Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Testing is essential in direct marketing and you should always be testing something new.
Everyone says that testing is important, but most marketers avoid tests until some later date but testing should be done every time you plan a new campaign.
Email marketing makes testing super simple, accurate and fast. Results come back in 24 hours. Avoid these mistakes that many email marketers make when testing. Here are six of them:
When you change more than one item in one version of an email and test it against your control, you won’t learn much.
If you have two versions of an email are completely different in terms of layout, promotions, copy and even products.
Any one change might have helped or hurt response, but by putting them all together you can’t tell what was doing what. One change might have helped the open rate increase, while another change in the same email might have reduced clicks. The rule is to test only one element at a time. A weak subject line, bad salutation, uninspiring offer, faulty link, poor product or pricing, or confusing order form can make your email fail at any time. Which of these elements was responsible for the low conversion rate? You may never know if you look at the conversion rate by itself.
Test each element separately. First, select a subject line that works better than others. Then get your best salutation. Now you’re ready to try different versions of copy. You also need to test pricing and your order form. Nobody ever said testing was easy, particularly if you neglect testing elements separately.
Direct marketers have tested direct mail pieces that offer readers two or more choices against a mail piece that offers only one possible answer. One choice always beats two or more choices. This becomes too confusing to determine a true winner.
Let me use my researched methods that have been proven to work, implementation know-how, and optimization expertise to boost your company’s marketing ROI and sales performance. EXPERTISE LIST BROKER Email Marketing Knowledge Base: Five Basic Questions Answered – Till then, here are five basic questions and answers that you should go through Email Marketing Knowledge Base: Four Footer Tips – … should also contribute to their knowledge. Take a look at the following tips to Common Email Marketing Mistakes – We will begin our discussion on email marketing mistakes with spam. Spam is a Everyone is looking to reduce marketing expenses with email and other ways they can engage customers without spending more money on advertising. As a broker I get contacted almost everyday by people that want to purchase email addresses. Many people don’t understand that email marketing is permission based. That getting permission before emailing someone is a requirement and was enacted into law by the US Congress Can Spam Act in 2003. This means that it is almost never a good idea to purchase e-mail addresses without a double opt-in permission based to use for your e-mail marketing. The average costs for double opt-in email addresses begin at $100 per thousand. Create a sign up form and display on your website or special landing page. Make it easy for people to sign up for your e-mail marketing. An example of a sign up form with a free offer or white paper for download when they subscribe to your newsletter in exchange for their email address. You can offer subscribers a small incentive for permission to market to them. Offer them coupons to keep them interested and engaged. Share with them information that helps them solve their problems. It costs less to market to your customers via email the “permission” thing gets in the way. So the reward for encouraging your customers to sign up for your e-mail marketing communications is that you’re automatically stretching your budget by converting them to a less expensive platform. You should be marketing to all of your current and past customers by e-mail, snail mail or phone contact each month. If you are using all three of these methods each month you deserve a star, if you’re not using at least one of these methods than your marketing communications is not even passing. Tim G. Little has a BS in Business Administration, and has worked in the magazine publication and circulation management for the past 20 years. As an Internet Publisher and Entrepreneur, he has developed a website to help small business entrepreneurs find the best mailing list and marketing programs ps: I would like to recommend a tool to you to help find Boost Sales… Gain Market Share.. . With Focused List Selection, Some business people think of this idea when they think of purchasing e-mail lists. You’ll then import the addresses into your email marketing software… and blast them with a special offer email. Sales will come pouring in! Wrong… this is not the way a professional would ever manage a direct mail campaign unless they would like to have a hundreds of angry prospects complain and even have a lawsuit pressed against their company. Here are 3 reasons why you shouldn’t buy an email list: 1. The email list won’t be any good.Too many bounce backs and non-delivery since the list must be updated on a regular basis That means the list will be of poor quality and filled with people who won’t respond to your offer (sorry!) 2. Your email marketing company will shut off your service. No reputable email service provider will mail to a list of purchased (third party) email addresses. Why not? Because they’ve learned from painful experience that these lists contain so many bad addresses that it’ll get them blacklisted (their mail won’t get delivered). Instead, they’ll refuse to do business with you. Don’t believe me? Read the terms of service of the company you’re using to send emails. 3. You may be breaking the law. Each email address on that list needs to represent someone that gave permission (opted-in) to receive an email from you. Otherwise, you’re spamming them. Did you know that? It doesn’t matter what the list broker assured you. You’re the one on the hook if you’re breaking the law. Read about CAN-SPAM if you’re not sure what we’re talking about. Instead, consider renting an email list. The most responsive and most expensive lists are magazine response lists to targeted niches. Have a good idea which online publishers reach your target audience? (If not, our free service Leadtail can help). Guess what… many will have an email list you can rent. You can pay publishers to send emails to their high quality lists on your behalf or buy advertising within emails that they deliver to their customers and prospects (e.g., email newsletters). You’ll get the added bonus that they implicitly endorse your offer… since it’s going to their own list!: DYMO Label Writer Twin Turbo The perfect printer for any small business! See why people rave about this direct mail marketing printer and why you can’t survive without it! Hoover’s Business Information has provided direct marketing campaigns with e-mail and mailing lists for over 30 years. With only the cleanest and most up-to-date data, Business Information at Hoover’s Not all email marketing programs are driven by analytic databases that track customer activity across multiple online and offline channels, a requirement for optimal personalization and to most effectively retarget browsers and abandoners.
strategic level. More Articles on Optimize Email Conversions Are you looking to acquire some business Email Lists for your company? When you have a strong list to acquire from, you will find out that the best lists are your own that you acquired through marketing efforts and they are now your best customers. Writing a year-end marketing plan and setting goals and objectives and testing what has worked best in the past with something new. A new segmented business list that better profiles your best customers, or a new offer that will compel customers to respond. Solid business email lists will help expand your marketing strategies several ways. Of course, you need to acquire a list in the first place. Such a list will provide the basis for building your relationship with your customers. Buying a list is a good idea PROVIDED you are purchasing from a legitimate and reliable source. Once you have amassed such a list, you can then take the steps to effectively build your money generating potential. Many of these steps can be rather simple. A bulk email mentioning specials or discounts is about as simple a concept you could devise. It will also be a concept that delivers impactful results. Some might even take the expansive step of using their business email lists to send out a well crafted newsletter. This can be a tremendous way to stimulate buying interest since it incorporates various concepts of attraction and informational marketing. will also generally entice people to provide their contact info. These giveaways can come in the form of free DVDs, eBooks, software programs, and basically anything you believe potential customers may find interesting. Simply having access to a business email list is not enough. You need to get the most out of it. Here are a few of my top tips for succeeding in this regard: Keep logs of your email records. You do not want to delete any business related emails since you may need them at a later date – even several years later! Don’t put any sensitive, personal items in a business email. This could prove highly embarrassing if it gets into the wrong hands. Additionally, you cannot really convey your true feelings via email. Instead, you will want to deal with such issues person to person or over the phone. Always respond to emails as soon as humanly possible. This is both professional and courteous. It will make the much needed positive impression you require to succeed. Initiate emails when you feel it would be best to communicate with customers. Doing so enhances your potential to succeed in your business since you are staying on top of things. My worst mistakes entailed falling behind – don’t make those same The advantages of owning opt-in email list from satisfied but needy customers is that you now have qualified leads to cross-sell and up-sell your products or services to. Planning is an essential part of any email marketing campaign, and here’s a checklist to help you to plan a successful email marketing activity. Building Your Email Lists Have you defined the goals of your campaign: Tracking bounce-backs, non-deliverables and discover what works and what doesn’t work. Develop a control package that consistently performs well. Do you provide a link to forward this email to a friend or colleague? And of course, once you have broadcast your campaign, learn from your experience and test new techniques in your next broadcast.Hoover’s provides this up-to-date information for sales, marketing, business development, and other professionals who need intelligence on U.S. and global companies, industries, and the people who lead them.
An opt-in list is a list of emails that prospects volunteer to elect to receive. It is one of the most valuable assets of your online business. Since these customers are part of your target market expressing a need in your product or service. It is an option for your potential customers to gain access to your information, promotion and campaigns that they are interested in. Since it is an option, they are not forced to subscribe to your mailing list. Opt-in lists comply with Federal or state laws banning spam and are now required when mass emailing. As long as you have an opt-in list that is in the right niche, you promote to your customers in the niche that your are promoting. Each time you have a new product or service to promote, simply inform them and wait for the sales to roll in. Keep your database up-to-date by upating emails that change or bounce back after each mailing. This can either be automated or done by hand. Growing your opt-in list will mean a bigger customer base and more opportunity for cross-selling or up-selling. Every name and email address can convert to a new sales. Every new sales can rake in extra income for your business. This can be accumulative as you secure more transactions with each customer. Having an opt-in list saves you effort, time and money. Once you come up with a new product or service, all you have to do is to set up your campaigns and send the updates to your list. Many of your present buyers can become your future clients. Following up with current customers or past customers, direct marketing experts claim that are your most recent buyers becoms your best propsects since they know and trust you. An opt-in list saves you money too. You need not set aside money to buy your leads. Many businesses that boost of bringing targeted traffic to your site may not work as well as your own list that you build yourself. Furthermore, it can be expensive and at the end of the day, it may cost you more than what you expect to receive in sales. The benefits of having an opt-in list are many. Having one allows your business to be profitable and remain so.Looking only at conversions.
the subject line so they open the message can have a large impact on open rates; they like the way the salutation greets them when they open; the copy is interesting and the offer stimulates them; and they click on a couple of links and finally order a product.
More Articles on Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Email Mailing Lists
In this economy
What is the best and least expensive way to acquire a list
The next step
Is to target the right people. You can start with your current customers by appending email addresses to your current mailing list this can be completed by a list company at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a new mailing list.Offer Incentives
How does this save them money?
Keep up the communications
More Articles on Email Mailing Lists
How to Purchase E-Mail Lists
Great idea?
Direct Marketing Email Lists
direct marketing resources can make all the difference in the success of your campaign.
Online Mailing Lists
More Articles on Purchasing E-mail Lists
Optimize Email Conversions
Customers expect relevance
Personalization and relevance is the pot of gold of email marketing, and today’s dynamic social media environment is only raising the stakes for email marketers to cultivate customer-centric conversations.
About Business Email Lists
Acquiring the List
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Some may be wondering how to get the most out of their business email lists. Let’s explore an answer to such a query….
Simple Business Email TipsHow to create a free opt-in business lists for your Website
More Business Email List Information
Finding Email Address Lists
Email marketing checklist:
What are you trying to achieve?
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Opt-in Email Lists Opportunity
Opt-in Email Lists
Growing your list
Direct Marketing Email Lists
Direct Marketing Email Lists
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Finding Email Address Lists
Email Lists Management
The essential elements should be part of your bulk email marketing campaigns. These procedures are fundamental to the success of any email marketing campaign.
Dont send unsolicited
email this could be mistaken for spam and they hurt your brand image & reputation. You should collect email addresses legally through your website and send email with the recipients consent.
You should clean your email address list by removing duplicate, expired, invalid and incorrect email addresses. HTML emails having pictures, colors and links look different in different email clients. Test them well before sending them out.
It is a good practice to respect recipients privacy. You should also avoid legal and ethical problems with bulk email marketing. Do not sell or trade lists without disclosing this information to your customer base.
You should provide links in your email messages to manage contacts, information and unsubscription process of your email readers.
Test different variables within bulk email marketing campaigns to know which is working effectively. Hoover’s Business Information has provided direct marketing campaigns with e-mail and mailing lists for over 30 years. With only the cleanest and most up-to-date data, Business Information at Hoover’sdirect marketing resources can make all the difference in the success of your campaign.
Segmenting Lists
You should make segments of your email list to focus on specific areas for better results. under 30 versus 55 and older see how they respond to offers and channels.
You should select a proper design and format for your email message. Improper design and format may reduce the efficacy of your campaign exponentially. Your readers will move on to other brands and service providers.
You should deliver value through your message by providing relevant information from credible sources.
Think Growth
It is a good strategy to grow your email list but the quality of your email contact list is more important than its size so focus on getting quality leads.
Each year you should plan an email strategy and state your goals and objectives and what you hope to achieve. What has worked well for you in the past becomes your control and you test this against something new.
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You should have complete knowledge of email marketing laws, rules and regulations to avoid breaking the law.
Email address links for further reading
- Mailing List for Your Business – You can start by building an email address list of visitors to your affiliate website. An email list is essential if you want to be able to contact your website visitors after they have left your site, and you’ve only got one chance to …
- Using Your free email address list to It’s Full Potential – by MikeBlogs. Using Your free email address list to It’s Full Potential. The power of accumulating an e mail address is incredible. As I pointed out in a preceding post, you can anticipate among one and 10 percent of website visitors to …
- Email Marketing Checklist: Steps To Take For Successful Email … – Do you have a process to clean up your email address list, including bounces and unsubscribes? Have you personalised the message? Have you identified yourself fully in your message, including complete contact details? …
How to Build Your Own Email Address Lists
Opt-in Email Listing Acquisition Using Video
A great way of acquiring your own opt-in emails from qualified prospects to your Website is with relevant video.
Video Marketing Options
You have a lot of options in front of you when it comes to building qualified traffic to drive to your site and squeeze page for your email list. One of the best emerging sources of traffic for your optin lists is through video marketing.
Basically, video marketing is a form of marketing where you make videos for YouTube with a flip camera or iphone that you use to attract visitors to your site to build targeted mailing lists. This is pretty well in line with any kind of marketing that revolves around using related content to grab people who are browsing sites like YouTube or EzineArticles and have them come to your site. Just instead of using articles, you’ll be using videos to fuel your optin email lists.
Watch the Budget
One way is to hire someone to make a video or multiple videos that have to do with your niche. An easier way is just to regularly record videos yourself. A mic and webcam don’t really cost a lot of money, and many computers and laptops these days are coming with them built it, making them free. You can record a PowerPoint type presentation with Window’s Live Video Maker software included in most everyones PC’s. There are a lot of successful people on YouTube who use this relatively amateur set up, so don’t feel bad that it won’t be very slick. It doesn’t need to be to build your email list.
What’s more important is that you regularly and reliably produce videos that provide real value to the people who watch them. If you are reliable and stick to a video posting schedule and you always provide value, then people won’t really care that it isn’t top end- they’ll join your optin lists regardless.
Your Presentation
Then you just load up your video and its information box with links to your site or squeeze page. You can put links in your profile, in your video’s information box, and now a days you can often put little pop up links on the video itself that link to your squeeze page for your targeted mailing lists. It really just comes down to how many links you feel comfortable putting out there in your campaign.
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More Links on finding lists for your marketing programs
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#1 Direct Marketing Mistake: Poor Mailing List Selection | SenangIT – Currently, he is helping businesses across the nation succeed by providing these companies with targeted mailing lists for their direct marketing campaigns. Visit his website at or he can be reached at 1-888-272-5981 ext.104. …
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List Brokers Help Market with Mailing Lists – Whether it’s spending habits, education level, major purchase or geography you are interested in, it is clear that targeted mailing lists are more effective and will give you a higher return on investment than non-targeted mailing lists …
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Looking For Targeted Mailing Lists? Let BuildFive Help you … – Looking For Targeted Mailing Lists? Let BuildFive Help you. We know that no matter how good your postcard is, or how convincing the offer is in your letter campaigns, it doesn’t do any good if you don’t have a reliable, targeted mailing …
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Different types of mailing lists – Firstly- prospective targeted mailing lists: It is the first list you will do, that contains all your contacts (buyers and not buyers) and this is the first list with all your prospects. The goal of prospective targeted mailing lists is …
Personalized E-Mail Is Most Effective Campaign Method
Companies increase marketing results by generating individual message!
Home improvement companies sending personalized e-mail to customers who visited their site are leading the industry. These customers would often add items to their shopping carts to increase purchase amount according to Build.com an e-commerce home improvement site.
Personalized e-mail to customers who had visited the site had increased the response rates These mailing were targeted towards customers that abandoned their shopping carts while shopping. E-mails tailored towards brings Build.com 9,800% more revenue compare to its standard promotional marketing e-mails.
This e-mail is sent a couple of days later, as a service reminder it is personalized to what the customer was doing, you want to be relevant to the customer and provide them with information that is on their mind while shopping online.
This is about the ability to create more relevant and targeted emails to customers who opted in to its mailing list. Personalization is the method used to make your campaigns more relevant and responsive. Tests have shown 5000% increase in response using these methods.
E-mail volume is growing…
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over the past couple of years and is expected to grow even more quickly to more marketers execute e-mail campaigns. The old school one size fits all no longer works. When you personalize e-mail you get a much higher percentage of open rates.
Using customer purchase behavior or browsing activity to personalize email and address over saturation in the marketplace.
About The Author
Tim G. Little has a BS in Business Administration, and has worked in the magazine publication and circulation management for the past 20 years. As an Internet Publisher and Entrepreneur, he has developed a website to help small business entrepreneurs find the best mailing list and marketing programs ps: I would like to recommend a tool to you to help find Boost Sales… Gain Market Share.. . With Focused List Selection, Tips and Tools for Finding the Perfect List. Once you e-mail segments, track how they differently they react to messaging options
FREE eBook “Boost Sales With Lists”
