Topica's Blog

Whether you have been using email marketing for years or are just getting started, its easy to fall victim to email marketing mistakes that can plague your strategy or list quality. That’s why today we’re looking at the top ten mistakes we see on a daily basis and what you can do to fix them. Enjoy!

1.) Not having a reason for your email campaign. Before you click “Send Now”, make sure you have a clear reason for your subscribers to receive your newest campaign. Whether its an update on your company, a newsletter with special tips, or to announce a sale/promotion/website launch, ask yourself if you would want to read this email too.

2.) Not sending multi-part. Sending a plain text version along with your HTML email not only lowers your content score, it ensures that everyone receives your message no matter what browser or device they are using to read your campaign. As we’ve mentioned before creating a multi-part message is a win-win for everyone- ISPs, sender and receiver alike!

3.) Poor email design. Although there’s some of us at Topica who can argue how awesome Nyan Cat is, you want your email campaign to represent your brand in a way thats pleasing to they eye for your viewers (which most likely does not contain pixelated cats with a pop-tart for a body). Bad email design is a major turn-off for your subscribers and makes you look unprofessional. Read this post for some of our favorite design tricks.

4.) Bad timing. You want to send your campaign when your subscribers will be at their computer to open your email. When is this magic time? Every subscriber list is different, but getting to know your audience through profile and sign-up forms can help with this. Also look at what you’re sending- this should give you clues if your audience will be reading their email 9-5, or later in the evening.

5.) Not testing before sending. Yes your campaign may look lovely on the preview screen, but no matter what you should still send yourself a test to 2 different email addresses at separate domains. This may seem like a no brainer, but on a time crunch can often be over looked. Don’t make the mistake of sending out a campaign without double checking it first- test, test and test again!

6.) Not driving traffic to your social media websites. Including links to your social media websites in your email campaigns is one of the easiest way to get your subscribers to like or follow your page. Be sure to state why to also follow you on those pages (special insider info, etc.) and even offer an incentive to gather more traffic!

7.) Misleading subject line. If you say your email contains a coupon, then it better contain a coupon. Don’t try to gather more opens or clicks through misleading subject lines or hyperlinked text- this will only aggravate and frustrate your subscribers causing many of them to unsubscribe from your list or complain.

8.) Irrelevant copy. Like our point above, including text in your newsletter that is not relevant to your business or brand will confuse your subscribers. Keep your message to the point and in line with your goal for sending your campaign (see #1). At a loss for what to write about? Check out some of our favorite ideas!

9.) Not sending targeted messages. If you have information on your subscribers’ demographics, use it! You can create an audience to send a more targeted message by any demographics you have- gender, birth date, company/employer, etc. Take a look at your subscriber database for inspiration. And if you only have email addresses, send a campaign asking your subscribers to tell you more about themselves via a profile form.

10.) Not using an email marketing service provider. An email service provider (such at Topica) can help you with all the points above and more. A dedicated team of email experts can also help you navigate the world of deliverability and apply CAN-SPAM rules to make sure your email reputation stays its best. Ready to start with email marketing? Contact us today!

Happy Emailing,

Lindsay

Filed under: Audiences, Best Practices, Do's and Don'ts, Email Marketing 101, Email Marketing Tips