Not Putting the Reader First (And Eight Other Mistakes You’re Making with your Emails)

Carl Taylor | August 3, 2020

Why aren’t you getting the results that you expected from your email campaigns? Anyone of the blunders in this article could hurt your results.

You’re feeling pretty proud of your email campaign right now.

That’s because you’ve spent a lot of time writing emails for each stage of your marketing and sales funnels.

The copy looks good and you’ve plugged the emails into automated campaigns. You’ve even segmented your audience to ensure that the right people receive the right emails.

Now, it’s just a case of letting the campaigns do their thing so you get more leads and sales.

Except… That isn’t happening.

As you pore over the data from the campaigns, you see that you’re not getting the results you expected. Something’s gone wrong and you don’t think it’s anything to do with the automated part of things.

Unfortunately, there are some common mistakes that business owners make. These extend to both your email content and your efforts to grow their lists. And even though some of these blunders seem small, they can have a drastic effect on your results.

And in this case, there’s likely an issue with the content.

In this article, we’ll look at nine that you need to eliminate from your campaigns.

Mistake #1 – Not Putting the Reader First

You have this amazing product that you’re dying to let your audience know about. So, you launch right into talking about the benefits of the product with your email.

Or, you feel like you have an inspiring story to tell the prospect about your own journey in business. In fact, it’s so inspiring that you spend several emails talking about it.

In both cases, you’ve made the mistake of prioritizing yourself over the reader.

Your story and your product are both very important, of course. However, the prospects on your list came to you because they have a problem. They’re looking to you to provide a solution, which means you need to show them that you understand the problem.

And by doing that, you put the reader first.

This allows your email to connect instantly with the reader, instead of forcing them to navigate content that they don’t really care about.

Mistake #2 – Only Sending Emails When You Want Something

You’ve looked at the sales figures for your business this month and you don’t like what you see. You need to boost sales, so you start working on a new email campaign. This one is a straight-up pitch and you send it out to your entire list…

And in doing so, you’ve just made a mistake.

Your prospects know that you ultimately want to sell something to them. However, they don’t want that sale to be the sole focus of the conversation. As we mentioned earlier, they want to see that you understand their problems and care about creating a solution.

They’ll soon notice if they only receive emails that request something from them. This is especially the case if you only email your list sporadically.

The solution is to send emails on a regular schedule while ensuring that they all offer value. It’s about giving something useful to the recipient, rather than trying to convince them to give something to you.

Mistake #3 – Failing to Split Test

Your content may work great until you get to the CTA, which turns people off. Or, the images you’re using may not engage the reader as effectively as some others that you have in reserve.

Don’t assume that your content’s optimal just because you’re getting a few conversions. It’s crucial that you split test regularly to create the most effective emails. Because with it, you’ll know if you have optimal email content.

Split testing involves running two similar campaigns side-by-side. You’ll change one thing in the email used for the second campaign, such as the CTA. Then, you measure the results for each to see which campaign comes out on top. If the first email outperforms the second, stick with it, and test something else. If the second email works better, use that for your campaigns from now on.

Automation Agency can help you to create split tests. Get in touch with the Concierge Service to learn more.

Mistake #4 – Buying Subscribers to Grow Your List

It feels good to say that you have thousands of people subscribed to your email list. But ultimately, the size of your list is just a vanity metric. The important metrics related to how many people on that list convert from prospect to client.

That’s why buying subscribers is such a big mistake. None of these “subscribers” actually want to buy your product. They exist solely to pad your list numbers. Plus, they distort any data that you collect about the effectiveness of your campaign.

Mistake #5 – Going Overboard with Graphics

The right types of images can help your emails to stand out. However, going overboard with the visuals make emails a chore to read through. And at worst, an overreliance on graphics could lead the recipient to assume that the email has nothing of value to say.

Any graphics you incorporate into the email should align with the content. Any that don’t are likely superfluous. Furthermore, try to avoid using stock images in your emails, especially if you’re talking about a specific product. Such images result in the email looking generic.

At Automation Agency, we can help you to design attractive and appropriate images for your emails. Send a ticket to the Concierge Service to find out more.

Mistake #6 – Having Misleading Subject Lines

You need to find a way to get the recipient to open the email. And you know that your subject line is the first thing that they’re going to see. So, you decide to get a little clickbait and make a promise that the email content doesn’t deliver on.

That’s a misleading subject line and it will lead to people disengaging from your business. You may see a spike in open rates because of the subject lines. But you’ll also see higher bounce rates when recipients see that you’re not delivering on the subject.

Remember, keep your subject lines short, simple, and in alignment with the email’s content.

Mistake #7 – Not Sending Welcome Emails to New Subscribers

Every new subscriber on your list has just started their journey with your business. If you jump straight in with a sales pitch, you will turn them off. Furthermore, assuming that they have knowledge of you and your product is also a mistake.

New subscribers need to learn about you and what you do. As importantly, you need to welcome them into the fold and show them that you understand what they’re looking for.

If you jump straight into an email campaign without that welcome, you risk alienating the reader.

A good welcome email offers all of the following:

  • A welcome to the recipient
  • Information about you and the problems you solve
  • Information about what the recipient can expect from subsequent emails

Mistake #8 – Failing to Consider Mobile Users

In 2018, an advertising agency called Fluent surveyed people from all age groups to find out how they read their emails.

Of those aged 18 to 24, 81% check emails by phone. And though the percentage drops to 73% once we get to the 35+ bracket, the message is still clear:

Most people check their emails on their phones.

If your email doesn’t display well on mobile devices, you’re telling these people that you’re not a professional. You’re making it impossible for them to even read your email, which means they’ll never convert.

Mistake #9 – Not Keeping Your Subscriber List Clean

Over time, a portion of the people on your list will become “unclean”. This may mean that they changed email addresses without telling you. Some of them may have even given you a fake address, to begin with.

Either way, the outcome is that you’re spending money on emails that never reach the intended recipient.

And worse yet, these automatically bounced emails skew your data.

The mistake here is that you aren’t cleaning your email list regularly.

Aim to scrub any customer records that have erroneous data. This will ensure you get more accurate analytics for your email campaigns.

Fewer Mistakes Means More Conversions

The mistakes on this list run the gamut from content issues to technical issues. However, each can cause your campaign to be less effective than it should be.

The good news is that these blunders are all fairly simple to rectify once you know that you’re making them.

Furthermore, Automation Agency can help you in several ways, especially in regard to image creation and split testing. Send a message to our Concierge Service to find out more.

But what if you’re not a member?

In that case, chat with our Right Fit Chatbot to learn if we can help you.

About the author 

Carl Taylor

Carl Taylor is the Founder & CEO of Automation Agency. For the past 10 years Carl has been building businesses and marketing them online through the use of Sales Funnels, Email Marketing Automation, Landing Pages, and Wordpress Websites. Carl is also a #1 author and highly sought after speaker and consultant whose work has impacted thousands of businesses across various industries worldwide.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}