Have you ever had a friend who tries too hard? Perhaps they
talk way too much but never say anything of value. Maybe they are a little too
clingy. Or perhaps they embellish the truth or even lie to seem relevant. These
friends just want to be accepted and involved, but their desperate attempts end
up pushing people away.
The same can be said of certain email strategies. Brands
want to connect with their customers and try to do so in different ways. But
sometimes their efforts do more harm than good. Here are six things email
marketers do that drive customers crazy.
1. Using Scheming Subject Lines
Subject lines have everything to do with whether a
subscriber opens your email.
Some brands take advantage of this by using tricks to
inspire clicks, and customers hate it. Here are a few examples of tactics email
marketers should never use in their subject lines:
Desperate, pleading words like “urgent” and “please read”
ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
Excessive exclamation marks!!!!!
Subject lines that don’t accurately advertise the contents
of the email
Including “Re:” in the subject line to trick subscribers
into thinking they’ve already engaged
2. Sending Emails Too Frequently
Email frequency is one of the top reasons people unsubscribe
from email lists.
Some brands send several emails a day, which, unless you are
targeting customers in real time with special offers, is never a good idea.
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer for How frequently should I send
emails? It depends on your brand, your email content and the type of value
you’re supplying. However, most experts agree that at least weekly is
acceptable.
3. Not Personalizing
Feel free to put some personality into your greeting. After
all, you don’t approach someone on the street and begin with “Dear”—you begin
with “Hello” or “Hey.”
Remember to keep your email content conversational. If your
verbiage is too stiff and formal, it will feel unwelcoming and won’t captivate
subscribers. You also should segment your email lists to ensure the content
you’re sending is relevant to the individual’s wants or needs.
4. Personalizing Too Much
On the flipside, be careful not to get too personal.
Marketing technology captures an incredible amount of
information about customers today. The worst thing you can do is strike up your
first few conversations with a customer by telling them all the things you
already know about them. Instead, share one or two details, and reserve the
other information for later.
Just how clean is your data? Identify where your data requires attention, allowing you to choose which areas to improve.
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5. Using Content Without a Clear Purpose
If your subscriber has to ask, “Why am I receiving this
email?”, that’s not good.
Email communications should always provide obvious value to
the customer—for example, a coupon code, product highlights or specific
information. Be direct and don’t send content that your subscriber doesn’t care
about. Lastly, place your CTA front and center to ensure readers see it. You
only have about 8 seconds to capture their interest.
6. Designing Mobile-Unfriendly (or Just Plain Ugly) Emails
More emails are opened on mobile than desktop, which means
your email campaigns better be mobile-responsive. If emails don’t load easily
and display incorrectly on mobile devices, recipients will disregard them or
even unsubscribe.
Furthermore, if your emails are cluttered with images, and
the layout is confusing, subscribers become annoyed and your message will get
lost in the chaos.
Email marketing is about building relationships and
encouraging brand loyalty. The best advice is this: Always put yourself in your
recipient’s shoes. Brands that are honest, listen to their audience and avoid
the pitfalls above will have much higher levels of engagement and better
success than businesses who aren’t empathetic or use devious tactics.
Article From: www.towerdata.com
