4 Common Email Marketing Mistakes - And How to Avoid Them

Email marketing is considered one of the most effective channels in online marketing. Having a list of subscribers who you've already built a relationship and trust over time with is a powerful asset to your marketing endeavors. However, some marketers tend to make mistakes that could wind up causing a campaign from having stellar results to being all too lackluster. The following is a list of some mistakes and how to avoid them. ​

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1. Not Making The Email Personalized

Studies have shown that including a person's name in the emails subject increases CTR rate by 17% or higher. If you want the recipient to have a higher chance of opening the email, then include their first name in the subject line. The majority of email marketing tools such as Pardot, have the ability to insert "variable tags" in the subject and body of the email that automatically populates the recipients information for you.

Example:

Subject: %%first_name%%! |  FREE ClickFunnels Account
Body:
Hey %%first_name%%,

There's a new software product that's taking over the internet. It's called ClickFunnels, and I just hooked you up with a FREE account!

GET FREE 14 DAY FREE TRIAL

This new software will let you create:
  - Squeeze Page Funnels...
  - Automated Webinar Funnels...
  - Product Launch Funnels...
  - Sales Funnels (and intergrates w/ your favorite shopping carts!)
  - Membership sites...
  - And a WHOLE LOT MORE!

Want to see a demo of the software in action? Check it out here:

WATCH DEMO

Thanks,

Dylan
​
P.S. - After you see the demo video, you can get a free account, and go setup some funnels. You'll be blown away with what's possible:

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​2. No Clear Call-To-Action

I've seen emails that have very good copy but after getting someone's attention, failed to get the user to follow through a certain action. Not having a clear Call-To-Action can severely affect your conversion and opt-in rates. Just like the principles of a good landing page, having an email that is structured in the same way, pays dividends for your marketing objectives.
​
A good format to follow is by having a strong header, followed by an image and text in an inverted pyramid pointing to the CTA button.

​example:

WE'RE GIVING YOU A FREE COPY

Expert Secrets is the second half of a journey you have already started. Something you experienced in your life started you on this path, which caused you to want to become more. You started to read books, study, and experiment, and by doing so, you have become who you are today, an EXPERT. Get Russell's new book and learn how to create a mass movement of people who will pay for your advice.

GET FREE BOOK

​3. Not Testing For Responsiveness On Mobile Platforms/Email Clients

Every email client is different: Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo; the way the same email looks on one client can be dramatically different to another. Outlook from the browser can interpret an email differently than the native Outlook on your Windows PC. It's important to note that if you decide to hard code an email, you may want to double-check your work across all devices. You could have an email that looks really good desktop but has some errors on mobile or have some that look good on iOS but look terrible on Android. Thankfully, the majority of email marketing tools allow you to test before sending out your email. You can also check out litmus which gives you a preview of your email on every device before sending it.

​4. Not Passing The Spam Filter

When designing a good email campaign, we're sometimes tempted to add as much information as possible. Sometimes adding more than a few images and a few files to go with. While it may seem like a good idea, it can be counter-intuitive if not detrimental to your campaigns. Email clients have become very strict with the amount of text, files and images a recipient receives. If you put too much in your message, it can be marked as spam. Don't make the mistake of sending out a mass email that will hit everyone's spam filter; this can have severe repercussions on your account and isn't easily salvageable. Litmus also provides spam testing when using their app.

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