Email Marketing Mistakes You Must Avoid

If you have just started collecting subscriber emails, just opened your business or own an online storefront, chances are that you’ve heard that you should collect emails – that the “money is in the list”.

While collecting subscriber and prospect emails is the first step in the right direction, the truth is that you should know what to do and what not to do with those emails. There are thousands of blog posts and articles about email marketing best practices, but not as many regarding email marketing mistakes.

It is partly because of this that you hear people throwing around the phrase “email marketing is dead”. The fact is email marketing is still very much alive and can be financially rewarding if you can cultivate and nurture those lists.

In this article, we’ll be showing you some of the more common email marketing mistakes we’ve seen and how you should avoid them to get the best results from your list and campaign.

Overhyped Subject Line

Have you ever received one of those emails that promise the world and then inevitably let you down? If you have, then you know they absolutely suck, are a waste of your time and often make you feel like hitting the sender over the head with your MacBook.

Listen, we’re not saying that you shouldn’t be creative – after all, we would rather open an email with the headline that says “7 Super Easy Shortcuts to Shedding 10 Pounds in One Week”, than one that says “You Can Lose Weight with These Tips”.

We’re just saying that you should make sure that the content of the email actually matches the headline.

Bombarding Your List with Offer After Offer

How would you feel if a salesman kept throwing junk in your mail and slipping their ads under your apartment door multiple times a day? We’re guessing you would be pretty pissed. So, why do that to others?

Yet, we see this happen on a daily basis. Some marketers assume that the more they mail, the better click-through rates they’ll get. Don’t do this.

If you have something to sell, do it periodically. If they didn’t buy the first day, try again the next day with a more compelling headline and copy until you’re able to record considerable success.

Delivering Little or No Value

Borrow a leaf from Gary Vaynerchuk’s social media strategy: Gary kept giving away high-quality information and tips for months. During this period, he never asked for a cent from anyone.

As a result, people loved to hear from him, read his tweets, articles, blog posts and emails. He did this until he wrote his book. Then, he sent out a tweet and went on to become a bestseller within weeks.

We’re not saying wait for years – most businesses don’t have that time. But make sure to deliver consistent, actionable value first before making a pitch to your list. And even then, don’t pitch them all the time. When it comes to email marketing success, here’s a simple idea to live by: Be helpful and it’ll come back to you in multiple folds.

Not Personalizing Your Email

The average individual or organization just sends out newsletters, email offers and maybe a few tips here and there. It’s difficult to find individuals who sound genuinely sincere and are willing to help their subscribers.

Instead of ending your emails with “Best Regards” followed by a P.S that tries to sell them on an offer, try to genuinely help your email subscribers. For instance, your post script could read as follows:

“P.S: I really want to know what is going on with you and what unique challenges you’re facing in your business and maybe see if I can help. Please hit the reply or email me at xyz@xyz.com”.

Now, even if they don’t reply, your subscribers will see you as a genuine individual who really cares about them. This approach will do wonders for your business.

If you want to learn how to create killer email strategies, you should get in touch with us at Kreativa.

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Oscar King is a small business owner and freelance writer who enjoys sharing articles and insights into marketing your company. If you wish to learn more about Oscar, you can check out his Google+ profile.