“It is the leading generator of ROI over any other type of direct marketing and can be used for multiple use cases, including promotions, informational content, social sharing, relationship management and more,” said Seamas Egan, Manager of Revenue Operations for Campaigner, on email marketing.
The power of email marketing is undeniable. It’s one of the best tools on the market today for businesses that want to forge 
deeper connections with their clients and increase online sales. You know the statistics because, after all, that’s why you decided to invest in email marketing to begin with. But after the last few weeks, few months or few years, you might be wondering why you’re not getting the great results seen by everyone else in your industry. If this sounds like you, chances are you’ve made one or more of these common mistakes. Here’s a look at four ways you could be sabotaging your email marketing campaign and some steps you can take turn email marketing into your business’s strongest marketing strategy.
Your emails are going to spam
“To spam or not to spam?”…that is the question an email server asks every time a message enters its digital universe. And it decides on the fate of each message by looking at how other recipients have interacted with emails that originate from the same sender. So, if your business has been sending ineffective e-blasts to outdated email addresses, it’s likely that your emails are bypassing the inbox and landing directly in the spam box. Your business’s messages could also be landing in spam if you’re sending too many emails from the same server at the same time.
If you’ve been making any of these common mistakes, here are some steps you can take to get your emails out of spam and into your prospects’ inboxes:
- Delete all emails that generate error notices
- Only send to users who have given you permission
- Expand your list by adding new email addresses
- Revamp your content—make sure you’re always sending relevant, helpful information
- Use a quality tool schedule and deploy your e-blast campaigns from multiple servers
Your subject lines aren’t clear
While it’s always good practice to keep your copy concise and to the point, research by Return Path shows that there’s actually no correction between subject line length and open rate. So, what’s really preventing your emails from being read? It’s likely that users aren’t getting a clear picture of what’s inside your email. Business owners are sometimes so focused on the length of their subject line that they fail to write a subject that’s informative and compelling enough for consumers to open.
If you want your emails to pique the interest of your potential consumers, get to the point. Email users today don’t have time to read between the lines, they like subject lines that accurately describe what they’ll find inside. Here are some examples of good vs. bad subject lines:
Bad
- We’ve got something you might want to see
- Looking for spring clothing? Check out our sale this week!
- We’re offering a customer appreciation month discount
Good
- Get $25 OFF your purchase of $50 – Today Only!
- Extended for a day! Get 50% OFF all spring accessories through Friday
- Your 50% off offer expires tomorrow, redeem online now!
You’re missing a call-to-action (CTA)
It might seem obvious that your business’s emails should tell consumers what you want their next move to be, but forgetting to include a call to action is more common than you might think. Before you hit send on your next email marketing campaign, always have another person proof your email for clarity, just like you would for grammar. An outsider reading your email should have no problem understanding why you’re contacting them and what you’re directing them to do. For example, if your email contains a coupon, you’ll want to explain what it’s for, if it can be used online and when it expires.
As you compose your next e-blast, look at your work from a consumer’s perspective. Ask yourself questions like:
- Does my email clearly explain its purpose?
- Does my email contain all necessary links?
- Is my email missing my website link, business address, phone number, etc.?
- Is my email confusing because it contains too many messages?
Your timing is off
If you haven’t identified with any of these mistakes, yet your email marketing campaigns are still struggling, your level of 
performance could be the result of poor timing. In recent years, various researchers have studied how consumers interact with emails on different days of the week and at different times throughout each day. As a result, we now have strong evidence to support the theory that timing does impact the success of your business’s email campaigns. One recent study by Propeller shows that consumers are most likely to open emails on Tuesdays at 10:00 am. However, it really does depend on who your clients are. The Propeller study goes on to show that there are three main groups with distinct email habits.
- B2C – consumers
- B2B – entrepreneurs and workaholics
- B2B – normal people
Here are some statistics from the Propeller study that shows how email open times differ between B2B and B2C organizations. As you review the data, determine which category best describes your consumers and consider making adjustments to your email timing if you’re not targeting consumers at peak engagement hours.
Practice makes perfect
Email marketing campaigns can be very profitable for businesses that find the right combination of timing and content for their individual consumer base. If you aren’t seeing results right away, don’t be discouraged. Most businesses go through several rounds of trial and error before they begin to see results. If you need help getting your business’s email marketing campaign back on track, the experts at FMDi can help. We’ve partnered with businesses throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to manage and drive new leads with email marketing campaigns.
Interested in learning more about how we can help improve your business’s email marketing campaign? Contact us today to set up a free consultation.
