7 Horrible Email Marketing Mistakes That Will Murder Your Profits
Email marketing is one of the most effective online business strategies for generating income
. The theory is simple. You build a list of customers that subscribe to your newsletters and updates and you use an autoresponder service to promote your own or other people products.
While the concept is simple it is nevertheless easy to get your email marketing strategy wrong. Make mistakes here and your business may die a slow and painful death.
The 7 mistakes outlines below are mostly common sense but understanding these will be critical to your success as an email marketer.
1) Do not 'stalk' your friends
If you email too much you will soon become a nuisance. If you treat your subscribers like a friend and do not abuse your welcome you are more likely to be rewarded. Imagine you make a new friend. Would you contact them every day, week after week. How long would it take before your friend got fed up of you? You'd become a pest and they would be looking for ways to avoid you very soon, no matter what you are offering.
2) Keep in touch
On the other hand you do want to keep in touch so your subscriber friend knows who you are and what to expect. If you are a stranger you can be forgotten and you will be continually trying to build new relationships with your long lost friends. A few emails a month should suffice.
3) Keep your promises
If you say you are going to do something make sure you do it. If you fail to follow up on a promise your credibility will suffer. It is often best to avoid setting and deadlines in your emails.
4) Promote high quality products and services only
If you promote products and services to your list you'd better make sure they are a high quality and do what you say. As a rule of thumb only promote what you have personally had experience with and are confident about. If you promote rubbish it will not take long before your emails are ignored or your friends start to unsubscribe.
5) Be careful who you partner with
If you work with affiliates or joint venture partners make sure their content and reputation is forst rate. This applies to any partner regardless of the size of their list and how many possible subscribers you might get. If you associate yourself with poor partners your reputation will suffer.
6) Treat your list friends as special
If you offer discounts and special offers then make sure your subscribers get these first. Do not offer new products and services or discounts to anyone else above your own subscribers. If you do then your subscribers are sure to find out and resent you for it.
7) Know your legal obligations
These are laws and regulations that govern the way you communicate with your subscribers. Make sure you know what these are in your country and stick to them.
Email marketing is not hard. Follow your own set of guidelines, treat your subscribers as friends and with respect and 'over-deliver' in your market. You should not go wrong.