We’ve talked a lot lately (like a LOT) about how to leverage email automation to save time and increase engagement for your business. Sometimes, knowing what NOT to do is just as important. In this post, I’ll outline some email automation mistakes and how you can avoid them.
Mistake 1: Lack of Personalization
One of the biggest objections I hear to email automation is that it’s too impersonal. I’ll stand on my soapbox and shout for all to hear: automation can absolutely be personal!
The first or our email automation mistakes is sending generic, cookie cutter emails that feel completely impersonal.
When I say personalization, I don’t just mean adding the subscriber’s first name. That’s a good start, but you can go way beyond that. In addition to the subscriber’s name, leverage what you know about them and interactions you’ve had in the past.
Automated Email Personalization Ideas:
- If the subscriber downloaded a specific lead magnet, you already know at least one subject or pain point that interests them. Tailor the content of your email to what brought them to you in the first place.
- Have they made a purchase? Add something to your email about another use for that product or a tip for getting the most out of it.
- Say you’re a nonprofit and your email goes out to donors. Highlight some ways the donation helped or advanced your cause.
Mistake 2: Overusing Email Automation
Just like with most parts of life, “everything in moderation” is a good rule of thumb. The last thing you want is for your subscribers to feel spammed or overwhelmed. That gives recipients a good reason to hit that “unsubscribe” button.
Sure, you’ll have times when you email more often, such as during a launch or special offer. Most people show patience with an occasional uptick in email frequency. Just don’t let it be the norm. Each email should add value. Segmenting your list based on preference ensures that the right people get the right emails at the right time. Right? Right.
Sending too many emails has a bunch of consequences, and none of them will help you.
Mistake 3: Not Testing Automated Emails
TEST YOUR EMAILS!
ALL OF THEM!!!!
Honestly, I feel like I could end this right here. One of the most common email automation mistakes (or email mistakes in general) is not testing emails before sending them. You’ll find more careless mistakes in formatting and content by testing everything than almost any other way.
Email Testing Checklist
Before you send any email to your list, automated or otherwise, follow a few steps:
- Use your email software’s testing tools. I’ve used a ton of different email marketing systems, and I’ve never seen one that didn’t have a way to test emails.
- Send the email to yourself. Always send the email to yourself first. Always. You get bonus points if you send it to others and ask them to look over it before you release it to the masses. This is the best way to see if any of the formatting or images turn out wonky. Yes, that’s a technical term.
- View the email on multiple devices. You’ve sent the email to yourself, right? Open it on your phone and make sure it looks the way you expect it to.
Mistake 4: Forgetting to Update Automated Emails
Yes, you want to put emails on autopilot. Yes, it will save you time. NO, you can’t decide never to look at those emails again.
Information changes over time. You don’t want to appear out of date by having old or expired information in your emails. For example, I have a series for clients after we finish a web project that lasts a full year. I send links to information that would help them get the most out of their new website. If one of those links is no longer working, I’ve just sent my client a broken link. That’s… the opposite of helpful.
Schedule a couple of times a year on your calendar to go through automated emails, like your welcome sequence or those that follow a lead magnet. Read through them, make sure the information still applies, and click all the links. Click ALL OF THEM, even if they go to your own website.
If you have a VA, this is a perfect thing to ask that person to do. In fact, if you wrote the emails, it’s probably better to have someone else look them over and test everything.
Mistake 5: Ignoring Email Analytics
I know I’ve said that automation is like using a slow cooker where you set it and forget it. When you cook chili in a crock pot, you check it sometimes, right? You open the top, inhale the aroma, give it a stir, and make sure it doesn’t burn.
In addition to checking the content and links in your automated emails, you should also check how well they perform. Take a look at the open rates, clicks, and conversions to make sure they have the desired effect. Then you can adjust the content to perform better or apply what works well to other campaigns.
Mistake 6: Missing a Call to Action
Your website is like an employee and is the only part of your organization that never sleeps, gets sick, or goes on vacation. It should usher your visitors through a journey of getting to know you, trusting you, and eventually working with you.
Your emails should do the same thing. Each email you send should have a goal, or some action you want the recipient to take. It could be as little as replying to an email to answer a question or as much as purchasing a product. With each email, you should be moving the recipient ever-so-slightly further through their journey of knowing, liking, and trusting you.
Your call to action should be clear and use definitive verbs to inspire the reader to perform the desired task. If possible, make it stand out from the rest of the content with a button, arrow, or simply by putting it alone on its own line.
Automating your emails can feel like magic, but even magicians need to avoid a few rookie mistakes. Avoiding these pitfalls can ensure your automation works like a charm—without disappearing your customers. So, before you hit ‘set and forget,’ remember to keep an eye on the details, tweak as you go, and let your automated emails be the well-oiled machine that keeps your business running smoothly. In the meantime, keep swimming along!
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