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3 Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Growing your email list isn't as easy as slapping on a sign up on the side of your blog, emailing them maybe once every few months and expecting to build a relationship with your audience.
Your email marketing strategy is one of the best tools you have in your business toolbox.
It sometimes even mean the difference between a thriving business and a business that doesn't bring in a dime.
Whether you're new to email marketing or have been doing it a while and haven't been seeing the results you want, I'm going to give you the top three most common email marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.
You can even use these to improve your current email list and build a bigger and better relationship with your list.
Trust me, I've been guilty of all three but once you know better you do better.
Three Most Common Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Owning an email list is like having a new puppy.
Life is no longer about you, it's about serving your email list or your puppy in this analogy.
Adopting the puppy is only half the battle.
Now you have to feed him or her, walk them, let them out every hour, play with them..you get it.
The same goes for your email list.
It's all about nurturing your list and treating them well.
Email Marketing Mistake #1: No Welcome Series
Think of a welcome series like this, you invite your friends over with the promise of a really decadent dinner that's four courses and really delicious.
Okay great but when they get there they realize they have to wait four more hours before they can eat.
Some people will get so hungry they'll just leave.
It's similar to a welcome series.
You are inviting people in with the promise of something but making them wait to get it so they just leave.
A welcome series is your opportunity to begin the relationship and give them even more value right off the bat.
By using a welcome series you can introduce yourself, show them some of your best resources and invite them in with value.
And people want to know the person behind the business to really understand if they want to continue getting anything from you.
Also, if you are not sending a welcome series to your email list they are going to quickly forget you, the relationship won't be built and they may even unsubscribe soon after getting your free download or whatever the reason was they signed up in the first place.
If that hasn't convinced you enough, you can very easily set up your welcome series ONCE as an automation in your email provider.
Even if you are on vacation and someone joins your email list, they will still be taken care of so you can enjoy your margarita on the beach.
Email Marketing Mistake #2: No Call to Action
Regardless of if you are sending a welcome email series or not, you probably have one email sent to your newly signed up email subscribers and if you don't have a call to action at the bottom of this email, you are REALLY missing a huge opportunity.
The confirmation email or the email you send right after someone signs up for a product, service or your email list has the highest open rate out of all emails.
This is the email people are looking for, they are excited about this email.
They want confirmation that they've joined your email list or that their product has been sent.
At the bottom of the email, you can write a call to action for your customer.
A call to action is telling them to do something, it's giving them one more step. They look to you for what to do next, so why not tell them.
I'm sure you've seen big companies offer an upsell at the bottom of their emails, something like, “other customers that bought this item also found this item to be helpful to purchase.”
And guess what, you probably bought that second item even though you had originally only wanted the first item.
You can do this with your email list too.
You can upsell another product or service that pairs well with the product or service they've purchased.
You can tell your audience where to find you next, the social media platform you use the most.
This can help them get to know you better and boost your engagement on other platforms.
You can offer a new product or service that ties into your lead magnet or freemium that they opted into to join your list.
The options are endless, but if you don't provide a call to action in the confirmation email, you are missing a big opportunity.
Email Marketing Mistake #3: Neglecting your List
Sending emails too infrequently isn't going to create that relationship that you want with your list.
And because we are all signed up to at least 20 other people, we're really only putting a focus on those that serve us and provide the most value.
You're not providing value if you're not emailing them.
Your unsubscribe rates can increase as well if you all of a sudden starting emailing your list about a brand new product or something that only serves yourself.
It's like that friend that never really texts you unless they need something.
You don't want to be that friend.
Build that relationship by sending valuable emails and being consistent. That's what will help your audience remember you.
Of course, every single niche is going to be different when it comes to how frequently you should send emails and you'll have to gauge this for yourself specifically.
But if your email list consists of busy moms who just don't have time to check their emails then you may only want to email once every three weeks.
The point is to email with purpose, provide value and be consistent.
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