Email marketing is still essential to promoting any business online. Even experienced email copywriters can make mistakes by overlooking the fundamentals.
Broken links, bad personalizing and other mistakes can lead to ineffective messages. It doesn’t matter if you are a pro copywriter or a business owner, you need to be aware of these pitfalls in your emails.
In this guide, we’ll look at the five biggest mistakes email copywriters make. Knowing and avoiding these errors will help you create powerful messages that will resonate well with your readers. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned copywriter or business owner who uses email to market.
So, keep reading to find out how you can avoid these pitfalls and write profitable campaigns.
Who knows, you could wind up like this guy, rolling in the dough…
#1 The Biggest of the Email Marketing Mistakes – Not Personalizing Email Messages
Personalized emails are very important to an effective campaign. The reason why they are so important is simple – people get swamped with all kinds of advertising. When an individual gets bombarded with marketing messages all day, receiving a message that addresses them specifically is very powerful.
Sending a message with a recipient’s name on it will make it stand out from the noise.
But using names from your database is only one personalization tool you can use. You can also focus on preferences, behaviors, and demographics of your audience.
The main reason why personalization works is because they make recipients feel valued and understood. Here are a few ways you can use personalization to in your marketing:
- Using names in the title and preview fields
- Using names in the intro emails
- Product recommendation based on past purchases
- Acknowledging readers specific interests
- Remembering recipient’s birthdays, anniversaries and other events
- Asking them how they like the products they purchased from you
Sending personalized email messages is more than a marketing trick; it is a commitment to your reader’s needs and desires. Investing in personalized campaigns will build growth and better relationships while adding to your business’s bottom line.
#2 An Easy Campaign Fix – But a Big Mistake
This is an easy mistake to fix, but it happens all the time to email marketers. You must make your email messages easy to navigate if you want your users to have a good experience.
Below I’m listing 4 things you can do to manage your links, thus giving your readers a smooth experience.
Clearly Displaying Your Links
Think of links as labels.
Don’t just say, “Click here”, instead label your links with a title like this:
Get Your Free Email Marketing Guide Here
Usually, links are underlined and colored so you can’t miss them. I go a step further and make my links emboldened so they stand out more.
Make Sure Your Email Links are Accurate
I know this is common sense, but when you are working hard on a campaign you can overlook things. If you are writing your own copy, it is always a good idea to proof read, and check all your links. Make sure that they work correctly and go to the places you meant for them to go.
Broken or incorrect links will make you look like an amateur and ruin any clout you’ve developed with your subscribers.
Place Your Links in Prominent Places
Writing emails are very similar to writing blog posts, you want your links as close to the beginning of the piece as possible. There are several different kinds of links you need to be familiar with and you should know how to display them:
Contextual Links – These are hyperlinks that reside within the content of an email message. For example, you have a sentence that is talking about a post on copywriting, you can place the link like this:
In order to become a professional copywriter, you should consider reading at least ten books on copywriting first.
Once again, the closer to the beginning of your email messages these links are, the better.
Bonus Links – Another good place to have your links, is in a bonus section of your email near the end of your message. However, don’t overdo it because you will appear salesy and you might turn off your readers. Your readers will be turned off when they see all kinds of links leading to the same offer or sales page.
Permanent Links – These are links that are usually under your email messages and have unsubscribe options for your subscribers. Also, you should have links which encourages people to share your emails as well as sharing them on social media.
URL Clarity:
This is another no-brainer that gets overlooked, but make sure your links go to the place that matches the content offered. Do not have misleading URLs that prompt readers to go to unrelated pages.
Don’t go Phishing:
Never ask for personal information of any kind in your emails. Most people are highly suspicious of such requests and this will kill your credibility.
Email marketing success relies on sending valuable, trusted content to your followers.
Go back and check your work to make sure that all your hyperlinks are accurate, prominent, and obvious. By doing so, you’ll stand out as a pro in your business dealings.
#3 Not Having Clear Subscription Options
When you use email marketing, you need to provide clear subscription options. If you don’t people will quickly leave your signup form and go elsewhere.
However, it is another one of those email marketing mistakes that isn’t hard to fix. Here are some of the ways you can correct or make your options crystal clear:
Create an Email Preference Center
In case you are unfamiliar with email preference centers, here is a simple definition: It is a page that gives subscribers a way to manage their email preferences. In other words, it gives them several choices rather than an unsubscribe button.
Having an email preference center allows email subscribers to tailor their relationship and experiences with you.
They can:
- Select the kinds of content they want to receive
- Adjust the email frequency
- Update their contact information
- Unsubscribe from all emails
The main reason why you would want to have an email preference center, is to reduce the number of unsubscribes. If subscribers can modify their subscriptions, they may find it more attractive to stay on your list.
After all, instead of receiving emails from you daily, they can get your messages twice a month. Needless to say, this is a lot better than having your subscribers opt-out completely.
Also, if your subscribers only want to receive content that is relevant to them, they may hang around longer. It has been proven in marketing studies that relevance is key to retention in email marketing lists.
Collecting First-Party Data
Another benefit of having an email preference center is that it will allow you to collect valuable first-party data. When you collect this kind of information it can give you a competitive edge in your marketing. Here is a list of the kinds of insider-data you can collect:
- Interests your readers enjoy and how to cater to those interests
- Demographics like age, location, and job roles
- Behavioral data on what they like to click on, and their engagement patterns
You can use this information to segment your readers into different subscription groups. You can also personalize your content better by creating very relevant email experiences.
The Top Reasons Why People Unsubscribe from Email Lists
- Overwhelming frequency of emails
- Irrelevance to reader’s needs
- Changed situations like career switching or moving to a new locale
If you have an email preference center, you’ll not only be able to retain information on what your readers desire, but you’ll also be able to understand why they left your list. There is nothing worse that losing customers, and subscribers without knowing why they departed.
Once again, the main things you need to do are:
- Avoid spamming
- Segment your list
- Deliver engaging content
If you avoid these three email marketing mistakes, your campaigns will be far more successful.
#4 Sending Too Much Stuff in Your Email Messages
Sure, you want your emails to look professional and appealing while making your brand memorable, But, another one of those email marketing mistakes everyone makes is overloading readers with stimuli.
If you put too many images, colors, fonts and other elements into your emails, you can easily confuse your readers.
This is another case where the phrase, “less is more” comes in handy. In order to make your message clear, you should try to make it as simple as possible.
Years ago, while I was working on my Master’s degree in Education Technology, I had to create an instructional video. The main thing I learned from the class was that people can only handle so many channels.
What I mean by “channels” is you don’t want to have too many features in your videos. You needed to use simple, well thought out explanations that are scripted.
Here is a list of what I mean by the term “channels”:
- Words that pop up on the screen
- Music and sound effects
- Images and videos that distract
- Weird pauses and mistakes
- A script that asks you to perform an action outside of what you need to learn
If you go and look at a lot of the explainer videos online, you’ll see that they use all of these, sometimes simultaneously.
That’s great if you want to produce entertaining videos, but if you want to send a clear message or teach somebody a lesson, use only one or two channels at a time.
Email messages are just like this.
If you send a message with a bunch of links in different colors, while using pictures that are not conducive to your message, your readers will become confused.
To sum it up, you don’t want your emails to resemble this website:
Yes, write engaging, thoughtful, powerful email content, but keep it simple and focused. Use images that are important to your message, and use links sparingly that are vital to your main point.
Are You Using Responsive Design?
This is one of the most overlooked email marketing mistakes businesses make.
Responsive design is a programming method usually applied to websites, but can also be applied to email messages as well. It is an approach that ensures your email messages look and work well on all types of devices.
This is important because almost 50% of the populace now read their email messages on cellphones.
In case you’re confused with what I mean, let me give you an example:
“Have you ever visited a website on your desktop computer and then tried accessing the same site on your cellphone? You might have noticed that it appeared either too large or too small to read comfortably.
This happens when the site lacks responsive design.
Responsive design ensures that websites, videos, and emails adapt seamlessly to different devices—whether it’s a cellphone or a laptop. They will fit well and function properly, regardless of the screen size
It’s crucial for your subscribers to access emails designed responsively. This ensures easy readability and navigation on any device.
(By the way, it is crucial for you to test your email messages across all devices to make sure they look and function properly.)
Just remember, you need to strike a balance between aesthetics and functionality. When it comes to ensuring your message is clearly understood, less is more.
#5 Sending Out the Wrong Remarketing Content
Remarketing is a strategy that you need to use and understand because it will help you reconnect with your audience. If you’ve had readers or customers who have previously interacted with you, remarketing can help you reestablish your relationship with them.
However, you must use it carefully to avoid common email marketing mistakes.
How to Avoid Making Remarketing Mistakes
As I mentioned above, one of the main reasons to use remarketing is to re-engage your subscribers and encourage them to take some sort of action.
It doesn’t matter if it is completing a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or sending out new content.
One of the biggest errors you can make in remarketing is sending outdated or irrelevant content. If you send out messages to an audience that don’t match their interests, not only will you frustrate your readers, but you will become annoyed as well. It can be very difficult to figure out why so many readers are dropping off a mailing list like flies without the proper data.
You Must Segment Your Lists
It is very important for you to segment your email marketing lists. You need to divide your audience into different segments based on demographics, preferences, and behavior.
Example: You are in the skateboard business and you have 3 distinct groups of people:
- Enthusiasts who want to know about the latest skateboards
- People who want to buy parts to update or repair their skateboards
- Subscribers who are interested in skateboard gifts like shirts and hats
You don’t want to send the same remarketing messages to all three groups. In this case, you can have skateboarders who are segmented on your email list by purchase history, interests, and engagement level.
Remember to Keep Your Data Updated
This may sound like a daunting task, but it isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Almost every decent email platform online from Aweber to Mail Chimp has built-in segmentation tools to make the job super easy.
Here is a video to show you what I mean:
[INSERT VIDEO OF MAIL CHIMP SEGMENTATION]
Using tools like this can help you refresh your data and accurately target the right part of your audience and eliminate these email marketing mistakes.
Engage Based on Past Behavior
Remarketing with segmentation tools, can help you customize and target customers and readers with precision. You can personalize messages based on past behavior.
Here are two ways this can help your business with email marketing:
- Sending out personalized content. You can use dynamic content blocks to show relevant products, offers, or recommendations.
- Crafting messages that resonate with each segment like shopping cart abandonment, specific webpages visited, etc.
Yes, Remarketing Matters
I know you’re thinking that remarketing and segmenting sounds difficult and confusing, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll see how important they really are.
Yes, it is a chore, but it matters — A lot.
Relevant content will keep your subscribers engaged and interested, while avoiding sending out annoying marketing content that isn’t relevant to them. Also, studies have shown that tailored email marketing messages lead to better retention and loyalty from your followers.
Conclusion
Ok, by now you should know the 5 biggest email marketing mistakes. If you avoid them, you’ll be on your way to sending emails that your readers will love and respond to. If you want to know more about email marketing, my blog is loaded with information and tips on how to create powerful messages that your readers will love.
These email marketing mistakes are very important to avoid, but don’t forget that engagement is extremely important too. You could still make some of these mistakes, but if your messages are powerful and clear, you’ll dominate your market space.
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