14 Basic Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Introduction to Common Email Marketing Mistakes

If you are not sure about email marketing then you might be you made some mistakes or without much knowledge might be you lost your brand reputation. While using email marketing you must know a few things by which you can strongly target the audience. Your target should be reached in the subscriber’s inbox. You should know do’s and don’ts so let’s go to know what are those 14 things you should avoid in email marketing

Email marketing is a cost-effective and efficient way to communicate with your customers, but it’s essential to avoid common mistakes when sending emails. Here are some common email marketing mistakes that businesses make when sending emails:

14 Common Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

1. Sending the content which is apart from your niche

Always stick to your own niche for which purpose you captured a lead, and don’t lose them just by sending irrelevant content.

It’s important to stay focused on what you know best. Don’t send them things that aren’t related or they might not stay interested.

For example: If someone subscribes to you for “Style & fashion” don’t send them an email apart from the specific interest

2. Call to action

When you send emails to people, it’s important to make it easy for them to know what you want them to do next. Use clear and simple language that makes it easy for them to follow your instructions. In a busy schedule with a full inbox if somebody opens up your email then give them the content for what they are expecting from you. I can show you an example of how to do this, including highlighting important parts and giving clear instructions.

Also, Instead of directly saying, conveying creatively can leave an impression. Below you can see the highlighted portion.

email marketing mistakes — Call to action – Mistakes to avoid in email marketing

3. Sending emails too frequently

The frequency of sending emails can help you to build up your domain and IP reputation which leads to reaching your email directly into the subscriber inbox.

There are such things to avoid in email marketing. This must be very clear when to send and what to send. for this, you have to keep your analysis like when you are getting more open rates, click rate, on what day people showing more interest and what kind of content they are loving. To get success in email marketing you should be very close to your subscribers. Sending emails too frequently can give you results reversed as you planned.

As per the data from “Mailchimp“, the Best days to send email campaigns are Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday”.
But back-to-back is not recommended so prefer alternatively for example if you have sent an email on Tuesday then avoid sending an email on Wednesday.

4. Using an Inappropriate Subject Line – Common Email Mistakes

The subject line should be too catchy, here the user decides whether to open your email or not. Create eagerness so that your max email gets opened.

Note: Do not use spammy words, nowadays webmail providers are very strict, and a lot of rules & policies are there, make sure to follow them. Strictly avoid such words in email marketing like: “Earn $$$$, Free, Caps on etc”

Avoid using the subject line as shown below –
“FALL DISCOUNT – Save 10% + an extra $100 off from XYZ Solution! 10% OFF Now”

It is recommended to avoid using the following things in the subject line – $,% symbols, discount, save 10%.

5. Using Spammy Keywords

I will show you by example where people try to convince users by giving them discounts but even if you are a legitimate sender this will not work. You cannot use spammy words. Keep your content fresh, and clear and follow all email marketing laws. using some kind of words can send your email to a junk or might be possible your IP/domain gets blacklisted.

For example – In the below example you can see what kind of words have been used, email content consists of Extra, free,10%,$100 off etc2. This type of email leads to a spam folder.

Example of spammy email – email marketing mistakes

6. Sending Emails to Unsubscribed Users

If someone unsubscribes your emails, make sure to remove them from your list in a respectful way. Otherwise, they may complain and damage your reputation.

If you send emails, it’s important to follow the rules. If someone isn’t interested in your emails, don’t let them mark your email as spam. This can harm your reputation, and if too many people complain, your email might not get through to others at all.

So, it’s better to avoid sending irrelevant emails and losing valuable leads.

7. Not Segmenting Subscribers

As per the Mailchimp stats, those who segmented the email marketing list and send an email on the segmentation basis have higher open & Click rates than an unsegmented list. Sending emails to the segmented groups, subscribers find the campaign more relevant.

As per Mailchimp stats, “On average, segmented campaigns result in 14% higher open rates than unsegmented campaigns.”

8. Framing email only for big-screen users

Neglecting mobile users or small-screen devices is a misjudgement. Manage your content as clearly visible inside each and every device. It should be responsive.
As per “Statistics” stats every year the percentage of mobile users is increasing.

Smartphone user stats (Image ref – Statista)

9. Lack of proficiency

When you write an email, it’s important to make it look professional and suitable for everyone, whether they use a computer, tablet, or phone. Use proper formatting, and greet your subscribers at the beginning and end of the email with respect. Even though this might seem like a small thing, it can have a big impact on how the reader perceives your message.

Example:

Hey XYZ,

Your content

Thanks & Regards,
company.com

To get more people to sign up for your emails, make sure your signup form is easy to find and use. Give them a good reason to subscribe, like exclusive content or special offers. You can put the form in a visible spot on your website or use pop-up forms that catch their attention. You can also try testing different positions for the form to see where you get the most signups.

11. Avoiding stats

If you’re using an email service provider to send your email campaign, they’ll give you stats on how many people opened your email, clicked on links, and if any emails bounced back. If you’re sending emails using your own server, you need to monitor these stats yourself.

These stats can help you see how engaged your audience is and make adjustments to your approach. You can send a re-verification link to those who aren’t opening your emails to make sure they’re still interested. You can also send a feedback form to get suggestions for improvement.

Using these stats to shape your strategy is important so you can keep your leads interested and maintain a good reputation as a sender.

Avoiding Stats - Email Marketing Mistakes — Avoiding Stats – Email Marketing Mistakes

12. Not using personalization measures in an email

When you personalize your emails by using information that the subscriber can relate to, it creates trust between you and them. It makes your email feel more relevant to them. You can personalize by using their name, for example, if the subscriber’s name is John Doe, you can greet them using their name.

‘’
Hello John
This is Ray from XYZ corp

Or

Hey Mr Doe
Hope you are doing good
‘’

Using personalization data like the subscriber’s email address or city in the right format can create a bond and build trust. Instead of using generic placeholders like ‘First name / Last name’, using personalized data makes your emails feel more personal and relevant to the subscriber.

13. Users find difficulty in unsubscribing

To be a legitimate sender, you need to follow email marketing rules. Making it easy for users to unsubscribe is essential. If a user no longer finds your emails relevant, doesn’t have time to read them, or wants to declutter their inbox, they should be able to unsubscribe with ease.

Some senders put the unsubscribe button at the top right, while others place it at the bottom. It’s important to have an unsubscribe button/link to maintain your domain/IP reputation.

Example of placement of unsubscribe option - common Email marketing mistakes to avoid — Example of placement of unsubscribe option

14. Welcome Email

A welcome email series is the best opportunity to create engagement and turn leads into customers. Subscribers expect a welcome email, and the open rate of the welcome email is greater than any other type of email.
As per “Invespcro” subscribers who receive a welcome email show 33% more engagement with the brand. Welcome emails have a 14.4% click rate compared to just 2.7% for other types of emails.

As per “hive. co”, the welcome email open rate is 91.43% & CTR is 26.90.

& According to Campaign Monitor, the welcome email open rate is 42% higher than the average email.

Example of welcome email - Common email marketing mistakes to avoid — Example of welcome email – Common email marketing mistakes to avoid

Conclusion

Avoiding these common email marketing mistakes can help you create effective and engaging email campaigns. Always ensure that you have the recipient’s consent before sending emails, personalize your emails, use engaging subject lines, send emails at the right time, test your emails, and optimize your emails for mobile. By avoiding these mistakes, you can improve your email marketing campaign’s effectiveness and achieve your business objectives.