subject: Email Sender Pitfalls: Errors That May Send Your Emails To The Junk Pile When Making Use Of A Mass E [print this page] I think the majority of us can agree there are too many "spray-and-forget" emails floating around out there. Fortunately, a whole lot of spam is caught by the filters in your email clients. The bad news is that sometimes they filter incorrect emails: your legitimate "opted-in" emails that potential (or active) customers have asked to get. In this article we're going to walk through some of the common pitfalls that an email sender makes and how you are able to steer clear of them.
Above all, email marketers are sending mail to an old list. This one might seem pretty simple, but it's also one of the most common mistakes made. Why? Well...over one reason, really. First, people's needs and preferences change over time. Maybe the subscriber was super pumped up about learning more about garden gnomes 6 months ago, but has since switched to pet rocks. We rarely find out the reasons why most people lose interest. Its just important that we realize that they actually do (and will).
The second reason why we occassionally send messages to an outdated list is simply because we neglect to include an "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of our messages. Luckily, it is an easy fix! If we make it easy for our subscribers to let us know when they're not interested in hearing from us anymore, they will usually tell us. This is always the best strategy. Why is that? Because this will keep our emails from being reported as spam!
Another frequent mistake is forgetting to ensure that your emails are presented consistently across various email clients. Not all email programs are created equal, and that means that not all email clients displays the exact same email identically. And a few email clients will absolutely butcher your presentation! So what's the fix? There is no simple answer. But probably the most effective step that you can take to prevent this would be to use very simple, but professional-looking email templates. The bottom line is, if the emails are ugly your messages will likely be deleted.
Another common mistake is too frequent, infrequent or inconsistent contact with our list. What's the optimal rate to send messages out, then? I don't read minds! And neither do you. The only one that knows how often the subscriber wants to hear from you is the subscriber. :) That being the case, give people choices for how often they'll receive your emails. Monthly and bi-monthly should be the standard. And when you can swing it, offer daily and weekly intervals also. The subscriber will like you far more simply because you have given them some control and they, in turn, will almost certainly not report your emails as spam. Every person wins!
Boring content or presentation is an additional email sender "faux pas".Your readers are searhing for reasons to stop reading your articles...keep them engaged! If your content is boring, then your chances of being reported as spam go way up. And spam is bad. Unless you like spam sandwiches.In which case, I guess, spam might be good. :)
The last great mistake an email sender makes is sending irrelevent content. This is a big one! This single factor is what defines emails messages as "spam" for most of us. Using your mass email service, generate categories for your subscribers based on whatever charceristics you would like. Then use these groups to send highly relevant messages. You can repurpose the same emails for each group. Now you can send super-targeted offers across a very broad base of potential customers.
