Email Marketing can be one of a business's most rewarding marketing strategies. It has a return on investment of 36 to 1, which means that for every dollar spent on marketing, your business will likely earn back $36.

However, creating a successful email marketing campaign requires you to consider several variables, and with all those variables, it's easy to get confused. Making mistakes is all part of the process but can result in a drop in click-through and open rates, leaving you in a state of wonder and confusion.

However, by identifying some common mistakes in email marketing, you can avoid these to ensure your campaigns are successful in customer acquisition and customer retention. So let’s dive in and see what some of those mistakes are!

#1 Not Welcoming Your New Subscribers

So a new site visitor took the time to read through your website, was convinced of the benefits of your business, its products, or services, and decided to fill in the signup form.

Did you take the time to thank your new subscriber?

If not, then you are doing your business a huge disservice. First-time impressions are crucial and can make or break your customer retention goals. Welcoming a new subscriber can be as simple as sending a “thank you” email.

So remember, a welcome or a thank you email always shows that you care and will leave your customers feeling appreciated.

#2 A Lack Of Personalization

Every day people receive multiple emails, most of which get ignored. So how do you ensure your customers won’t miss your emails? One way is through personalization which makes the customer feel unique and valued. They want to feel like you sent the email specifically for them.

One of the best ways to personalize with a name, but sometimes that’s not possible. So what can you do? Ensure the email heading, CTA, and everything in between reflect the recipient’s personas. So, for example, you wouldn’t create emails targeted toward the younger generations in the same way as those designed for older generations.

Take a look at these two emails. Which do you think is targeted more at the younger audience?

Personalizing your emails will significantly improve click-through rates and keep people interested in your business.

#3 Not Considering Audience Interests

A major factor affecting click-through rates is the audience’s interests. Unfortunately, they can be tough to figure out since you can’t always send emails asking your customers about their interests.

Not to worry, though. Having customer personas or buyer profiles can help solve this problem. These are fictional representations of the target audience you are trying to reach. They tell you things like their age, gender, income status, and much more that can help you create the perfect email for them.

They allow you to put yourself in your customer’s shoes to understand their needs, wants, and interests better. After finding out the customer's interests, you can develop email campaigns that appeal to their needs. The email campaigns are then received positively and will have a high click-through rate.

#4 Not Using Segmentation

Your mailing list comprises of different customers searching for a multitude of things from your company. So, if you send all your customers the same email about the same thing, you risk appealing to a few and not to all.

But by segmenting your email campaigns, you can better talk directly about each solution you may have for your customers. For example, you wouldn’t want to send an email about the benefits of massage in sports to a group of stay-at-home moms who sit around and drink wine all day. Having your audience segmented allows you to get the most relevant information to the right people.

It is essential, therefore, to utilize the demographic and psychographic data you will have already gathered on your mailing list to create different yet personalized email campaigns that appeal to the various segments of your mailing list.

#5 Failing to Optimize for Mobile

Did you know that 42% of all emails are opened on a mobile device? That's almost half of all emails! So when sending out emails, ensuring they are mobile optimized is critical to getting a high click-through rate.

When creating your emails for mobile, ask yourself:

• Does my pre-header text entice my viewers to open it?

• Is the amount of text in my email too much to read on mobile?

• Does my email still make sense without my images?

Asking yourself questions like these can help you create the best experience for your viewers, whether they’re viewing from mobile or desktop.

#6 Not Using Clear Calls-to-Action

Your customers are looking for the next steps to take to purchase your product or service, and having a call to action in your emails can help them with just that. Think about what you want your customer to do next. Do you want them to download your ebook? Set up an appointment? Let them know what you want their next step to be and give them a clear path to do so.

Remember not to use too many calls to action, as this can leave your viewers confused and unsure where to go.

#7 Including too Many Images

Using images in emails is a great way to entice your audience and keep them interested in what you have to say. But like all great things, it’s best to use them in moderation. Having too many images can cause your emails to 

When using images in emails, it’s best to follow the 60/40 rule. This means you should have 60% text and 40% images in your emails. Following this rule lets you want to convey the main message with your text and let the images supplement the text. 

#8 Not Using Email Marketing Analytics

It is virtually impossible to judge the success of your email marketing campaign without utilizing analytics. Using analytics allows you to track performance KPIs such as open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and much more.

Analytics lets you view how your mailing list engages with your email campaigns to determine what works and what doesn’t. You can then take what you have learned and create an even better experience for your customers.

Final Word

Email marketing is a considerable asset in a business’s overall marketing strategy. A simple mistake, however, can mean the difference between success and failure. But by knowing what to do and how to correct some common mistakes, you can help take your email marketing and business to the next level.