Seven Sins of Email Marketing

Think email marketing is dead? Not so. In fact, email marketing is making a bit of a comeback…but in a more sophisticated way. Many companies are now using software like HubSpot to create lead nurturing campaigns (sent by email) that are relevant to the needs of the respondent. When done properly, the campaign should bring your prospect through your sales funnel, down to where they are more prepared to buy.

However, there are lots of businesses doing email marketing totally wrong! To make sure you’re not one of them, check out these seven sins and don’t do them!!

#1. Send irrelevant content

Hopefully you’re using CTAs and landing pages with content offers in order to collect information about sales prospects. Based on the type of content your lead downloaded you should send additional information related to that content. Don’t just send all the same generic content to everyone. That’s a sure way to get a lot of unsubscribes.

#2. Ignore their preferences

If someone has signed up for a specific email list, such as a monthly newsletter, don’t automatically subscribe them to all your other email lists. Email is a fairly personal thing and access to it shouldn’t be abused. Which leads me to Sin #3…

#3. Don’t honor unsubscribes

Yikes. This one could actually get you in legal trouble, so that should be motivation enough. If you’re not sure on the rules of email marketing, check out the CAN-SPAM Act. Don’t wait before opting someone out of your list who asked to unsubscribe or worse, just ignore their request altogether. A low percentage of unsubscribes is normal; focus instead on those who want your content.

#4. Email people who didn’t opt-in

This one goes along with #3. Don’t email people who haven’t chosen to receive content from you. This includes buying or renting lists so you can email people who have no idea who you are. If you have a specific person you want to connect with, try engaging with them on Twitter or in a LinkedIn group before “spamming” them with an email.

#5. Send email with broken dynamic tags

Have you ever gotten an email that looked something like this: “Hi [%FirstName%], Does [%CompanyName%] need a more sophisticated widget?”. It’s very likely you have. And you probably immediately deleted the email. Always send a test email to yourself or a colleague before sending out mass emails that use dynamic tags. This way if one of them is broken you’ll know and can fix it before the mailing goes out.

#6. Send HTML version only

Some email clients and mobile phones don’t support HTML emails or the recipient may prefer a plain text version. Make sure you always include a plain text version of your email just in case.

#7. Don’t mobile-optimize your emails

You’ve heard about mobile, right? There’s only 4.6 billion devices worldwide…and it is anticipated that by 2014 mobile internet usage will take over desktop internet usage. So if you haven’t made your emails mobile-friendly, get on it! The number of people who use their mobile device to access the Internet continues to skyrocket. Make sure you are reaching them with properly configured emails.

What other sins do you see in email marketing?

Read more:

• Commandments of Email Copywriting (Infographic)
• Best Email Marketing Software – Best Email Marketing Services for your Business