Technology has continued to advance since the advent of mass email communication in the early 90’s, but even with all the new innovations, email remains one of the most effective marketing tools that any company can utilize. Almost 80% of consumers still name email as the avenue of choice for receiving news and promotional messages. By contrast, only a meager 4% named services such as Facebook or other social media outlets. The legendary Twitter, arguably the most popular communication tool at present, could only muster 1% of the vote!
When it comes to effective email marketing, what you don’t do may be just as important as what you do not do. The following are some of the more obvious no no’s when it comes to email marketing and promotions.
Ignoring The Needs Of Your Buyers.
All clients are not created equal, and what one buyer in a certain area of the country needs may not be the same as another buyer in a different geographic region. Big companies will have different requirements than small ones. It becomes important to speak directly to your buyers’ individual needs. By doing so you will set your company up with the reputation of somebody who is paying attention to trends and needs, as well as being tuned in to the specific requirements of your clients.
Using A Shotgun Blast Approach.
There is a vast difference between customer who have been following you for a while or have a relationship with you as opposed to those who are just coming on board or who are seeking preliminary information. Also, what one client needs may be different from another. The beauty of email marketing is how incredibly customizable it is. Segmented lists targeting different and unique needs will do much to increase your click through rate and generate more engaged customers.
Not Tailoring The Message.
If you keep sending out blasts to no effect, then you end up with a fairly useless marketing campaign. It can also be an expensive lesson, depending on how many times to continue to try a non performing strategy before deciding it is time to change course. If something doesn’t work for you, then take steps to adapt your messaging and timing based on the response rates received. This makes for a more efficient campaign, the time honored practice of learning from your mistakes.
Failure To Link Back To Your Main Site.
This is one of the more unforgivable screw-ups, since the whole point of your email campaign is after all to drive traffic to your site. You want to include the link back to your main site, as well as targeted links to specific product pages on the site. The more opportunities you give people to reply, the more likely you are to increase your click through rate. In that vein, don’t overload the message with links, but rather sprinkle them in naturally, organically. This will generate the most desirable results.
Failure To Adapt To Changing Technology.
A lot of people, more than 80%, now receive their email messages through smartphones and tablets. Failure to provide for these methods of communication will only result in less than spectacular marketing results. You want it to be read in as many ways as possible.
Emails have to be optimized for different operating systems for them to work.
This includes iOS, Android, Windows, etc because they all have differing requirements. Plain text versions of your message are preferable here, since images don’t always load properly in these applications.
Lack Of A Defined Strategy.
Most people unsubscribe from email lists because they end up getting inundated with material. Your plan needs to have a defined frequency, laying out when email messages are sent, and for each segmented group in your client list. If there is a sudden spike in the number of unsubscribes that you get, that is usually a sure sign that you’ve overstayed your welcome, flooding their e-mail boxes with unwanted information. By observing trends, you can usually come up with a well defined schedule for the sending of future messages.
E-mail may be ancient technology, but properly utilized, it is still one of the most effective. Make sure your e-mail practices are all above board and delivered in a manner that invites interaction, and you will see a corresponding uptick in your business results.
