – as a business owner you’ll need to ensure that you’re taking the right steps in order to guarantee that your email marketing campaigns deliver a superior return on your investment. So as you plan your business’ future email marketing campaigns, here are some mistakes to avoid. Consider this your guide of what NOT to do in your email marketing campaign.
- Don’t SPAM. Ever. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your email marketing campaign! Sending SPAM to your contact list can quickly and severely impact your company’s credibility. To avoid spamming, don’t make the mistake of assuming anything. Just because someone signed up for something on your website, it doesn’t mean they’ve automatically agreed to receive emails from you.
- Don’t neglect your subject line. This is the first step is attracting your prospect – without a good subject your target audience will not even go to the next step of reading the content. Your goal is to persuade your recipients to open the email, otherwise what good is it? A well-crafted subject line will increase your open rate and entice readers to click through your message. Using your company’s name in the subject line will enhance your email credibility. So always try to keep your subject line short and allow it to clearly state what the email is about.
- Don’t use jargon. Avoid using industry-specific lingo in your emails, as this can repel the interest of your readers. You can’t assume that they know, or even want to know what the terms mean. Understand you target audience and write for them, and you will see a higher conversion rate.
- Don’t assume your recipients have all the time in the world to read your email. Most Internet users receive so many emails that they are more likely to just skim. So to ensure that your readers get the gist of your message, try stating your offer right at the top of the email. Also, be sure that your company logo is visible from the preview pane (try placing it at the top left hand corner of your message) to ensure that it will be seen.
- Don’t forget a call to action! If you don’t clearly ask your readers to do something in your email marketing message, it misses the whole point! You want them to finish reading your email, and then do something – like visiting your website. So you will need to make your call to action clear and prominent and easy for them to accomplish.
