How to How to Avoid Four Deadly Email Program Sins

"There are a lot of things that can go wrong with email marketing—broken links, typos, unoptimized images—the list goes on," writes Magdalena Georgieva at the HubSpot blog. But on the other hand, she notes, marketers shouldn't focus so intently on small technical details that they lose sight of the big picture—of customer engagement.

Keeping in mind the need to tread the thin line between email right and wrong, Georgieva discusses David Meerman Scott's deadly sins of email marketing.

Here are four: 

 

Bad marketing automation. The positive benefits of personalization will turn quickly negative if your message begins Dear [blank]. No subscriber thinks you sat down and wrote a personal offer—but she can reasonably expect that you'll get her non-personal personalization correct.

Boring content. We can't expect subscribers to share our inherent passion for our products, services and news. So tell a compelling story, and hold their interest with humor, controversy and interesting facts.

Lack of variety. No matter how much customers like a brand, they'll lose interest if the only thing its messages ever say is please buy this thing. Mix it up with content that educates and builds relationships.

Predictable timing. If you send messages on Tuesday morning because someone said that's when you should send a message, you're probably missing big opportunities, Georgieva notes. Find out what works for your company by testing a variety of days and times; you might even discover success with a weekend campaign.

Conclusion: Think communication first. It's important to cross your t's and dot your i's, but don't get so don't get carried away with the details that you forget to simply engage your subscribers.