Email automation is the modern-day result-driven marketing technique. However, this technique is often misused due to some common mistakes. In this article, you can learn about the most common mistakes that must be avoided while working on email automation. Whether you are a newcomer to email marketing or an experienced professional, these tips will be of great value as you learn to make your automation campaigns more and more effective.
Mistake #1: Not having a clear goal
Prior to getting an email marketing automation strategy down, it is imperative to have a specific goal or vision carved out for it. You have to be well aware of what you are trying to achieve with your campaign, for example you want higher sales, more leads or better brand awareness. Since a specific goal will guide you, your emails will look relevant and clear, thereby making them capture well.
Most people err usually without even the fundamental goal that they can base their automated emails on and so end up sending the same targeted and useless emails. Consequently, before commencing any email automation campaign, you may want to dedicate some time in order to get the target and to match your strategies with it.
Mistake #2: Not segmenting your audience
Segmentation is the main driver of email automation’s success. The process subdivides your subscriber lists into smaller groups with different specific criteria, which may include age, behavior, interests, etc. Through segmentation you can personalize the email and send relevant content to the right groups of people.
However, it is often the case that marketing people fail to focus on doing that and as a result, send general mail to all their subscribers. This method, which works in tandem, attracts less attention and sometimes forces the subscribers to unsubscribe as well. Thus, use an email outreach platform which allows you to segment the audience and launch emails that address each group specifically.
Mistake #3: Not testing and optimizing
Testing is a crucial feature in any email marketing campaign and it is even more so in the automation of emails. In A/B testing, you get to experiment with subject lines, email design, content and CTA’s to know what appeals to the recipient and hence determine which of them performs better. Through testing and refining your emails, you will enhance the outcome and obtain better performance. Some common elements to test in email automation include:
- Subject line: This will be the first thing your subscribers will be seeing after they receive your email. Check out what kind of subject lines perform best in terms of the open rate among users.
- Content: The communication style of your email should be interesting, apt, and must be personalized which is based on the interests of the audience. Test different types of content (long vs. short-form, video vs. text, etc.) to see what works best.
- CTAs: It is the ‘call for action’, which is what motivates your subscribers to perform a particular act, such as buying some product or signing up for an event. Check out different versions of CTAs and identify those which generate more clicks and conversions.
Mistake #4: Not Optimizing for mobiles
Over half of the emails are opened on mobile so mobile optimization is must for email marketing. The problem is that if your emails are not mobile friendly, you will lose subscribers who find it difficult to read or interact with your content.
When creating your emails, you should make sure that they are responsive and work on all screen sizes. Simplify your design, maintain a one-column layout, and ensure that your text is legible on small screens.
Mistake #5: Not monitoring and analyzing data
Automation simplifies the process of creating email sequences and allowing them to run in automatic mode. Nevertheless, it doesn’t imply that you should ignore the monitoring and analysis of the performance of your campaign. Through constant review of your data, you will be able to find areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments for getting the most out of your campaigns.
Most of the email automation platforms provide comprehensive analytics and reporting facilities. They enable you to monitor essential parameters including open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates and others. Leverage these understandings to make accurate data-based decisions and enhance the efficiency of your email automation.
Wrapping up!
To sum up, email marketing automation is an effective tool that will help you to save time, to involve your audience and to increase conversions. Nonetheless, it is very essential to not make the most common errors like sending too many mails, not customizing contents, not optimizing for mobile, and ignoring data analysis. You can use SendEngage.io to provide you with email automation services and get the most out of this impressive marketing tactic.