Every email marketer is guilty of annoying their customers at one point or another. Admitting you’ve been a part of the problem is the first step to fixing it. Here, we break down the biggest email marketing blunders and provide solutions for you to fix the problems, or avoid them all together.
You’re Emailing Too Frequently
The problem: Reigning supreme as the most annoying email marketing blunder is getting email too often. It’s no surprise that 47% of average email responders feel they are contacted too often by email marketers.
The solution: Timing is of huge importance when it comes to email marketing, but knowing the exact right number of emails can be difficult. The answer to timing of emails is not uniform and can be complex depending on your brand and products. Email marketers should rely on data to help bring changes to your scheduling, if needed. Stick to the testing approach to see what works for your brand and products. If you’re looking to double down on getting it right from the get go, allow your subscribers to manage the frequency at which they receive your emails during the sign-up process.
Your Copy Isn’t Great
The problem: 32% of surveyed respondents report that they were often annoyed at the wordiness of emails. Long-worded emails are often boring and difficult to read. What’s worse is when long copy lacks substance.
The solution: When it comes to email copy, less is often more. Make the copy work for your clients by extracting the most important points and crafting a concise message with only your best material. Email is not the most effective “point-of-sale” channel. It is an extremely effective, “alert and get people excited to learn more about your offer” channel. Save the essay for your landing page and rely on short sentences and visuals to draw your audience in to the email. With read times averaging under 10 seconds, time your copy before you hit send.
Your Email Is Incorrectly Targeted
The problem: Your perfectly personalized email is reaching the wrong person. 20% of responders report that they feel the emails were not targeted specifically for them.
The solution: It’s impossible to know everything about your subscribers, but keeping their data as up-to-date as possible is key to retaining their loyalty. Email marketers should seize every opportunity to collect data from their consumers, whether it be surveys, feedback opportunities, or purchase tracking. The only thing worse than sending broad, non-personalized emails are sending emails that get it totally wrong, so be sure you are tailoring your messages for the right people at the right time.
No one email marketer is perfect, but we can always improve. Before you employ your email marketing strategy, do your research and get to know your audience to keep them engaged and best serve their needs. A well-served customer will add profits to your bottom line.
Let ResponseGenius help take your email marketing to the next level – hello@responsegenius.com
