10 Email Marketing Mistakes To Avoid
10 Email Marketing Mistakes To Avoid
E-mail marketing is a perfect avenue for building relationships with past and new customers! It’s also a great way to increase your search engine presence, grow your brand, and of course – drive traffic to your website! However, make a few simple mistakes, and the email list you’re trying so hard to build will be in a world of hurt. When sending out email marketing newsletters or offers, here are 10 email marketing mistakes to avoid!
1) Using a @NoReply In Your Email Address
If you want your email list to not trust you, go ahead and use @donotreply or @noreply in your email address. By doing so, you will also cause a decrease in your open rates and your email will end up directly in spam folders. If you want to increase your brand awareness & conversions, try using an email address sent from an individual! This shows that your company is open to communication, and it will increase your open rate since more consumers are more willing to open an email from an email such as emily@awesometours.com!
2) Your Subject Line Sucks
Your subject line is one of the most important components in email marketing – it’s what determines whether a consumer opens your email or ignores it! Your subject line & preview text should shortly explain what your email is about, while also tempting them to read it. Depending on the purpose of your email, have a little fun with it! Try something catchy or throw in an emoji, but also spend some time A/B testing your subject lines to see what your audience responds to the most.
3) Don’t Send Terrible Content
Make sure that the goods of your email are actually, well, good! Many marketers make the mistake of using email newsletters solely for sending our deals and promotions. Content from a tour and activity operator should also be providing tourism-related advice, information, and even strive to create a sense of community. While it’s a good idea to sell yourself and your services, keep in mind that consumers want resourceful content that benefits them. Check out this email from the Marina Del Ray Visitors Bureau for an idea of what providing useful content looks like!
4) Review & Test Your Email
At AAMP Agency, we’re BEGGING you – DO NOT send an email to your list without properly reviewing & testing your email first! It is absolutely critical that you see for yourself how the email appears on different platforms, and that everything should be functioning as it should be. Ensure that all links go to the right places, that the email is optimized for mobile, images aren’t broken, and that you don’t have any typos!
5) Keeping People From Unsubscribing
Not being able to unsubscribe from something is one of the most annoying things a consumer can encounter. If you hide or even refuse to place an unsubscribe link in your email, prepare yourself for complaints, and also potentially being kicked from your marketing platform for violating email regulations. Not such a good look for your tour or activity! To avoid this, ensure that your email has a clearly identified button or link that allows a person to unsubscribe from your email list.
6) Consistency Is Key
Set up a schedule and stick with it! When you first begin, it’s ok to set up A/B testing to find out what days and times yield the highest open rates and engagement. However, once you’ve got your schedule down, stick to it, and follow through! Your email should always be sent on the same day and time so that your loyal readers know when to expect it. While you may be excited and ready to jump into the world of email marketing, we caution you to not send emails too frequently. Depending on the content and service you provide, we suggest weekly or bi-weekly emails.
7) Correct Your Mistakes
In the event that an email goes out with a wonky subject line, or it doesn’t have any images, it’s best to address it. Send a follow-up email to apologizing for the mistake!
Sometimes, the mistake can be so minor such as a minor typo, so it might only be worth it to address anyone who responds to the email pointing it out.
8) Email Marketing Platforms
As previously mentioned, your tour or activity should be using an email marketing platform such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact. By utilizing a platform, your tourism business will appear professional, but also have access to your analytics. Platforms like Mailchimp allow your business to track open rates, locations, demographics, and more.
9) Ignoring Reports
Your email marketing platform will include a reporting function, which will provide you with invaluable insight into what your subscribers respond to and the performance of your newsletters. Some reports will include how many times it was clicked & what links were clicked, showing your business what kind of content your subscribers tend to lean towards.
10) Promote Your Newsletter
How can anyone sign-up to receive your newsletter if they have no clue that it even exists? There are hundreds of ways to promote your newsletter and grow your email list. You can implement a chatbot on your Facebook and website, add an email capture form on your site, promote it on your social media profiles, and so much more! Get creative with it!
Email newsletters are often considered a critical part of marketing strategy, and for good reason. According to the Modern Marketing Blog, email drives 1,350% more traffic than social media! As a tour or activity operator, emails help capture leads and convert your website visitors into customers. If you don’t have a clue where to start or simply don’t want to deal with the hassle of digital marketing, it’s time you contact the adventure & activity marketing pros at AAMP Agency. We’ve got the knowledge & experience, and we’re ready to help grow your tourism business. Contact us today!