Not only is email one of the most cost-effective channels (with an ROI as high as 3,600%), but it also offers a great way to engage with customers, build relationships and increase loyalty over time.

It’s for this reason that email still reigns supreme as the go-to marketing channel for many businesses. However, a lot of companies are making mistakes along the way that can seriously harm their email marketing productivity.

And with a recession on the horizon, competition for consumer dollars is only going to become more fierce. That’s why it’s important to make sure your email marketing efforts are as efficient and effective as possible and that you are avoiding these five common mistakes:

Unclear goals

Before you even begin crafting your emails, it’s essential that you define what success looks like for each message. Do you want the reader to click through to a landing page? Make a purchase? Sign up for an event?

Having clear goals will help ensure that all of your emails are tailored to meet the objectives of each campaign. Without this, it’s impossible to measure success and make improvements.

After all, an email that is designed to get people to sign up for an event isn’t going to be the same as one that is meant to get people to make a purchase. Each will require a different approach if you want to maximize your results

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Poor list segmentation

Targeting your messages to different segments of your list is an effective way to increase engagement and conversions. This process takes a bit of effort upfront but can go a long way in helping you get the most out of your email marketing.

Rather than sending generic messages to everyone on your list, segmenting allows you to create more personalized, relevant messages that will be better received by your audience. You can segment people based on the types of products they’re interested in, their geographic location, or even their purchase history.

In doing so, you’ll be able to craft emails that are more likely to resonate with each individual recipient, increasing the likelihood of them engaging with your message and taking the desired action.

Not using the right tools

If you’re just getting started with email marketing, it can be tempting to try and do everything yourself, especially if you are a small business. However, without the right tools, you could be setting yourself up for failure.

As it turns out, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of email marketing tools available on the market today. These range from platforms that allow you to create and manage campaigns, to analytics solutions that help you measure success, to tools that help you design emails and optimize your deliverability.

You can even find Google Chrome extensions that help you design and import professional email signatures in just a few clicks. No matter what type of email marketing you’re doing, having the right tools can make all the difference in helping you get the most out of your efforts.

Not optimizing for mobile

We all know that people are increasingly accessing their emails on mobile devices, and yet many marketers still aren’t optimizing their messages for mobile devices.

It’s essential that you make sure your emails are designed to look great on both desktop and mobile devices. This means ensuring that your emails are responsive (they will resize depending on the device they’re being viewed on) and that any images or videos you include are compatible with devices that have smaller screens.

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Not having a clear call-to-action (CTA)

Any marketer will be quick to tell you that the CTA is one of the most fundamental elements of a successful email campaign. After all, the whole point of sending an email is to inspire someone to take action—and without a clear CTA, it’s unlikely that your message will be effective.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should throw in a CTA after every sentence. Instead, focus on quality over quantity and try to make your CTA as natural and as relevant as possible. The goal here is to make it as easy as possible for your reader to take the desired action without making them feel like they are being sold to.

If you’re struggling with your CTA, here are a few pointers to put you on the right track:

• Keep it simple: Make sure your CTA is clear, concise, and to the point.
• Make it actionable: Use words that inspire action, such as “Visit Now” or “Register Here.”
• Be contrasting: Make sure your CTA stands out from the rest of the text, using colors or font styles to make it pop.
• Test and refine: Test different versions of your CTA to see which is most effective.

Final thoughts

It doesn’t matter how much time and energy you put into building a list—if you’re not managing it in the right way, you won’t be getting the most out of your efforts. Following these tips will help you ensure you’re doing email marketing in an effective way that resonates with your audience and encourages them to take action. Good luck!