Email Marketing Do’s and Don’ts

Do you remember a time when we didn’t have email? Being able to converse without making a phone call truly changed how we communicate. Now, it’s not only an essential part of life but every business today. While it seems easy enough – words, pictures, links – there are still fundamental mistakes people are making to this day.

Here are some of the Do’s and Don’ts of email marketing:

• Don’t use one large image for your email content. It’s easy to get in the habit of just inserting a flyer or a premade media image and blasting it to your audience. However, there’s always a chance your recipient won’t be able to view images, and therefore your message gets completely lost.
• Do include text and images that both clearly convey your message. This increases the likelihood that your recipient will be able to view your email and understand it’s content.
• Don’t constantly change your email template. It’s tempting, we know, but constantly changing your email template won’t help your audience recognize your emails quickly and may even result in people unsubscribing.
• Do brand your email from top to bottom. It’s important to have your email branded throughout so no matter how your audience absorbs information – whether reading the whole email or just skimming – they are sure to know and recognize who the email is from.
• Don’t use multiple pages of content. We live in a world where the message is important, but the delivery needs to be compact. Fast paced and always moving, we check our emails at all times of the day and usually your audience doesn’t have time to sit and read through pages of information.
• Do have a clear message and call to action. Why are you are sending this email? What is the purpose? Make sure there is no confusion on what action you want your audience to take. The clearer you are, the more likely you’ll get the result you are seeking.
• Don’t use a “one size fits all’ strategy. You should never talk to every member of your audience the same way, because they aren’t all connected to your organization for the same reason. Delivering a message to recipients that confuse them or one that doesn’t apply to them runs the risk of them deleting your messages in the future or unsubscribing all together.
• Do customize your email to match your audience. Remember, the more you know about your audience, the better you’re able to communicate with them about what matters. Customization is key to making your audience feel like you understand what they’re looking for.
• Don’t skip over sending a test email. Always make sure to send a test and view it on different devices. People don’t consume media on the same devices. It’s important to make sure your email works on all type of devices such as both phones and computers.
• Do make sure your email is mobile friendly. Sometimes, an email can look perfect on desktop and completely different on mobile. These days, that’s just not an option for mobile-friendly content. While it may take some reconfiguring, it’s important that your email can be viewed correctly on a phone screen as well.
• Don’t speak generically and with a flat tone. We’ve all gotten those emails with no personality. They’re not fun to read, they don’t keep your attention, and they don’t standout. If you wouldn’t want to read it yourself, don’t send it to your audience.
• Do include personalization in your emails. Remember, it’s important to make your audience feel like you’re speaking directly to them, not like they’re one of many. Something as simple as including their name in the subject line, or in the introduction of your email, goes a long way to creating a connection between you and your audience.

While these are just a few examples of the Do’s and Don’ts of email marketing, there are lots more tips and tricks that can really help bring your emails to the next level. For more information on elevating your email marketing, reach out to our marketing team at TopLine Results at info@toplineresults.com or 800-880-1960.