Mistakes to avoid when sending an email campaign

If you're implementing a marketing strategy such as an email campaign to your customers or prospects, you run the risk of making a few mistakes that could cost you dearly. In order to achieve an effective and strategic emailing campaign, here are the main mistakes to avoid.

A poorly written subject line

The first thing the recipient will notice is the subject line. The subject line is the title that appears in the customer's or prospect's mailbox, before they open the email. A poorly-written subject line will not encourage the recipient to open the e-mail, and will therefore largely affect your open rate. There are two essential criteria for the subject line.

A non-impactful subject line

First of all, it's important to make sure that the subject of the e-mail is compelling. A subject that lacks engagement and doesn't attract the potential reader is a non-personalized title with unconvincing words.

An unclear subject line

A title that isn't legible and doesn't explicitly give information about the content of your e-mail should be avoided. The reader needs to understand the subject of your e-mail in just a few words. Be concise and convincing!

Sending emails repeatedly and at the wrong times

In an e-mail campaign, certain mistakes are fatal. Among the consequences: ending up in the spam folder.

Don't spam your contacts with e-mails

When launching a mailing campaign, there's a tendency to send numerous e-mails to customers to make sure they've received the information. However, this technique of repeated mailings is not the right solution. Limit your mailings as much as possible, otherwise recipients may report you as spam and never receive your e-mails in their main mailbox again.

Choosing the right time to send the campaign

Bear in mind that your recipients have certain habits. As a result, they tend to open their e-mails at certain times, and particularly on certain days of the week. Do some research beforehand to know your target's habits when it comes to reading their mailbox.

Poor management of your contact list

If you're going to send emails, you're bound to have a contact list. Make sure your contact list is of high quality, so you can target the right people and ensure the success of your campaign.

Remove from your contact list people who haven't opened your e-mails for a long time and who haven't subscribed to your newsletter, for example.

The people you should keep in your contacts at all costs are :

• those who are committed to your brand
• people who know your company and its products
• those who have recently made a purchase

As you can see, the aim is not to have the longest possible contact list!

Use a reliable service provider to send your emails.

This service provider must offer a reliable certified routing solution. This is the case with Oxemis.

Not offering a call-to-action

You're sending an email, but you forgot to add a call-to-action? Then what's the point of running a campaign? This e-mail should be able to guide your recipients easily to your site, to encourage them to take action, and thus increase visits to your site.

Keep in mind that a customer or prospect appreciates guidance and clear information. Once the reader has opened the e-mail and taken note of the main information, he or she will certainly appreciate having more information or buying a product. Don't assume that the recipient will go to your web page on their own. In many cases, they will only go to your site if you include a clickable link in the body of the e-mail.

The call-to-action encourages the recipient to buy, learn more, pre-order, and so on. Use words like “Take advantage” or “Buy now” with a clickable link. This action button should be simple, short and attention-grabbing.

A poor choice of template

Managing each person's data, as well as the subject and body of the text, is essential to getting a message across.

However, when it comes to sharing a message with Internet users, the choice of template should not be overlooked. The template brings together the different zones found in e-mails. The location of the image, text, title, links, etc., is all indicated. You need to choose a clear template that guides the reader through the reading process.

What's more, the template also allows you to define more aesthetic elements, such as colors and fonts. A poor template, with colors and fonts that are difficult to read, will not encourage the recipient to read.

Forgetting to monitor the results of your email campaign

When you've reached this point, you've sent your emails. However, the work isn't over if you want your marketing campaign to succeed. You need to analyze your results to find out if your campaign worked, and to improve certain points in your next campaigns. Calculating KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) is essential. These include opening rates, bounce rates, click-through rates and unsubscribe rates.

Open rate

This is the percentage of e-mails opened out of all those sent. You'll notice if your object is punchy and readable based on the open rate.

Bounce rate

This percentage corresponds to the number of undelivered e-mails in relation to the number of e-mails sent. A rate that's too high can harm your deliverability. This is an essential indicator for knowing whether your database is still up to date. Some e-mail addresses no longer exist, and recipients will never receive your e-mails.

Click-through rate

The click rate indicates the number of emails where a link has been clicked by your readers on the emails sent. This tells you whether readers have been prompted to take action. A good click-through rate indicates a quality call-to-action and template.

Unsubscribe rate

This rate indicates the relevance of your e-mails. In fact, you'll know the percentage of unsubscribes to your newsletter after the e-mail has been sent. If recipients don't notice the relevance of your e-mail, or if it's sent too frequently, they're more likely to unsubscribe, driving up this percentage.

To sum up

Ultimately, there are many elements that affect the success of your marketing strategy. Don't neglect a single point for successful communication. Don't hesitate to ask for help.

At Oxemis, our specialists are here to help you maximize your results.

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As an e-mailing solution made in France, we can help you with all your e-mail and SMS issues. With top-quality support, always available by phone or e-mail, you'll be accompanied on all these issues!

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