Not too long ago I sat in on a webinar by Marketing Experiments discussing email marketing errors at what can be deemed “nerd level” (The things we go through so that our clients don’t have to become the next email marketing superstar!). I’m going to attempt to break down those errors in layman terms for the DIY set that are running their own email marketing campaigns. I’ll throw out the disclaimer now that these might seem minor, but can mean all the difference on how effective your email marketing can be.
Macro Distortions
This is the fancy term they gave for not recognizing the micro-yeses (how scientific does that sound?) needed to get to the call-to-action (CTA). The professor (yes, he has a doctorate) suggested that we error when we only focus on getting people to “click here” or “download this” or “sign-up now”. Actually, there are a number of sub-steps that come before that and we should be thinking about those “micro-yeses” that NEED to occur before they do the main step.
For example, before someone clicks on the link to download your eBook, they need to first open your email. That means your email subject line has to be rocking! Next they got to read the first line/paragraph. Does it make them want to read on to the end? The rest of the email needs to build the case for the eBook so that they click the link. That’s where the email stops and the whole process starts over again on your eBook landing page.
Conflated Objectives
This one can be renamed “Overeager”. This is when the CTA is moved up too soon before the reader is ready for it. I see this a lot in the network/internet marketing industry. You get an email and it says “Hi <name>! My friend did something <hyperlinked text> today!” While they go on to explain it a little further (and consequently insert that hyperlink 5 more times throughout their text) you have to ask yourself if they REALLY thought someone was going to click on that first hyperlink simply because it was the word “cool”, “awesome” or whatever that was highlighted. A little overeager perhaps?
Assumed Value
This error includes not building in enough value in your micro-yeses to get the reader to the main CTA. Think about it. If your first paragraph doesn’t capture the reader with some sort of value proposition, their attention might wane (we live in a VERY distracted world) or even worse, turn them OFF from the rest of message and therefore the CTA.
The correct work-around for this includes some other nerdy, but in-depth email marketing skills like knowing your target market, email segmentation and split testing.
They key takeaway for all of these errors is to not underestimate the importance detail has in an email marketing campaign. These little tweaks can take a “broken” email marketing campaign and make it work.