With more than 294 billion emails sent daily, most of us have become experts at separating important emails from the ever-expanding barrage that threatens to overwhelm our inbox. Even with spam and clutter folders, many of us resent the amount of time it takes to filter through our emails each day. Bulk delete is often our kindest response, or we might get irritated enough to unsubscribe. Occasionally though, an intriguing email catches our eye and we take time out to find out more. What is it that separates the good, the bad and the downright infuriating, when it comes to email marketing?
Investing Time & Expertise
Email marketing is an effective way to generate inbound leads, which typically cost approximately 80% less to convert than outbound leads. Prospects who are motivated to get in contact following an email will be displaying a genuine interest in your business. The quality of leads generated means email marketing requires an investment of expertise and time to get right. Get it wrong and your efforts have been wasted.
This guide explores the five most common pitfalls of email marketing and how to avoid them.
1) Not Being Relevant
Every prospect has individual needs. If you take a generic, one size fits all approach, you’ll only appeal to a tiny segment of your prospect database. Take the time to segment subscribers into separate lists, based on how their contact details were received. For example, if contact information was exchanged in return for a case study, the prospect is seeking evidence of proven results. If a promotional price or a free trial attracted a prospect, you’ll have gained an understanding that both the product and perceived good value are important. Use this information to ascertain what matters the most to each customer and group them by similar interests. Emails can then be tailored to appeal to that interest, to increase engagement and conversion. Don’t forget to ensure the title and pre-header are also specific to the target interest. This is often the trickiest part to write and will take practice. Be engaging, but don’t over hype.
2) Prioritising Images Over Written Content
An image can speak volumes about your product instantaneously. Infographics convey vast amounts of useful information in a visual format. However, only a third of email subscribers have images switched on within their default settings. Unless a subscriber enables the image, it won’t be seen. For this reason, text only emails are 40% more likely to result in a click through than picture only emails. Ensure any message included within an image is also presented in written format and include an html version, so your email can be displayed in a web browser. If your product relies primarily on visual appeal, ensure the written message is evocative enough to connect on an emotional level.
3) Donotreply@
Sending from a donotreply@sender email address is a sure-fire way to make prospects feel suspicious. Not only does this appear uninviting, but if a subscriber can’t respond, they won’t! Always send emails from a legitimate name linked to your organisation. Adding multiple ways for a subscriber to contact you, such as linking to social media profiles, increases trust. Use metrics to evaluate which social links increase click rates.
4) Failure To Link To Your Website
When your website provides a wealth of useful information and resources, you’ll want subscribers to click through and spend time on your site. Direct them straight to influential content, using web links. These could lead to landing pages incorporating a call to action (CTA), useful downloadable content, such as an eBook, or to a special offer. You decide, but ensure each link leads to relevant content.
5) Incorrect Mobile Display
Failing to optimise your email marketing for visibility on a mobile device significantly reduces the opportunity for conversion. 43% of us use our mobile devices to access our emails. If an email doesn’t display correctly on a mobile, 70% of consumers will immediately delete it and 18% will unsubscribe. Prospect lost = opportunity and effort wasted.
Learn more about email marketing with these great articles:
- 5 Reliable Email Marketing Ideas For 2017
- 5 Reasons Why Email Marketing is Still So Cost Effective
- How To Lower The Cost Of Email Marketing
How Does Your Email Marketing Shape Up?
Mistakes can cost you valuable subscribers, reduce open rates and lower your click through. Instead, turn your subscribers into paying customers by enticing them with valuable, relevant content, created for your target audience. Don’t forget the power of metrics and the importance of evaluation, implementing changes and measuring success as part of an ongoing process.
Great email marketing promotes your business, boosts conversion rates and increases sales. JDR’s digital marketing specialists are here to help, whether you’re starting from scratch, or getting back on track with your email marketing. Contact us today for advice on best practice, how to write engaging emails, cost effective software platforms and powerful reporting tools, so you can gain the maximum ROI from your email marketing.
