The following 5 major mistakes are what hold back many e-commerce brands, retailer's & small businesses from truly maximizing their revenue & customer relationship's through their email marketing channel.
Here are some tips on how to avoid them & some visual examples of what it looks like done right, so you can have some inspo for your killer email campaigns ;).
1. Underestimating the Power of Design
While there's definitely a charm to plain text emails, especially in certain contexts, it's a mistake to overlook the potential of a well-designed beautiful email. A visually appealing email can make a huge impact, on click-through & conversion rates. Visually stunning email's help you stand out from your competitors in the inbox. And more importantly, make more money!
The Fix
Highlight Key Messages
Use design elements to draw attention to crucial pieces of information or offers.
Complement Your Copy
A seamless blend of design and copy enhances the overall message and makes it more persuasive. Use design as another language to convey your message. Show, don't just tell.
Stay Consistent
Keep your designs & tone in line with your brand's aesthetics and values. Make sure your branding is consistent across all of your channels.
Example ->
2. Overcomplicating Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
As an email marketer a clear CTA is your goal, Its the element that guides the reader & your potential customer to take the next step. We're trying to make it as easy as possible for them to "take the next step". Don't try to be to smart with this one, you may end up confusing or overwhelming people & causing them to take NO action. Simplicity is key.
The Fix
Be Direct
Instead of saying "Jump into style," go for a straightforward "Shop the look." Or even better just "Shop".
Clarity is Key
Make sure your CTA is to the point & easy to understand the action you want the user to take.
<-- Example
3. Overloading with Content
It's 2024, attention spans are SEVERELY limited. You have at most 3-8 seconds with your reader & an email that's overloaded with content & text can be overwhelming, leading people to just delete or not even go through your email because it feels like such an investment.
The Fix
Keep it Short & Sweet
Be direct & clear. You have to make your email's easily skimable.
Use Visual Formatting
Bullet points, product call-outs, and tables can help organize information, making it more digestible.
Prioritize Information
Ensure that the most critical details or offers are prominently displayed.
Example -->
4. Sending Boring Email's
We obviously want to educate our customers about our products & services and their benefits, but just sending corporate jargon and endless "SHOP NOW", "DISCOUNT" & walls of text will feel salesly & you'll just get lost in the sea of all the other boring brands that send that same stuff.
We want our readers to look forward & be excited to read our emails.
The Fix
Stay Updated with Trends
Reference some pop-culture / current event trends to stay relatable & engaging. Find a way to weave in current topics. Add some "hawk tuah" into the content, put your back into it ;)
Add Some humour
A light-hearted or funny email can be a refreshing change, making your brand more relatable.
Diversify Content
Mix up your email content to keep your audience engaged. This could include behind-the-scenes looks, customer testimonials, or even fun quizzes.
<-- Example
P.S these guys' brand voice is so good!
5. Perfectionism Paralysis
While it's essential to maintain brand consistency and quality, getting too bogged down in the details & reducing the frequency of your email campaigns means that you're missing out on engagement opportunities. Iterate your way to email marketing perfection. Don't just spend hours coming up with marketing different ideas and angles & not executing them. The only way to know if they'll work is to test them!
The Fix
Find a Balance
While quality is crucial, it's important to maintain a steady flow of communication with your audience. Wheter it be 2-4x weekly email campaign cadence & the occasional discount blast.
Set Deadlines
Establish a monthly timeline for each email campaign. This ensures that you don't spend excessive time on one email & that you don't need to come up with ideas on the fly. Since you've done the planning a month in advance.
Feedback Loop
Regularly analyze feedback from your team and audience and find where you can improve. Iterate your way to perfection !
If you liked this post and want some more email marketing tips just send us an email & we'll answer any of your questions. If you want email marketing experts to audit your current email set up (for free) & let you know what needs to be fixed, contact us here --> CloudSeed.
P.s you now know how to avoid these 5 major email marketing mistakes, so get out there & make some money !!
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