This past week I came upon three email marketing examples of what NOT to do and since I don’t have any upcoming EM presentations, I decided to do a quick post.
What NOT to do - #emailmarketing edition 2021 Click To TweetExample 1: Subjectline Spamminess
I am a big fan of subject lines. I think that you should use this field as if you were sending a text. This way, even if someone doesn’t bother to open your email, at least they will have seen your short message in their inbox.
This message with it’s clapping hands, eyeballs, pointing finger emojis and the reference to 23 million dollar golden something just screams SPAM. As you can see, it was diverted directly to my junk folder.
Yes, you can put a few emojis in your subject line if that is on brand for you but understand that you may be turning OFF your recipients. A Neilsen study done in 2020 found that “emojis in subject lines increase negative sentiment toward an email and do not increase the likelihood of an email being opened.” And coupling them with a ‘million dollar’ anything, will likely get you sent to people’s junk and SPAM folders, never to be seen by the recipient.
Also note that “69% of email receivers report a newsletter as spam based only on the email subject line.” (1)
Overly enthusiastic emoji users beware.
Example 2: Deliver what you promise
This mailing made it to my inbox. Since it is a brand I like, and I had recently viewed some items that I was considering purchasing, I was excited to click to ‘unlock my offer’.
Not only did it NOT take me to the items that I had viewed, that they had claimed they had saved and were going to offer me this discount and free shipping on, but it took me NO WHERE. The link was DEAD.
Great concept, poor execution. A BIG lost sale!
Example 3: If you are going to use automation, make sure it is working FOR, not AGAINST you
This email also made it to my inbox. Once I opened it, I noticed that it was addressed to ‘Lmd’. This let me know, immediately, that it is SPAM as that is the ‘first name’ I use when I am filling out a form that I think may be scraped and used for spammy mailings.
Brief digression: I also use the first name ‘SPAM’ sometimes. This leads to many humorous subject lines and email content (things along the lines of ‘we are so very happy to have the pleasure of working with you, SPAM, and hope that you will…) but those usually go directly to the junk folder. This made it to the inbox, so I read a bit further.
Here, they have attempted to set up their mailing to insert an address field but as you can see, it has failed. If I hadn’t been turned off by the spammy messaging (blurred out to protect the not so innocent), the ‘%%address%%’ was a surefire indicator that they had no clue who I was nor what they were doing.
Yes, insert fields and personalizing subject lines and content CAN work when it is done well and correctly. According to one study, beginning an email with a person’s name can increase open rates by 40% – that is a big jump! (2) But I would venture to say that screwing up your personalization and insert fields can lose you just as many subscribers, if not more. And if nothing else, it may diminish their interest in, and possibly their respect for, your brand.
Sending email to customers and clients should be taken seriously. The content you send should not only reflect your brand in a positive way but should convey that you appreciate and respect the recipient. If you need help creating an effective email marketing strategy and/or properly implementing one, give me a call or send me an email at LMD@LisaMarieDiasDesigns.com – we can make sure that YOUR mailings don’t end up on a ‘what not to do’ list!
What NOT to do - #emailmarketing edition 2021 Click To Tweet
