Here's one of the most common mistakes, right off the bat: thinking that email is dead. We're not that surprised, considering that social media messaging is all the rage these past couple of years. However, email marketing is most certainly alive. In fact, it remains to be one of the most efficient digital marketing strategies.
Recent statistics report that email marketing generates $42 of income for every $1 spent on it, boasting of a 4,200% ROI. This proves that email is still one of the most efficient ways to conduct an online marketing campaign.
Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy the same benefits. Just like with any other marketing method, there are certain factors that can impact the benefits of your email campaigns. Fortunately, most of these errors can easily be avoided.
We have noticed, though, that most of these mistakes lie in email personalization. Hence, in this article, we are going to go through what these mistakes are and provide you with some solutions to give your campaigns an added boost. Let's get started!
1. Incorrect Segmentation
Researching your target market is an essential step when you're starting a business, and more so before launching an email marketing campaign. Fortunately, most email marketing platforms allow segmentation. It is a feature that will let you define target sectors and organize your campaigns accordingly.
You'll probably find it funny to receive a promotional cat food email despite being a dog lover. However, don’t underestimate the consequences of sending out to the wrong segment.
No one laughed when Pinterest sent mass wedding congratulatory emails to all their single women users. The same thing happened when Shutterfly sent "congrats on your new baby" messages to their subscribers - even those dealing with infertility - just right after Mother's Day.
The Solution:
Ensure that you have the correct sector before sending out an email campaign, especially when promoting products and services that some sectors can take offense to. It can also help to invest in more accurate cross-referencing services. This feature can collect information across various data sources, such as purchasing history, social media accounts, and employment profiles.
2. Wrong Name
We can get pretty protective when it comes to how we are addressed. Even slight spelling and pronunciation errors can annoy the most patient people depending on how their day is going.
It can turn into an even touchier subject if you fail to account for name changes, regardless of whether it’s a first name or a last name.
At the very least, an incorrect name almost always guarantees that your email will head straight to the trash bin without being opened.
Another related mistake is failing to add a fallback text just in case your email platform encounters an error. This can result in emails showing "Hi {First_Name}"!.
The Solution:
Always ask for the subscriber's name whenever they sign up to receive emails from you. Remember to include a (preferably gender-neutral) fallback term that can seamlessly replace name errors as well. For instance, travelers can use the term "fellow wanderer", while a bookstore can use "reader", "book lover", or "bookworm".
3. Wrong Gender
Speaking of being gender-neutral, we probably don't need to explain how sensitive the topic of gender is. No one from your email list will appreciate this mistake as well. This is especially critical with fashion brands, though, as it can severely impact their sales.
The Solution:
Again, the real solution lies in asking for more details from your subscribers during the sign-up process. After all, there are women out there who might be interested in getting updates about your men's collection and vice versa.
4. Inaccurate Timing
Here's one of the most common email marketing mistakes: failing to time email campaigns according to the personality of its recipient. We're not just talking about determining how many days you should send your email out before a big sale. Proper timing includes knowing the right day and hour to launch your campaign for maximum visibility.
Keep in mind that each demographic has different email behaviors. For instance, experts suggest sending emails to students around lunchtime. Meanwhile, it's best to email moms in the morning.
The Solution:
Fortunately, it's very easy to time email campaigns. You just need to do your research and get to know the internet activity of your target audiences more intimately. You'll also gain more insight with experience and through trial and error, especially if you're equipped with reliable analytical tools.
Just don't send your emails out randomly, as it's a sure way to ensure that they'll simply lie unopened, dismissed, and eventually deleted.
5. Failing to Target Your Recipient’s Location
Finally, there's nothing more frustrating than getting the best offer through a random email...only to find out that you're not eligible because you're living in the wrong country. It can be easy to overlook people's geographical locations as our cultural boundaries continue to blur in our digitally connected world.
This doesn't mean that it's not relevant anymore, though. Even businesses that cater to a global audience should still consider their client's location. At the very least, it can help you keep your emails more culturally sensitive.
The Solution:
The challenge in preventing this personalization error lies in the fact that people are not always too keen to provide their location to businesses online. Fortunately, this is not the case when it comes to social media. As mentioned, there are tools that can help you to collect information from data centers.
It can also help to inform your potential subscribers why you need to know their location. It can be as simple as placing a microcopy beside your online form stating that you're collecting their personal info in order to serve them better.
The Bottom Line
Email marketing is definitely one of the most efficient marketing methods today. However, it's not perfect. There are a number of errors that can severely impact the results of your email marketing campaigns. Fortunately, most of these mistakes can easily be avoided. By keeping the tips we have just shared with you in mind, we're confident that you'll be able to achieve better email campaign results in no time. Good luck!