So, you’ve been buckling down on email marketing by sending your subscribers consistent content. Still not seeing results? You’re not the only one.
With so many people overwhelmed with overflowing email inboxes, it’s harder than ever to make your messages stand out.
With social platforms like Instagram and Facebook receiving so much web traffic on a daily basis, it may seem like email marketing can be put on the back burner, right? Wrong.
Consider the following:
- Almost 4 billion people worldwide use email, and that number is expected to continue to rise
- Email marketing is more than 7 times more likely to lead to a sale than social media marketing
- Email marketing produces $44 for every $1 spent
With statistics like these, it would be a disservice to your business if you didn’t double down on email marketing.
Are you ready to increase your revenue and open rates?
Continue reading to learn how to avoid the most common email marketing mistakes.
1. Not paying attention to open rates
If you haven’t been paying attention to the statistics generated by your email campaigns, now’s the time to start.
The percentage of subscribers that open your email can give you a lot of information.
According to MailChimp, an open rate of about 21% is considered average.
Is your open rate lower than this? The first step to improving this figure: analyze your subject lines.
Some things to avoid when crafting your subject lines are:
- Not implying a sense of urgency
- “Only 2 Days Left to Save on Luxury Towels” and “Your Electronics Discount Expires in 3 Hours” are great ways to cue your readers to open your email without seeming desperate or spammy. Subject lines like “Click now to save!!!” don’t give your subscribers any information as to who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. Remember to always frame your language so that you are addressing your reader’s needs and desires.
- Using all caps
- “SALE NOW!!! HURRY!” Although we all love to save money with a good deal, using all caps in your email subject lines (or any ad copy you write for that matter” lowers your credibility. It makes your email look like spam, so fewer people will be likely to open it. Using proper grammar shows professionalism and legitimacy.
- Too wordy
- Most people read emails on their phone screens. That means if you have too many words in your subject line, your subscribers won’t be able to read it all. The emails that get the highest percentage of open rates have subject lines with 6-10 words. As the length of this text gets longer, the open rate decreases.
2. Not segmenting your audience
The segmenting option on email marketing platforms allows you to give your subscribers more personalized content than they would get through scrolling social media.
This incredible feature helps you get the most out of your audience.
Say, for example, you recently garnered a new group of contacts on your email list, but they haven’t made a purchase yet.
You can segment your audience so that the message you want to convey is sent to only people that fit that criteria: “subscribed in the last 30 days” and “hasn’t made a purchase”
This will make it so your email marketing packs a punch.
By writing copy crafted to one group of people with specific characteristics, you can speak to your audience’s needs more effectively than if you were to send a general email to your entire contact list.
If your open rates and revenue has been lower than you’d hope, segmenting your audience can be a major key to help you level up.
3. Using a Lack-Luster Lead Magnet
Cell phones are constantly flooding us with information.
As the amount of content on the internet only continues to grow, it is getting more difficult to hold the attention of readers.
That’s why you need to make sure your lead magnets immediately grab your audience’s attention.
A lead magnet is an incentive for web browsers to offer you their contact information.
Since no one wants spam in their email, you have to work hard to successfully convince readers that you will add value to their life.
Typical lead magnets include free ebooks, templates, or workbooks.
Keep it simple and as always, remember your audience.
Spend some time thinking deeply about who your target market is and how you can bring them value.
Give those who trust you enough to offer you their email address (something of value) so that they continue to stay engaged with you and your content.
Need help thinking of a lead magnet specific to you and your brand? Set up a free Discovery Call with me and let’s talk.
4. Your inability to tell an interesting story
Psychologist Jerome Butler found that humans are 22 times more likely to remember something when it’s wrapped in a story.
Want your content to stand out and be memorable? It’s time to start implementing storytelling marketing.
Don’t just push your products and services to readers with zero context. Remember to make it about them.
Get former clients to offer a testimony about how you changed their life.
Tell a funny story about your day, and how your product helped you through it.
You can even develop a mascot or character with its own story that your audience will get to know and love (Disney has mastered this).
Never underestimate the power of a simple story.
If your readers know that whenever they open your emails they will get a good story, your open rates will improve.
5. Content without emotion
We are craving authenticity now more than ever.
With so much photoshop, editing, and strategic display of only the best moments on social media, people are tired of seeing fake, inauthentic content.
Your subscribers don’t want vapid, boring, and impersonal advertisements clogging up their email inboxes.
Take the time to dig deep and develop the emotion you want your audience to experience when they read your content.
Is your brand for fun-loving and outdoorsy women? Get an experienced hiker to talk about how they conquered their highest peak.
Are you selling your artwork? Give your subscribers a behind the scenes look at all the emotions that went into your latest piece.
When readers sense your authentic feelings flowing through your words, they will be more invested in you and what you offer.
Where do I go from here?
As you now know, there are many factors in crafting compelling email marketing campaigns.
If this is new to you, it can seem very overwhelming. It can be hard to even know where to start.
Having an experienced accomplice who can help take your business to the next level is an invaluable tool.
Thinking you still need some help to craft the perfect emails? Set up a free Discovery Call with me so we can discuss your needs.
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