Email worst practices: 7 common errors to avoid

1. The unfriendly from.
If your email recipients don’t see the name of your company in the “from” column, you’re starting at a huge disadvantage. Chances are they won’t even open your email. It’s going right from the inbox into the trash folder. Most marketers invest a great deal of time, effort and revenue to build brand awareness. Make sure to leverage it in your “from,” especially in triggered emails where someone has already interacted with your company. Here’s another helpful insight: Including the company name in the subject line can help increase open rates and reduce unsubscribes and spam complaints.

2. The missing link.
Most people expect email interactions to be seamless. If your target audience takes the time to read through your email, it means they have considered your offer and decided they’re interested. So don’t make people search for the button or phone number. Successful email marketing has the call-to-action big, plain and above the fold. Why make anyone scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page or read through the text to find the link?

3. Directionless dump.
You see an email link that promises the content you want. But when you tap it, you’re dumped into the home page and left to navigate to the content for yourself. That definitely qualifies as a worst practice. Whenever it’s possible, take your target directly to the page that has the specific information they’re interested in. If you make them search, they might go find that content somewhere else. Of course, I’m not saying don’t link to your home page. Just make sure the primary call-to-action link takes interested customers to the information they want. In other words, no dumping allowed.

4. Zero relevancy.
It’s amazing how often we get solicitations, including triggered emails, for things we could not possibly use. They are a waste of our time and the marketer’s resources. On the flip side, if people have opted in and are genuinely interested in your product, then you have a golden opportunity. In fact, Adobe found that marketers can safely increase the number of communications without fatiguing a target audience if those communications are uniquely personalized at an individual level.¹ In short, it works if the email is very relevant.

5. Too much template.
Having an email template is a smart idea that can streamline your marketing efforts. However, many email marketers become too attached to their template. Sending out emails that look exactly the same every single time is going to make your customers gloss over content thinking that they’ve seen it before. It’s also a good idea to occasionally test alternate email layouts to see if a fresh approach lifts response.

6. Immobile design.
Typically, I check my email accounts via mobile phone a few times a day. Judging by the phenomenal growth of mobile phone users, I’m certainly not alone. But some marketers still don’t use mobile-optimized email with responsive templates that automatically adjust to a reader’s device. As a result, people have to search back and forth on a small screen to read the email content. This is more than a simple annoyance. Unless you’re sending out mobile-optimized email campaigns, your emails can look dated to prospects. And you’re not providing a user-friendly experience, which is at the heart of every successful email marketing campaign.

7. No contest. This “worst practice” isn’t something that your target will notice. But behind the scenes, it can make a significant difference in the performance of your communications. I’m talking about sending emails without an A/B test. Even triggered emails can be tested for subject lines, images, offers, layouts and more factors. The point is, emailing without testing some portion of your communication is a missed learning opportunity.