subject: Common errors in email newsletters [print this page] Common errors in email newsletters Common errors in email newsletters
Email newsletters can be a powerful tool for internet marketing. An email newsletter is sent to opt in subscribers on a weekly, fortnightly, monthly or quarterly basis. Usually, the newsletter contains general industry-specific information as well as product purchase incentives.
But sending an email newsletter will not automatically lead to an increase in traffic and a growth in sales. In today's information age, consumers have a wide variety of products to choose from. Information on competing products is easily accessible on the web. This is why a business must get the email newsletter right from the onset and steer clear of errors that could compromise the achievement of its goals.
Here are some common email newsletter errors:
Never use blinking text Blinking text makes reading difficult and will leave recipients more irritated than inspired. Although the use of blinking text in email newsletters has substantially declined, many online business start-ups still make this mistake.
Less is more -The old adage the more the merrier' does not apply to the variety of colours, font types, font sizes and graphics that ought to be on an email newsletter. Of course, there is no problem drawing attention to a heading or subheading by using different font size and type from the body text. The catch though is not to go overboard on the variety. Too many colours and different font styles make reading difficult, evoke a sense of confusion and do not portray professionalism.
Stay away from popular internet chat, blog and social networking acronyms and abbreviations. Do not even attempt to use internet acronyms in your newsletters. Short forms like LOL, ROFL and THX will not encourage your audience to take you seriously especially given the fact that the newsletter is business communication. The only exception would be a newsletter for a business whose target audience would be drawn to the product when such internet slang is used. An example would be a product targeting teenagers.
The customer is king. This seems obvious but many email newsletters appear to forget this fundamental principle. A business must know its audience and what resonates with them then develop the newsletter around these needs and interests. For instance, if the subscribers of the newsletter are people trying to lose weight, bombarding them with a newsletter featuring reviews of high cholesterol fast food restaurants will put them off.
Do not send the same newsletter or content Writing a newsletter can start to be a drag over time. But businesses must avoid the temptation of regurgitating content in their newsletter. There is no problem in rerunning an earlier article every once in a while as long as it is clearly marked as so. One would rather hold off a newsletter longer if that is what it will take to ensure the content is professional.
Incomplete information is another mistake common in email newsletters The newsletter should equip the customer with all the facts they need to make an informed purchase decision.
