When social media ads were first introduced, experts predicted the death of email marketing. Years later, email marketing and social media ads coexist happily and help business owners create targeted and personalised integrated campaigns and find better qualified leads.
However, this does not mean that all is good and rosy in the email marketing world. There are still lots of mistakes being made over and over again—and they cost money and lost sale opportunities.
Why do Email Marketing Mistakes Still Persist?
The answer to this question is simple: the internet. This huge network of readily available information holds both truth and lies, helpful advice and misinformation. It all depends on what resources a small business owner or beginner marketer first discovers. If they start building their knowledge on email information starting with false information, the mistakes will keep piling up.
This is exactly why this blog exists: to counteract false information and honest errors which are still available online and shared on social media and other online sources. For this article, we decided to present an overview of the state of email marketing with its good and bad parts.
THE GOOD
1. Email Personalisation
Marketers and business owners understood that their subscribers are not a uniform mass of identical items, but people with different needs and interests. With the help of buyer personas, marketers were able to segment email lists and create meaningful messages for each group of leads.
Why is this good? Subscribers recognise a familiar topic in the email header and are curious to open it. Inside, they find both validations of their concerns and problems and a potential solution to them. This helps build trust with a business and stimulates the decision to make a purchase.
2. Email Videos
Video is the new king of content and some marketers are now including one in their email messages. After all, people are visual beings, who process and retain information more easily if it is presented in a graphic manner.
Why is this good? Surveys indicate that an initial email that contains a video will increase click-through rate by 96 percent.
3. Responsive Email Templates
The mobile phone has replaced the computer as the primary device for browsing the internet and reading emails. Marketers recognised this aspect and started developing and using responsive email templates that offer a great browsing experience on each device.
Why is it good? People expect brands to send them messages in a way they can easily read and not force them to switch devices just to be able to scan through an email.
THE BAD
1. Decreasing Number of New Subscribers
Despite their best efforts, marketers note a continuous decrease of new subscribers. The trend started in 2017, with new subscribers decreasing in percentage from 6.1% in Q1 to 3.5% to Q4.
Why is this bad? Businesses thrive on new leads converting to customers. When it comes to email marketing expenses, this means that the same amount of money spent will yield a lower ROI.
2. Too Many Messages
One of the best practices in email marketing is that each email should have one single message. In this respect, many marketers commit a big mistake by trying to send out as many messages and CTAs as possible in the same email message.
Why is it bad? Instead of getting more results, marketers make their subscribers confused and unable to pick the CTA to follow. It is like chasing after two rabbits: in the end you will get none.
THE UGLY
1. Email Blasting
Sending mass emails, without personalisation to the entire list of subscribers will never yield great results. This habit led to email fatigue—people ignore emails or send them straight to the trash folder, opening only those from known recipients.
Why is it ugly? This ongoing practice will make it harder and harder to reach out to their prospects and deliver their messages.
2. Abusing the Word “Free”
Email subscribers have already gone through a long series of disappointments from opening emails promising something free—only to find this conditioned by a purchase or referring a friend. They are now very cautious when promised something free in the email header.
Why is it ugly? Many legitimate emails which offer a free gift or download will get sent straight to the spam folder.