According to research, every dollar spent on email marketing can generate an average profit of $42. That's why it's still a very popular technique with entrepreneurs and marketers.
Despite its advanced age, email marketing still is evolving, and what was effective five years ago can often hurt a business now.
To keep up with relevant tools, it's important to constantly be learning via thematic events or online courses. The format doesn't matter—choose the best option for you. If you don't, you may no longer understand which tools are still valuable to your business.
In this blog, I'll detail some anti-trends of email marketing. Avoid these mistakes to increase the efficiency of your newsletters.
Sending newsletters to non-subscribers
More isn't always better. This is the case regarding the number of recipients that your mailing list targets. The era of spam has long passed, and sending newsletters to people who haven't subscribed is bad form, can anger recipients, and can negatively affect the image of your company.
Therefore, it's better that your base isn't very large, but of high quality. Before the next newsletter mailing, make sure that all recipients have agreed to receive it and only then turn on the advertising campaign. Be polite and respect the personal space of recipients. Doing so will bear fruit.
Sending newsletters that include attachments
Phishing attacks have taught people that email attachments are bad. With this in mind, create your newsletters without attachments.
All images should be embedded within the newsletter design. Send additional materials only with consent of the recipient.
Sending too many newsletters
According to forecasts, by 2023 the number of emails sent and received per day globally will reach 343 billion. With that in mind, imagine a busy person who wants to check email for work purposes. Think about how taxing this would be, especially when that person needs to find a specific email quickly.
This anti-trend is causing problems for recipients, some of whom unsubscribe from newsletters, in particularly aggravated cases, and stop using the brand. Think about whether you want to receive such a response from consumers. If not, then send your newsletters in a timely fashion and in a reasonable amount.
Make mailings no more than a few times per week, and give users the opportunity to set the frequency in the registration process. To earn the trust and admiration of followers, shy away from overly-aggressive methods of promotion.
Bulk mailing
If you're still doing general mailings for all contacts, you're not taking into account the characteristics of consumers and their desires. Some want to receive only newsletters with favorable offers, while others are interested in receiving newsletters featuring new products or useful content. Now, imagine what will happen if people with different interests and needs are lumped into general mailings. According to research, 21% of users opt-out of email newsletters if emails are irrelevant.
Email marketing services allow you to segment your audience according to various criteria. You can take into account age, gender, occupation, previous activities, interests and much more to offer the consumer what he/she wants. This approach allows you to get more results and turn email marketing into an effective tool.
No mobile version
The statistics are inexorable, and they reveal that the number of mobile users is growing. The old habit of focusing on PCs and ignoring smartphones can be costly. Focus on multiple devices and recipients will more often open your newsletters.
The good news is that high-quality email marketing services allow you to optimize email for mobile phones in a matter of seconds.
Remember, it's important to send a test newsletter to yourself in order to evaluate how correctly all the elements are displayed. This will help to ensure that everything fits properly, and the newsletter is ready to be sent.
Sending newsletters without CTA
Not using a call-to-action (CTA) is a fatal anti-trend that puts recipients in a state of uncertainty. Without one, the person who reads the newsletter doesn't understand what is required of him/her, or where to go next.
Before you insert a CTA button, think about what you want the reader to do. This can be a transition to your website, a purchase, and more. The main thing is that your CTA should prompt action.
For example, if the goal is to get the recipient to make a purchase, then it's best to redirect the visitor to the site where purchase is possible. Don't worry, if your resource does not have such a function, adding a shopping cart to a website isn't difficult with ready-made solutions. And there are a lot of them available today.
For your CTA to be effective, follow these recommendations:
- Make sure the CTA is understandable. It should be unambiguous and not misleading. For example: “Read more" or “Buy now.”
- Use a button, not a link. This will make the CTA more noticeable.
- Use just one CTA, and place it near the top and again near the bottom of the newsletter.
- Don't suggest the user perform several targeted actions. This is confusing and fraught with inaction.
Final thoughts
Email marketing can be a powerful tool, but don't use the anti-trends detailed above. Doing so will seriously hamper your efforts.
If you want to take your email marketing to a new level, contact a freelance specialist. To simplify the search process, use specialized HR software. This will quickly find the right specialist to meet your requirements.
