How often do you think about junk mail? Probably not too often, because there's a folder in your email that thinks about it for you, right?
But consider this: according to Return Path, marketing emails are responsible for 70% of 'this is spam' complaints. That means even if you don't think about junk mail as a recipient, as a marketer, you should all be thinking about it all the time -- specifically, whether your own marketing emails are part of that 70%.
So what if we just ... stopped producing awful marketing emails entirely? Well to do that, we have to know just what makes an email so awful, So, I created my own truly awful marketing email, and am going to walk you through everything not to do in your own email marketing. Here, take a look for yourself!
The Anatomy of an Awful Marketing Email
1) Write a Generic Subject Line
According to a survey by Blue Kangaroo, 43% of adults in the U.S. said more than half of their emails are from marketers. With half of your recipient's emails promising deals, coupons, sales, and updates, why should they open yours? Subject lines like the one in the email above don't tell your recipient anything -- I mean, 40% off what product? And settle down with the exclamation points, why don't ya? Your subject line should invite the recipient to do something, to experience something, to enjoy some kind of benefit. To totally nail your email subject line, reference this blog post that will show you the secret sauce for sexy subject lines.
2) Don't Let Recipients Send a Reply Email
No one wants to get an email from their good friend 'Do Not Reply.' It's kind of like forcing someone into a one-way conversation. You know, the exact opposite of what a marketer should be encouraging. Take the robot out of the equation, and provide an email address that actually accepts emails as your reply-to address.
3) Use Unsophisticated Design
The layout and design of your email message is one of the first things that will hit a recipient's eye. Anyone who opens the email above is, however, going to be quite disappointed. The amateur WordArt header gives the impression the sender is old-school at best, and a spammer at worst. Keep your emails clean, and use a simple layout devoid of frills and images that take forever, and ever, and ever to load. If you're not blessed with an in-house designer quite yet, take advantage of these free design tools to strengthen your email design. And remember, less is more when it comes to design!
4) Don't Check for Broken Dynamic Content
Aw look, they tried to personalize my email. How sweet. We know setting dynamic content tags can be tricky, and sometimes the darn internet doesn't do its job. But if seeing 'Dear Sir' in an email is scary, seeing brackets that say {INSERTFIRSTNAME} is a downright nightmare. Bad personalization comes across as insincere, and makes your email message lose credibility. Make sure your ESP helps you avoid mishaps like these by providing default content where customer information is MIA.
5) Write Disingenuously
A business is made up of people. Selling to other people. Sound like it. In other words, your emails should sound like a person wrote them, for another person to read. Language like "valued customer" is, frankly, kind of overused and impersonal. And more exclamation points doesn't make your copy sound exciting, either. Write the way you'd want someone to write to you -- clearly, naturally, and genuinely.
6) Include Your Least Remarkable Content
The number one reason that people unsubscribe from business or non-profit email subscriptions is the frequency of emails is too high (Chadwick Martin Bailey). Don't risk another unsubscribe by sending unremarkable content. If you don't have anything valuable to say, don't say anything at all. Reminding the reader in our fake promo email that Hannah's Monkey Wrenches also sells lawn mowers kiiiind of muddles the message. Every message should have a point; if your content isn't making it, delete and start again.
7) Use Generic Images
A picture says a thousand words. Stock photos say two words: amateur hour. Like unsophisticated design and layout, generic stock photos and clip art images make your business look unprofessional and spammy. Don't let a bad image jeopardize your credibility -- and an email inbox is a bad place to jeopardize credibility. Select images that have a logical tie-in to your email's message, and enhance your message's meaning, instead of detracting from it.
8) Use Images That Don't Display Correctly
The only thing worse than a corny email image is a poorly displayed email image. Many recipients only receive emails in plain text, meaning they can't see any of the visual elements in your message. So don't design your entire email as an image, and when you do use images, make sure you're using ALT text that's descriptive enough to fill in any blanks for readers that don't see your images displayed in all their glory.
9) Don't Include a Call-to-Action
So, my recipient knows that monkey wrenches are 40% off. I've done my part, and they'll take it from here, right? Wrong. You still need to invite your recipient to do something with the information you've just provided. Put a call-to-action in your email to get the recipient to sign up for a discount, to view the monkey wrenches for sale on your website, or to sign up for updates on new sale items. Email tools like HubSpot's makes it easy for you to include a call-to-action in your email message to get your reader to take the next conversion step.
10) Don't Permit Recipients to Unsubscribe
No matter how awesome your emails may be, the second most common reason that people unsubscribe from email lists is because the content isn't relevant to them anymore (Chadwick Martin Bailey). Maybe you're a Boston apartment rental service and someone from your email list just moved to Texas. No hard feelings but, they don't need you anymore. No matter what the reason, a customer shouldn't be tricked into getting your emails. If they want to unsubscribe, give them that option clearly. And once they've unsubscribed, for the love of marketing, stop emailing them, and stop emailing them fast!
Ready to create a lovable email? Avoid these email marketing faux pas and remember that junk is a choice.
Image credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Inbound Marketing Blog Feed
rrho 9:17 AM on January 29, 2013
You do realise that, when I reply to my good friend "blog@hubspot.com" who sent me the link to this article, I do get an automated response that, in essence, tells me I shouldn't be writing mails to that address? Well, there you go, marketing specialists of hubspot.com... ;-) Because, you know, I realise this is an automated newsletter, but it doesn't adhere to your own strict standards.
Pamela Vaughan 9:29 AM on January 29, 2013
Good point, Rroh. Not everyone's perfect ;-)
While we can ensure our other marketing emails are sent from a real address, our blog notifications aren't something we can currently customize. It's a known limitation that we're currently working to fix within our software. Stay tuned for updates!
"Valued Customer" 9:38 AM on January 29, 2013
This adheres to hubspot's own rules the same way their article a few weeks ago did. The article said that you shouldn't require your customers to register on your website for free downloads. It then had a link where you could click to download the complete book free but guess what came up? You guessed it: a registration page that you couldn't get around!
Practice what you preach, hubspot, practice what you preach...
Stuart Longden 9:50 AM on January 29, 2013
Ha ha, I love these cleverly written (sometimes sarcastic) articles! I definitely agree about clip art making emails instantly look unprofessional... Do not even get me started on word art! That stuff reminds me of school projects. Many thanks for the post.
accountants lymington
Kim Phillips 10:23 AM on January 29, 2013
Two more good reasons to give people a way to unsubscribe: 1) it's required by the CAN SPAM Act, and 2) if you don't, they'll mark you as spam in their email systems.
Kathleen Booth 10:54 AM on January 29, 2013
I would also add "Don't try to disguise your marketing email as a personal email". I can't stand when I get what looks like a regular, text-only email that appears to be sent only to me but is really an advertisement. DO use images and DO make it clear that it is a marketing email, but do it in a way that is still personalized. DON'T try to disguise your marketing email as an individual email sent to only one person.
Ribi Khaimov 11:07 AM on January 29, 2013
Great pointers, I just completed my own email workflows and am relieved to discover that they follow every one of the standards outlined in this article.
KB 11:07 AM on January 29, 2013
At least this marketing best practices blog didn't have typos and grammatical errors like some of their marketing best practices PDFs. :D
Allen Wyatt 11:12 AM on January 29, 2013
Insightful comment Kathleen. Good article Hannah. Thanks!
Leslie 11:58 AM on January 29, 2013
#10 should fall under the general bucket of CAN-SPAM compliance 101. You have 10 days to comply with an unsubscribe request or else your in violation. If you have a good system, it should be instant. It's a bummer that people unsubscribe but there's no sense in wasting effort on disinterested people. A good marketer will target their messaging. A small targeted list > a large generic list = < unsubscribes
Mitch Tarr 1:30 PM on January 29, 2013
Yup. A good checklist for sure. So many of these things are common sense but I find customers don't think about them when they are so focused on their email template!
Summer 3:21 PM on January 29, 2013
Helpful reminders. Thanks for the good read!
Mike Rhodes 6:42 PM on January 29, 2013
Good article and review. Enjoyed it. ALT tags are so important. I am constantly amazed at how many people have "images turned off" in their email client.
Mike Rhodes 6:44 PM on January 29, 2013
Good article and review. Enjoyed it. ALT tags are so important. I am constantly amazed at how many people have "images turned off" in their email client.
Mike Rhodes 6:46 PM on January 29, 2013
Good article and review. Enjoyed it. ALT tags are so important. I am constantly amazed at how many people have "images turned off" in their email client.
Robert Martirosian 9:25 PM on January 29, 2013
Love rrho's comment! Pure comedy!
Nina 11:38 PM on January 29, 2013
These are great points!
TB 2:13 AM on January 30, 2013
When you correct the misspellings on your own PDFs and on the numerous pages of your site, please get in touch with the team at http://tabletpublisherpro.com to transform your content into an App and drive even more leads into your sales funnel. I think they are already Clients of yours! If the URL is missing from this comment because you stripped it out, see the link I placed into the website field on this form.
auto repair marketing ideas 5:08 AM on January 30, 2013
Is there a good blog or forum for auto repair marketing ideas? I need to diversify my advertising efforts and get into social media.
Vishal Taragi 5:43 AM on January 30, 2013
great tips Hannah, you pointed some headshot points that makes your email look like a SPAM mail.
Cheers!
sara k. 7:11 AM on January 30, 2013
Spellcheck. Typo's are the single most unprofessional mistake. You obviously didn't even bother to check your own article.
Rob Eads 10:27 AM on January 30, 2013
In other news, do you know where I can find a good monkey wrench?
Curious Cat Digital 11:28 AM on January 30, 2013
This was an enjoyable read. With so many posts out there telling us what we should be doing, it was fun to read this lighthearted take on what not to do. We all know businesses who still haven't adopted best practice in their emails, even if they don't go quite as far as the blunders in the article.
Beau 1:21 PM on January 30, 2013
These are great points and should be the basis for a bad marketing email but not the end all.
Carol 1:47 PM on January 30, 2013
Thanks for the insightful article,funny how it makes some of us check up on you to see if you are doing what you preach! I appreciate the candid responses to your own goofs ;)
Edward 10:20 PM on January 30, 2013
This article was written by a child. There is a science to email marketing and this article did not use any of it.
Glenda 10:39 PM on January 30, 2013
Science? I always liked math and business better!
Gina 11:27 PM on January 30, 2013
Great article. One more thing to add... I, personally, don't like the new trend of cursing in emails. I understand the need to appear "real", sincere and informal, but it's just unprofessional to me.
World Solutions Free Classifieds 12:27 AM on January 31, 2013
Tx for all the positive contributions. Serves as good reminders.
Corporate Social Responsibility in India 1:56 AM on January 31, 2013
Digital marketing
needs precision. If you are using e-mail for marketing then make sure that it is interesting and compelling enough for the potential customer to go through it.
monfis 3:39 AM on January 31, 2013
As a search engine optimizer and web hosting provider my problems with spam filters are, to configure them for my clients. Most of them are by today so ennoyed by spam, that we elaborate our own lists and apply individualized filters for every client on the serverside.
Abneradam 8:37 AM on January 31, 2013
Truly awesome article.The points mentioned should be kept in mind when you are marketing through emails else your emails would be a part of 70%.
Karen 10:54 AM on January 31, 2013
This was valid information...I do find it ironic however, that Link-in's emails to me get stuck in my Spam folder about 50% of the time!
Treasured Scenes Custom Christmas Ornament 11:49 AM on January 31, 2013
It is strongly urged that email marketers abidge by these rules so that people don't get fed up with this marketing avenue. Bulk Direct Mail is so much more expensive than email. Would hate to this become ineffective in the near future.
Treasured Scenes 11:49 AM on January 31, 2013
It is strongly urged that email marketers abidge by these rules so that people don't get fed up with this marketing avenue. Bulk Direct Mail is so much more expensive than email. Would hate to this become ineffective in the near future.
Edward Sledge 12:28 PM on January 31, 2013
I read this article and find it to be dead on. I do think some of us are missing the point. Which to is if you want better results clean up your act.
Great information.
Roger 12:30 PM on January 31, 2013
Great "blinding flashes of the obvious". I loved it.
Esmer 1:48 PM on January 31, 2013
Thanks for the very informative and fun article!
Kyle 2:33 PM on January 31, 2013
I noticed that point number 3 tells us to use "unsophisticated design." However, wouldn't it be simpler to say "simpler design?"
Just giving you a hard time. Good article!
Aaron Sorenson 3:47 PM on January 31, 2013
My rule of thumb. Assume that the recipient is going to think your email is spam unless you prove otherwise. A prospect (now a client) called our marketing department: “This is the first time I have ever responded to a spam email.” Even when it was valuable and generated the call, he thought of it as spam.
Errum 8:16 PM on January 31, 2013
Thanks for this article of what not to do. But can you write an article of what to do? What is an example of a great marketing email?
thanks!
Craig M. 9:29 PM on January 31, 2013
@sara k., Your statement couldn't be more truthful and ironic at the same time! "Typo's (sic) are the single most unprofessional mistake." If your tongue wasn't in your cheek when writing this, your foot should be in your mouth. The apostrophe-'s' shows possession, and is never to be used to pluralize!
Tracy 9:33 AM on February 01, 2013
The messed up coding parts make me laugh, the number of these I see is ridiculous. I have even received one that had the wrong company name on. Test, test, and test again!
Tracy 9:35 AM on February 01, 2013
@Kyle the points are the mistakes...so unsophisticated is what you don't do.
Simone Camilleri 9:52 AM on February 01, 2013
I have one other point to make to Miss Hannah Marketing Expert Fleishman ... how about we dispense with all unsolicited mail altogether and permit people their right to privacy?? I, for one, don't care about subject headers, nor images nor contents ... IF (and this is paramount) ... I did not specifically solicit info from a company. When I'm interested, however, I permit marketing emails to reach my mailbox.
Point is, the oh-so-noisy marketing clamour is way too stressful and too intrusive in people's lives. And all for what?? Just so a bunch of big corporations can sell more, more and more! Geez! For THAT, I have to put up with some new line of marketing expertise that drive me up the wall. I switch on the TV, the radio, and whatnot, and WHAM! I'm hit by some commercial. I open my email, and WHAM! some more marketing expertise stuffed down my throat!
Pulease! Give us a break! No more expertise. And in case you're wondering ... I, too, am a marketing madam. :-) No offence.
Marco 10:04 AM on February 01, 2013
What about: #0, do not send rubbish marketing emails and give up with mailing lists, use RSS, Twitter and Facebook instead #0.1 Don't send commercial stuff to your customers, but keep those who wish up to date about you as a company #0.2 regarding discounts, I would be happy to know that a given good is for sale WHEN I NEED TO BUY IT, NOT when you decide to sell it off. Think of advertise discounts on Amazon, using Google snippets to let a sale come in front of those who are searching.
Suzanne Mannion 11:06 AM on February 01, 2013
And with a resent survey indicating companies expecting to increase email marketing, best to get it right! Great tips! http://www.newsmakergroup.com/blog/the-world-is-changing-and-pr-is-keeping-up-strategies-to-focus-on-in-2013/
Patrice 1:27 PM on February 01, 2013
I don't make any of these mistakes. I currently design and distribute e-newsletters for a local non-profit (voluntarily) so this type of advice is really helpful.
Denise Brown 2:21 PM on February 01, 2013
Great examples and comments. Another example of not knowing even the most basic information about the names on your email list --- marketing email urging me to upgrade to the newest version of the product when I'm not a customer, have never purchased anything in the first place. Talk about spray & pray!
Jason Ulsrud 2:48 PM on February 01, 2013
Great insight on emails. One of my biggest pet peeves is getting too many emails. IMO more than one a week is getting too much.
Rather than dilute the message into several weekly emails, I'm all for one power message per week.
Chris 8:57 PM on February 01, 2013
Not surprisingly, you miss what really matters most - when sending me a marketing email, help me decide IMMEDIATELY if I'm interested in the particular product being marketed. If you can allow me to filter, with a cursory review, whether or not I'm interested in "today's" particular deal, then I'm willing to give every offer you send that cursory review. If I know that 5 to 10 seconds of reading an email will occasionally result in an offer in which I am interested, I'll spend that 5 to 10 seconds on every email that comes from that company.
But, then again, if you understood that, you wouldn't be sending me spam mail and convincing yourself that it's "marketing" mail. Marketing mail doesn't mean you'll only ever contact me about items in which I'm interested in. That's impossible. Successful marketing mail means you'll give me the ability to quickly determine if I'm interested or not, and quit fooling yourself into thinking that you could ever guess my level of interest ahead of time to begin with.
Mobile Monitoring Software 4:26 AM on February 02, 2013
Hannah, its a great post and I have bookmarked it. One thing which I really want to ask, how much of us think for making these emails responsive as well. Means if user used to open these mails on their mobile phones, do you think these mails should be compatible for the mobile phone screens? I offer mobile phone spy software which is actually is a mobile phone monitoring software and I need to send news letters to my users. As most of them use mobile phones for viewing the details, I want to send news letters which are responsive as well. What do you say?
If it is answered it will be of great help.
Cheers.
Michal Simkovič 6:26 AM on February 02, 2013
Dear Hannah Fleishman. Also as many companies we have tried this marketing method, but all we could accomplish was the growth of audience by maximally 2 or 3 percent, and to be honest that is really nothing. As we have been trying to consider what would be the best cost free marketing to reach bigger audience, that could provide us great recommendation from the right people, and references to the right people. I guess that is what all of the marketing methods nowadays lack.If you are looking for cost free marketing to resolve this problem, you are free to visit and register on our project updience.com
I am really glad i could provide help.
Have a great day
Florett Rivera 2:17 AM on February 04, 2013
I think it’s important to make distinctions about email marketing when it comes to existing customers and prospects. The same guidelines don’t apply to the two audiences.
Aylin Sankur 6:51 PM on February 04, 2013
Couldn’t agree more--sending an “awful email” is like a dead end in the world of email marketing. I’m all too familiar with getting so caught up in the other aspects of your online business that the step of creating clever and engaging emails for leads gets ignored. I especially can’t stress enough the importance of previewing your marketing emails before sending them out to the masses; a perfect way to avoid step 4 (“Don’t Check for Broken Dynamic Content”) and 8 (“Use Images that Don’t Display Correctly”)
Marcus Chang 9:29 AM on February 05, 2013
Same goes for regular marketing communications of any kind.
alessandra rossi 11:21 AM on February 05, 2013
Good job Hannah,I totally agree with this post. 10years ago, in Italy, we started saying the same. We did not say enough, I'm afraid :).
It's usefull to keep on sharing articles and opinion about it.
I've translated in italian your article on my Blog, hope you will appreciate.
Benjamin Nevas 11:30 AM on February 05, 2013
Excellent article! I am particularly impressed by Costco's email campaigns. Rather than attempting to over-personalize or push a hard sell, they provide a newsletter briefly listing sales items. In fact, it is the only email advertisement where I look forward to the next one to see what is being offered! All companies should follow the guidelines you've posted here.