Why Was Your Email Marketing Campaign a Failure?

Robotic Messages

If an email marketing message reads as if it were written by a robot – generic content that does not include the recipient’s name, for example – then the recipient is likely to hit delete immediately. The first key to email marketing success is to make the message as personalized as possible. At the minimum, an agency should have tools at its disposal that allow the messages to be customized with recipients’ names. If your last campaign did not have this level of personalization, that may be one reason for its failure.

No Call to Action

All the landing pages on your website need a call to action at the bottom in order to be effective. After all, the purpose of a landing page is to get readers to call the business or fill out your contact form. Your email marketing messages work the same way; they should be designed to encourage readers to contact you. This is done with a clear, simple call to action. Here are some examples:

• Want to learn more? Request a free consultation today!
• If this interests you, fill out the contact form here. We will contact you soon!
• For more information, contact us at (phone number here). We look forward to hearing from you.

Email marketing only works if a call to action is included. Otherwise, there is no point to the message.

Bad Subject Lines

When it comes to subject lines, think about which ones make you want to read a message, vs. the ones that compel you to send a message straight to the trash. An Adestra report in July 2012 revealed that the most successful subject lines – meaning the ones that garnered the best open rates for the message – were short, “snappy” subject lines of one to two words. Ironically, though, emails with subjects that were excessively long (more than 14 words) performed above average. What performed the lowest? Subject lines that contained industry language terms like “ROI” and “asset.”

No Reply Emails

Have you ever read an email marketing message, thought about replying to the company, and then realized that a reply would not be possible? That frustration that you felt is the same feeling of defeat that your recipients experience when they see that your email is a no reply message. If it is possible to let customers reply, it may be worth it to let them. This gives them one more way to contact you, and conveys a more transparent, personal image of the business.

If you have had less than favorable results from email marketing, don’t give up just yet. A competent agency may be able help you achieve the results you want. Crest Media is one of a few advertising agencies in Austin that offers outstanding email marketing services. To learn more, contact us for a complimentary consultation.