Email marketing has been around for years. It is assumed that everyone on the web understands email because we have been receiving and sending messages for years. Even my extremely nontechnical mother uses email, although she refuses to use text messages. The thought of spending 10¢ to receive a text message from her son is just too much. I love you, Mom.
So although (almost) everyone understands how to use email it doesn’t mean that is the same as understanding email marketing. Not even close. As you are thinking about how to improve your email marketing efforts, make sure that you aren't committing any of these five mistakes.
1. Trying to Email Market Without an ESP (Email Service Provider)
What is wrong with the picture above? I tried to blur it out for the protection of the recipients, but this is an example of an actual company who loaded up everyone who had bought their product into the “To” line, typed up an email, and hit the send button. This violates the CAN-SPAM Act and can quickly get you blocked by your Internet service provider. Fail!
2. Not Knowing Your Recipients Gender
This screenshot was taken from a Banana Republic campaign sent to one of my good MALE friends. I love the ideas of companies sending sales and specials to their customers, but this is bad targeting and list segmentatoin. Fail!
3. I Don’t See Pictures Dude
This next one is from the big swoosh gods at Nike. Notice anything weird about the screenshot? It has some nice orange and grey colors to it, but that is about it. Remember by default every email client does NOT display images. At least they gave us a view web version unlike the Eventbrite. Just take a look at the before and after pictures below. Could you even tell what that email is about? Fail.
And I’m sure you wanted to know why the Nike email has the swoosh in it. Well that is a really fancy inline CSS job. Nice one Nike! Actually I’m being a little harsh on Nike here because I do enjoy their email campaigns, but remember one little rule email marketing rule:
Images should add, not dominate.
4. Not Having an Unsubscribe Option
5. Landing In Spam/Junk Folders
There are a lot of ways that emails can end up in Spam/Junk folders, but I’ll give you a few quick tips.
-
Don’t get blacklisted
- Images should add, not dominate – usually images lead to lower quality scores in the eyes of email firewalls
- Don’t include Viagra in your subject or body, or any variation of the word – sorry, I couldn’t resist!
- Have a text only option of your email
- Do not include an attachment – anything that looks like a virus will be considered one
Marketing Takeaway
At the end of the day email marketing can drive valuable traffic back to your website. Do not forget that. You can’t convert readers into leads and customers just by using an email, can you? No, they have to come back to your website and fill out a form or some other way of connecting. Sure, someone could respond to your email saying that they are ready to buy today, but let’s be honest, how often that will that really happen? Instead focus a sending compelling articles to relevant groups of your e-mail list and provide clear opportunities for them to convert into leads and customers.
Inbound Marketing Blog Feed
Laura 9:49 AM on July 13, 2010
In e-mails, make sure that links work and actually go to where they are suppose to. I have received many blog article links from Hubspot and the link is broken. This is annoying for customers.
Kipp Bodnar 10:05 AM on July 13, 2010
@Laura
I am sorry about the blog e-mail problems. We ere switching systems and adding new subscription options. Regardless, it shouldn't have happened. I am sorry about this issue.
Thank you
Kipp
Mark Rogan 10:09 AM on July 13, 2010
Does anyone know how nike got their logo on their e-mail to come through without being blocked like all their other images???
John McTigue 10:20 AM on July 13, 2010
I think timing and content should also be considered. Once in a blue moon sounds about right. If I get an e-mail from you every week, chances are you're going in my spam filter list. If you're always sending me opportunities (i.e. Ads) and never anything I can use right now (like Tips), then you're going in the spam filter.
MIchael Ewing 12:04 PM on July 13, 2010
@John I agree with your point about timing and content. A constant stream of ads 2 times a week will land most of your emails in the Junk folder. Your emails should always provide value and should never be dominated by ads (they will look spammy).
Kyle makes a good point with Gender segmentation. You will risk losing subscribers with blanketed emails over targeted ones.
It is best practice to send relevant, targeted content at optimal times to reach the top of your customers’ inbox. Knowing what your customers are interested in and what time to send your emails to them will help increase conversion rates. It is important to know the customer time zone so you can time your emails to arrive at the top of their inbox instead of the bottom when they open it up. I found that 8:15AM on Wednesdays mornings got the best conversions for my previous business, but everyone’s campaign will be different.
Mark Madden 1:16 PM on July 13, 2010
This list really cover a large amount of common errors in e-mail marketing, which is sad, because many of the items are basic. Can't say I've ever received an e-mail asking me to purchase women undergarments, however!
Sara Forkel 1:22 PM on July 13, 2010
Thank you for continually providing current information and resources that not only benefit me but my network as well.
Sterling Mckinley 2:12 PM on July 13, 2010
Yes! email marketing is about much more than collecting an email....
Good read
Geri Daily 2:12 PM on July 13, 2010
This information is very helpful for me because I'm a sponge right now, just trying to get as much insightful information about important aspects of online marketing as possible.
Hopefully, Kyle James will go even deeper into this topic in his next article?
Thanks!
Elliot Ross 3:35 PM on July 13, 2010
@mark rogan - yes, I know who made it. it's a huge table filled with 1x1 cells & bgcolors
Josh Nason 5:23 PM on July 13, 2010
Even for someone that has been in the business for a while like myself, these are still great reads.
The text-to-image ratio is one that still drives me crazy. Image-only emails are still a no-no.
It comes down to using resources the right way and the desire to want to email market the right way. It takes some effort, but when used right is amazingly effective and provides an awesome ROI.
Terrance 6:46 PM on July 13, 2010
Your comments about the unsubscribe are well taken. I have had people email me that they were very happy to see that I had the unsubscribe in my news letter. They also unsubscribed:(
Best keep your contacts happy.
Terrance
Mel 7:29 PM on July 13, 2010
Mistake 3 is one of my pet hates - far too many companies still send emails that are entirely made up of pics - all bad.
And maybe Mistake 6 is long slow Subject Lines that seem to last for 3 weeks.
Mark Rogan 4:33 AM on July 14, 2010
@ Elliot Ross. Thanks for replying, do you know how the creator of the nike e-mail was able to get their logo showing whilst was unable to show the rest of the pictures? surely the logo and pictures would fall under the same category.
Shane 12:05 PM on July 14, 2010
Good info in the above there. I once got a mail from a certain retailer that had 80 other ccs on it! Crazy and surely illegal!
Do you think the subject line of the email is important to hook people into reading it? We try to change it every week and make it interesting or humurous at mylunch.ie
JW 9:40 AM on July 15, 2010
@Mark Rogan - Did you actually read the article? It says right there below the Eventbrite pictures how Nike got the swoosh in the email.
Jaap Schuddeboom 10:28 AM on July 15, 2010
Great article for me, mostly because of the pictures included. I get the message right away.
Thanks!
Jaap
Mark Rogan 10:41 AM on July 15, 2010
@JW ,thanks for pointing that out, you seam to have some valuable insight into the "fancy inline css". i'd really love to hear more about how this would be acomplished, would you have any links/articles that would be able to solve this problem. im sure they would be greatly appreciated by the hubspot community.
Chris 1:47 PM on July 16, 2010
I use mailchimp for my email campaigns and they are awesome, they make sure you are legal and your recipients are safe.
ManPuppy Men 12:50 PM on August 12, 2010
Another important one: If you promise not to sell or rent your list, make sure it is ABSOLUTELY secure. Hire someone to try and hack your db.