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Email marketing can be a powerful and cost-effective tool for connecting with your customers. With the right approach, you can reach your audience, drive sales, build relationships and much more. Here are five mistakes to avoid so you can make the most of email marketing for your business growth.
Email marketing can have a big impact on your customers – and your bottom line. However, your efforts may go to waste if you don’t approach this powerful marketing channel in the right way.
We asked Kasia McNaught of McNaught Media for her insights into common email marketing mistakes, and how you can avoid these in your business. Here’s what she shared.
Mistake #1: Thinking you don’t need email marketing
Even you if you have built a large following through social media, email marketing should still have a role in your overall marketing strategy.
As Kasia shared in our blog on email marketing for beginners, depending on social media can leave you vulnerable to platform changes or shutdowns, while building an email list can become an asset for your business.
“The thing is, you want to get in front of people by using social media and get their email addresses as fast as possible so that you can build your own list, as this can be a goldmine for your business,” explains Kasia.
Mistake #2: Sending too many emails
You might have experienced this kind of email marketing in your own inbox. You sign up to somebody’s list and suddenly get inundated with daily promotions and offers that you don’t want to read.
“Sending too many emails can lead to subscriber fatigue and higher unsubscribe rates,” says Kasia. “Focus on quality over quantity.”
Mistake #3: Forgetting about mobile phones
It’s likely that many of your target audience will read their email through their smartphone – not through their laptop or PC. Kasia says it’s important to remember to optimise your emails for mobile phones before you send out an offer, promotion or update by email.
“Always ensure your emails are mobile-friendly. I always check my test emails on desktop and mobile before sending them out to my audience.”
Mistake #4: Ignoring your analytics
As with other types of marketing, the more you know about your target audience and how effective your channels are for influencing them, the more impact you can have and value you can deliver to them.
“Don’t ignore email analytics, as this data can provide valuable insights into campaign performance and help refine your strategy,” Kasia warns. “Email analytics are usually provided for free within the platform you use.”
“Segmentation and personalisation can also help you to tailor your emails based on your subscriber preferences, demographics and behaviour. You want to avoid generic content which doesn’t resonate with your audience.”
Mistake #5: Leaving out a call to action
Not every email you send needs to sell – but Kasia notes that it’s important to let your subscribers know what action to take next.
“Remember to include a clear instruction or button at the top of your email to guide subscribers. Whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or visiting your website, your call to action should stand out, be easy to find, and relevant to the content of the email.”
Find out more
For more email marketing tips from Kasia, read email marketing for beginners.
If you’d like to learn even more, book your place in our upcoming Creating Email Marketing Campaigns workshop. Kasia will be running this workshop to help small business owners explore the power of email marketing. “This workshop is ideal for all business owners, whether product or service-based, who are looking to use email marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy.”
