email marketing examplesEmail marketing is a powerful tool for large and small businesses alike. Email offers a reliable way to connect with current customers and nurture leads without requiring them to reach out to you first — it’s ideal for creating lasting customer relationships and boosting sales.

If you’re thinking about trying email marketing for your business, remember emails don’t generate sales automatically. Email marketing requires planning and thoughtful execution, especially because using poor practices when sending emails can push customers away. Here are four common mistakes you should avoid for a successful email marketing campaign:

1. You Don’t Have a Curated Email List

Before you can impress leads with your creative email marketing, you need to have a curated list of people who are interested in seeing your content. One of the biggest mistakes companies make when starting with email marketing is sending emails to anyone and everyone.

You need to have express consent from a person to send them emails. Instead of buying email lists or getting emails in other unsavory ways, make it simple for people to opt into your mailing list. You can also trim your list over time to ensure you’re only sending messages to your most promising prospects.

2. Your Subject Lines Are Boring or Misleading

The subject line is what entices recipients to open your emails, whether they remember who you are or not. To get more people to interact with your emails, and to avoid annoying them, give your subject lines special attention. Do they accurately describe the body of the message? Do they make you want to learn more? If not, try something else.

In general, avoid vague and cliche subject lines. Your customers probably won’t want to open an email titled “Sale” when they already have several in their inbox.

3. Your Content Appears Unprofessional

Due to malpractice by scammers and the overuse of other bad email tactics, many people on your email list will feel skeptical about the marketing messages they receive. Your email marketing messages need to appear professional and safe to present your businesses in a good light and increase conversions. Best practices include using proper grammar, keeping sensationalism in check and never sending unsolicited attachments.

4. You Haven’t Told Your Readers What to Do Next

If you’re using your email marketing campaigns to nurture leads throughout the sales process, every message should contain an easy action that the reader should take next, such as clicking a link to your website. This helps keep your subscribers engaged and guides them to the point where they’re ready to purchase from your company. Effective calls to action can be as simple as encouraging the reader to contact you or browse a product category.

How to Get Started With Email Marketing

With thoughtful planning and the right tools, you can create emails that bring you new customers and retain loyal ones. At LeadMaster, we offer a set of email marketing tools that are incorporated into our customer relationship management (CRM) software to help you nurture leads and increase sales. Request a free 30-day trial to see how we could help with your next email marketing campaign.