Top 15 Email Marketing Mistakes

The more competently email marketing is conducted, the more profit it brings. We have prepared a selection of the most common mistakes that are made when launching mailing lists. We will tell you what they lead to, how to avoid them and not miss the profit.

1. Work with an outdated database

Many companies have been collecting contacts for years and when they launch a mailing list, it turns out that some of the addresses are incorrect and it is impossible to deliver letters to them. For example, an email was written with a mistake, or a client has not used an email account for a long time, and it turned into a spam trap… If the limit of returns (delivery errors) is exceeded, the mailing list may be blocked.

Decision

• Start mailing as soon as you get the first contacts. Design a welcome email series that will automatically go to new subscribers.

• If the mailing list has not been sent for more than 3 months, before starting, clear the database of invalid addresses, for example, using the validator built into the DashaMail service…

2. Do not use resuscitation letters

If they have not worked with the database for a long time, then users may not remember that they subscribed to the mailing list and will complain about SPAM. Your postage reputation can suffer from this.

Decision

Send resuscitation letters to those who haven’t received your mailing list for a long time.

• Remind you when and under what circumstances the user left you an email address.

• Tell us about the benefits that the subscriber will receive from the mailing list: special offers, useful materials, bonuses.

  

  3. Do not configure a domain

If you do not configure a domain, attackers can take advantage of it. As a result, the mail reputation will suffer: letters will be sent to spam, and the domain will be included in blacklists.

Decision

Enter SPF, DKIM and DMARC records in your domain’s DNS settings. These digital signatures are designed to authenticate the sender and trigger an approved course of action if fraud is suspected.

4. Send newsletters from an address registered on a public domain

It is unacceptable to use public mail return addresses in regular mailings. An example is xxx@mail.ru. The consequences are the same: spam and blocking.

Decision

The exit is the return address on the corporate domain. For example: news@fixprice.news.

It is quite easy to create corporate mail, and most importantly, it can be done for free. How exactly? Told in article…

5. Break the rules of mail providers

If you do not follow the rules of email providers, the mailing can get into their spam filter. Some of the most common violations include:

• do not add an unsubscribe link;

• typeset a letter with a solid picture;

• use the same return addresses for transactional and bulk mailings;

• use services to shorten links, etc.

Decision

You can monitor compliance with the rules yourself or using the tools of email services. For example, in the DashaMail service has a StopSpam function to check the technical settings of the sender and the content of the letter.

6. Do not check the newsletter before sending

In this case, letters may be displayed incorrectly on different devices, go to spam, and it will be impossible to fix it.

Decision

Send the newsletter to test addresses of different providers. This will make sure that the layout is adaptable, the letter does not end up in spam, and the personalization tags work. If the mailing list has problems, you can fix them.

In addition, DashaMail offers a built-in tool for previewing the display of mailings in different mail clients called “Seer”. It allows you to check the layout display in the most popular email programs:

7. Send a lot of emails after a long silence

If you haven’t done a mailing for a long time, mail providers may suspect you of sending spam if there is a sharp jump in activity.

Decision

So that the mailing does not arouse suspicion, gradually increase the number of letters sent: the first day – 500, the second – 800, the third – 1200, the fourth – 2000, etc.

8. Send emails irregularly

Unsystematic mailing “kills” the base: subscribers do not know when to wait for your letters, they forget who you are, and unsubscribe or complain.

Decision

Make a mailing plan several months in advance so that even force majeure does not disrupt the schedule. When users know what to expect from you, they open emails more often and click on links more willingly.

9. Ignore the preheader

The pre-header, like the headline, helps grab the subscriber’s attention and encourage them to open the email. A letter code or dry text instead of relevant information will reduce the chances of opening.

Decision

Pay as much attention to the preheader as choosing a header or sender name. Let it be a logical addition to the topic, bring intrigue or, on the contrary, clarity – depending on your niche and the task of mailing.

10. Do not provide a feedback form

The letters that come from the address “noreply” read the message – “Do not write back to us.” This is acceptable for transactional emails, but undesirable for mass mailing – it negatively affects loyalty, as well as the lack of a feedback form or template addressees.

Decision

• Discard impersonal senders like Admin.

• Do not use “noreply” in the address.

• Check what kind of feedback subscribers are sharing.

11. Make the newsletter useless for the subscriber

Compulsive shopping messages are more likely to be spam. Mailings that are of no benefit to a specific recipient also go there. For example, a woman who bought diapers for six-month-olds a year ago is sent offers with items for newborns.

Decision

Mailings should be tailored to the interests of customers. Study your target audience, identify user expectations and fears to remove objections in emails.

Create a subscriber profile based on the data and behaviors identified during registration. Segment clients by gender, age, time zone, hobby, etc. – the criteria depend on the area of ​​your business. The more personalized the email is, the higher the chances of opening, following a link, and purchasing. Read more about personalization. in an article on our blog…

12. Mislead the subscriber

Customers will turn their backs if they see that they are often misled. For example, you indicated that the promotion would end on January 14, and on January 15 you have reduced the price even more. Another situation: the user agreed to receive useful content, but in fact, he sees advertising letters every other day.

Decision

To make your subscribers trust you, keep what you promise. For example, if you indicated in an email that a new collection will appear next month, prepare your newsletter in advance or include this topic in your content plan – in case of going on vacation or firing a marketer, crunch time or force majeure.

13. Select headings that do not match the letter

A headline that does not correspond to the content of the letter is a manipulation that will give a high percentage of openings in the short term, but in the long term will result in subscriber disappointment, loss of confidence in the sender, and an increase in complaints and unsubscriptions.

Decision

Motivate to open, but don’t be fooled. Avoid clickbait in favor of presenting your content truthfully and maintaining your reputation.

14. Inserting too many calls to action

When in one letter there are requests to go to the site, place an order and share the action on social networks, the purpose of the mailing is lost and the user does not understand what to look for.

Decision

Stick to the rule: one email – one call to action – one link.

15. Don’t test hypotheses

Which color of the button is more successful or when exactly to send the newsletter – a decision dictated by intuition may be wrong. This is fraught with reduced performance and loss of profits.

Decision

To only implement good ones, use split tests… Use these to determine the best hypothesis based on statistics. Test results can be trusted: even the mathematical error is taken into account.

DashaMail service helps you avoid most of the common mistakes that both novice marketers and pros alike face when launching emails. Join us!