Many companies wonder why their email open and click-through rates are so low. The problem is that many fall into the trap of sending the same email each month regardless of performance. So although a company is sending emails, it may not be sending them correctly. It is very easy to make a bad impression and have your emails end up in the trash file.
To avoid this at all costs, we have broken down the top 12 common email mistakes:
1. Writing terrible subject lines.
Your great emails will not get noticed if your subject line screams SPAM. Think about how many other emails you are competing against each day. People are constantly sorting through their emails, quickly eliminating ones that do not catch their attention. You have to make your subject line stand out amongst the others by writing one that is concise, action-oriented and compelling.
2. Spending no time on your preview text.
Yes, it’s important. The preview text is those few words that are seen following your subject line. If your subject line can’t catch a reader’s attention, the preview text can service as your last chance to make them click and read your well-crafted email. An easy way to make a brilliant preview text is to follow up on your subject line by answering the subject line’s question or writing a quirky teaser to the content of your e-mail.
3. Being unclear.
When someone reads your email, they should know what you want from them. Aka the purpose of your email should let readers know exactly how to respond. Do you want them to subscribe to your blog? Fill out a survey on your latest product update? Be clear and specific on what you are offering to your reader and make your request visible so that readers know the next steps to take.
4. Using massive blocks of text.
There is a 99.9% chance that each email you see with a giant block of text, you skip. It is simply exhausting to even look at yet alone try to read and understand the content. If you don’t want to read it, why would your clients want to read it? Avoid doing this by eliminating any fluff, restated statements and long sentences.
5. ONLY WRITING IN CAPS.
This one is self-explanatory but unfortunately sometimes seems like the last resort to grabbing someone’s attention. Let’s be clear, all caps should not be your fall back strategy. Don’t make your readers feel like you’re screaming at them trying to make a statement. Avoid caps and instead try using bold words to make your most important points stick out.
6. Using broken links.
Providing links in your email is a great way to have readers dive deeper into what your company can offer. More content for readers means they have a better opportunity to learn more about your product and service. However, if the links don’t work, your readers won’t think twice about deleting your email the next time they receive one. Instead, make sure to offer updated links especially if those links are to any templates or ebooks.
7. Not optimizing the P.S line at the end of the mail.
Take advantage of this space at the end of an email and provide the reader with a “second thought” of additional content that can help them learn more about your company. Provide offers, special links or a simple subscription to your blog. You never know how great of an impact this can make so keep an eye out on the click through rates!
8. Forgetting all of the grammar and spelling lessons you learned in middle school.
Your and you’re are different. So are their, there and they’re. You would be surprised to know how many people make common grammar and spelling mistakes on an email sent to hundreds of clients. That is nothing short of embarrassing and can take away from your credibility. Avoid looking unprofessional by proofreading your work three, four or even more times. Even better, have someone else edit your work before it gets in the hands of your prospects.
9. Overlooking the test e-mail.
This is critical. Once you have written a fully optimized e-mail with a well-written subject line and preview text, send it to several email accounts within your business. By sending a test email you can see what elements, if any, of your e-mail can be revised. A test e-mail is a great way to see how your e-mail is going to be received and viewed for different clients.
10. Forgetting to optimize for mobile devices.
Raise your hand if you have opened an email on your phone this week? Right. So many people are connected to their emails via their mobile device so it is important that your email is easy to read on those devices. This is a perfect time to open one of your test emails on your phone. By using a mobile-friendly template, you emails will most likely need just a few cosmetic fixes, if anything at all.
11. Sending too many emails.
It is way too easy to overwhelm your prospects with a large amount of emails. Start slow and work your way to more frequent emails depending on where the buyers are on their journey. Keep track of those individuals who have opted out and if that number is higher than 1%, you need to adjust your frequency.
12. Not measuring your performance.
You can’t have an inbound marketing strategy without consistently measuring your results. This includes tracking how well each of your emails is doing and which need to be edited for further optimization. Check to see which emails have the most click-through rates, un-subscription rates and any other value information that can help you write a better email in the future.
Conclusion
If you avoid these common email mistakes, your business can begin to send out compelling, optimized emails that will never reach the spam folder. Check today to see if any of your emails have any of these mistakes and adjust them to fit your inbound strategy. By spending just a few extra minutes on an email, you will see your return on investment once your open and click-through rates skyrocket!
