Mistakes you really should avoid with your email marketing activities

Not planning your campaign

Don’t rush the planning, make sure your emails suit your target market, purpose and spend time getting it right.

Not getting permission

To avoid being branded as ‘spam’, get direct permission from the recipients before sending the emails. This means ensuring they have requested to receive emails from you, not just that you’ve got their email address. Even if working on behalf of another company, check the list of emails is an ‘opted-in’ list.

Using an outdated sign up list

If you don’t contact your email list regularly it likely they’ve forgotten they opted-in to your emails. You need to use up-to-date email lists to not be reported as spam, and some experts say that even 6 months is outdated.

Purchasing an email list

By purchasing an email list off another company and sending emails, you can be reported for spam. The other company needs to send the emails on your behalf, so the receiver recognises the senders email address.

Being unprofessional

Use your company website domain to send the email, it creates a better image and will give you better results.

Thinking ‘short-term solution’

Email marketing is not a quick way to boost your sales or consumers awareness. It’s a method of developing a longer-term relationship and receiving feedback. So treat it like that. Send emails that are relevant to customers who gave permission and listen to their feedback and comments. Don’t ‘blast’ out emails in hope of short term pay-offs. Be patient.

Assuming once is enough

Email marketing is a campaign, not a once off. It may take several attempts to create a relationship with your customer, so you need to dedicate time and build upon previous communications with linked emails.

Trying to spread your budget

You will have more impact reaching fewer people more often, than contacting a lot of people once. Use your budget to reach your target market effectively, instead of trying to spread yourself to reach a wide market.

Noticeable but no substance

Spending time making your campaign stand out won’t compensate if it’s not useful and informative. If there’s nothing behind the ‘flashiness’, then you won’t get results.

Category: Getting started

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