Don’t be irritating. This is sound advice for everyone in all walks of life and for all purposes. However, it is especially applicable to email marketing. If the phrase ‘there’s nothing worse than’ is used for any aspect of an email marketing campaign of yours, then you are doing something wrong. More to the point, it will cost you. Here are some traps to avoid.
1/ Trickery
If it comes in only one colour, hence the price, then don’t show images of them in different shades. If it hasn’t got the epicyclic facility, then admit it. Don’t make them find out later.
2/ Hiding prices
This one gets to me. There are promises of the ‘best ever price’, ‘massive reductions’ and ‘unrepeatable’, yet the only way to discover what it will actually cost is to go through to the basket page.
3/ Over hyping
If you are asking a price that many people will find reasonable, then don’t suggest that it is ‘the lowest ever’ unless it really is. Or the ‘once in a lifetime holiday’ that they know you’ll offer next month.
4/ Telling lies
If you were to look for the biggest no-no of email marketing then breeding distrust is it. Don’t suggest the price is £1.99 if it is impossible to pay that sum. Even if you can justify the headline using tortured logic, if the subscriber feels cheated then they will unsubscribe.
5/ Boredom
If a subscriber opens your email and it looks just like all the previous ones then why should they read on? If you can’t be bothered to make an effort, should they?
6/ Links that don’t
Links that lead nowhere is a remarkably common problem. Not only does it cost you the loss of a sale, but your customer is going to wonder about how efficient you are.
7/ Patronise
At last, a more difficult problem to overcome. No one enjoys being talked down to. About the same proportion get confused if you don’t explain things. Use click-throughs for those who want more information.
8/ No connection with Subject Line
Very similar to dishonesty. Ensure that the excitement you generate in the Subject Line has some connection with the offer. If it is the start of the Rugby World Cup, if you are selling fences then let it go.
9/ Difficult to read on their device
Accept that the argument is over. All emails should be mobile compliant. If you know that some will open the email on a laptop or desktop, then separate your email marketing list to cope.
10/ Irrelevant
I’ve saved the most important to last – which I accept could probably be included in a list of irritating features. Nothing shows a subscriber more clearly you don’t value them, or that you treat them as just an email address, as sending an offer that is of no interest to them whatsoever. This is to ignore the fact that you are wasting a window of opportunity.
11 onwards
There are many other irritations, such as too frequent emails, difficulty in unsubscribing, limited time offers which you would have bought had you not been unable to open your emails for a few hours. Put yourself in the place of your subscribers. Ask what would irritate you.
