Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be posting my 7 Rookie Email Marketing Mistakes here on Business 2 Community (follow me on twitter for a heads-up when each post goes live).
If you recognize any of these mistakes in your own campaigns, it’s time to step up your game and start seeing what real email marketing success looks like.
Mistake #4: The Dubiously Acquired List
Email marketing is largely successful because it is based on permission. This means your subscribers have agreed to receive relevant marketing information from you. When you acquire or purchase a list, the people on that list do not have any prior connection to you and have not consented to be targeted by you. At best, these acquired lists will not perform well; at worst, they may label you as a spammer. Buying a list is often seen as an inexpensive way to reach new customers, but it’s important to remember that there is no such thing as cheap marketing—only effective marketing and ineffective marketing. iContact, along with many other trustworthy email marketing providers, DOES NOT allow the use of purchased or acquired lists.
Mistake #5: The Big Picture
A picture can say a lot. But it doesn’t help if the image moves text out of view at the top of an email, isn’t visible until the recipient allows it to load, or is so large that it takes a long time to download. Use images wisely and avoid them when text can do a better job.
See Also:
Rookie Mistake #3: The Wrong From Address
Stop Making Rookie Mistakes – Download iContact’s 10 Rules for Successful Email Marketing GuideToday.