Bulk email marketing is a tried and true method for getting the word out about your products and services and driving conversions without spending a fortune to do so. But like any other form of consumer marketing, tastes change and practices evolve over time, making it important to stay focused on emerging trends in the industry to keep your mass email campaigns thriving. Below are 6 things to avoid as you adapt your email marketing practices to current conditions.
1) Don’t overstate your case (value proposition). Increasingly consumers are reading their email messages on mobile devices. If you try to overwhelm them with a wall of text in your emails the chances are you will lose their interest quickly, given the smaller size of mobile screens. Keep your message punchy and to the point for best results.
2) Don’t disguise your call-to-action. This tip is even more valid with the move towards using mobile devices gaining steam. While it may seem like common sense to avoid this, some email marketers spend so much time designing graphics or images into their messages that they make it hard for their prospects to find the most crucial information of all - the call-to-action allowing them to purchase a product, ask for more information, or whatever it is that you would like them to do.
3) Don’t rely on email responses only. In this day of rising interconnectivity, your prospects may use different devices to respond to your call-to-action. Make sure to measure clicks, conversions, and opens with various mobile devices to more accurately gauge the response to your campaigns.
4) Don’t blast your list into oblivion. The days of blasting your emails to every single contact on your list each time you send an email are behind us. Look to segment your list into different groups by demographics and purchasing characteristics as a way to improve the open and conversion rates for your campaigns.
5) Don’t forget to clean your list on a regular basis. Email addresses can go bad or change over time, clogging up your list, increasing your bounce rate, and lowering your open rates unless you periodically clean your list. Send your inactive contacts an email encouraging them to reactivate, and if that doesn’t work remove them from the list.
6) Don’t forget to confirm your orders. This is a good practice to help reduce returns, and it also allows you to try cross-promotional efforts at a time when, having bought a product from you, the consumer is likely to be most receptive to your messages. You should be able to automatically send emails of this type using your email marketing software.