Don’t Fall
Victim To
Email Blunders
Many companies send me marketing messages in their first email and after reading them I often find they have many common mistakes. Here are some simple yet effective tips you can use to avoid making the same ones.
1. Incomplete Header Information
When composing an email it is critical that the proper (and compelling) information is filled out in all areas. Why? Because the first thing the recipient sees is a preview of your email.
Which consists of three parts:
- Sender – Your name, business…etc.
- Subject – The headline of your email
- Content – The first few lines from the content of your email
The subject is the most important part of the email. It is the deciding factor of whether or not your email will be opened. So treat it as a headline. Make it as appealing and relevant to your content as possible.
As for content, the first few lines of your body text will be visible to the recipient in the preview. So make sure that it supports the subject.
The sender – well you can figure that one out. just make sure you are using the correct mailbox.
2. Grammatical Errors
Nothing is more embarrassing than creating a well thought out and professional message to attract potential customers and to have a misspelled word or a missing period ruin all of your hard work and effort. It can be a real deal breaker. Make sure you use an editing tool to check for mistakes. However, do not rely completely on editing software. If you misspell a word spellcheck will either let you know with a squiggly red underline or auto-correct it for you (depending on your settings), but it cannot determine the context of which the word is being applied. If you type the word “four” and you mean “for”, you will have a correctly spelled but contextually inaccurate sentence. Therefore, I highly suggest you read and reread your content and when possible, have a friend or colleague check it for you. A fresh pair of eyes may be the best way to help ensure an error free article or newsletter.
3. Not Including Your Signature
Every email service or program has the ability to allow you to create your own personalized signature. If it doesn’t, get into your time machine and join us in the 21st century. What is an email signature? Have you ever received an email and noticed at the bottom the sender’s name, phone number, logo or address? Well, that is his or her signature. It is a way to brand yourself or company. The recipient will see this over and over every time you send out an email. Therefore, it will create a lasting impression while building trust with your image. How much you choose to include in your signature depends on what your ultimate goal is. If you have your own product or service then the name, title, address, phone number and company/product logo should be included. If you are promoting someone else’s products, i.e. affiliates, then your name, hyperlink preceded by a friendly closing should be enough. “Sincerely”, “Warm Regards”, or “Kindest” are some examples of appropriate closings. Of course, these are all just suggestions. Ultimately, you must choose what is best for your particular situation. A good way to accomplish this is to start paying attention to all the emails you receive and decide what is suitable for your emails.
4. Trying To Sell Right Away
When someone approaches you for the first time, do you prefer a loud obnoxious greeting with hands flailing in your face, or a polite greeting with a pleasant smile, simple handshake and a kind “Hello”? I don’t know about you, but I favor the latter. You must first get to know someone, be comfortable with him or her before crazy gestures are not taken the wrong way. You do not want to scare aware a possible customer. A relationship and bond must be developed. In other words, you must build trust with a person. One sure method is by first offering something of value for free. Such as advice, a technique, an e-book, or software. Share your knowledge with prospecting customers to start building that trust. Start enhancing his or her life with relevant information and then suggest products and services that have added value to your life.
5. Not Using An Auto Responder
An auto responder is an effective way to reach out and maintain a relationship with potential and existing customers. Today there are so many useful features available with an auto responder service. You can customize or use template emails, sign-ups, and opt-in forms. You have the capability of scheduling a follow up series of automated emails. There are social media integrations, email analytics, and performance tracking for your campaigns. You can send out individual broadcasts and include videos to help promote your business. If you are having difficulty choosing one, I recommend Aweber. In addition to all of aforementioned services, I really enjoy their email blog updates that automatically populate to your website. Not to mention their extensive library of video tutorials and webinars. Also, when I first joined, I received a phone call the next day from a real person! She wanted know how if I needed any help and she gave me her number in case I needed any assistance later on. That is customer service. I have tried other auto responder companies in the past but Aweber definitely ranks number one with me. No matter which auto responder you choose, if you are serious about building your list and having a successful online business, it is a necessity.
