Email Marketing Mistakes – EVERYONE MAKES

STOP making these mistakes – It could be costing you money…

We all know the saying “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression” right?!! And when that first impression is made via email, it’s even harder to come off the way you want to. Without the benefit of an in-person interaction, you can’t exactly build rapport or pivot your strategy if something you’re saying doesn’t resonate.
So it’s imperative that you get that first email right. While you can’t control whether your email garners a response, you can control everything else — and you should.

If the core of your email is an insight or resource, think of your writing as the packaging. Even if you’re an expert, it’ll be hard to build credibility if your online communication is riddled with spelling and formatting errors.

Below are the 14 worst errors a sales rep can make in an email.

(Beware!)

1) Misusing “your” and “you’re”
They sound the same, but they certainly don’t mean the same thing. It’s easy to slip up, but asking your prospect, “Do you have any time on you’re calendar to chat tomorrow?” makes you look sloppy and unprofessional.

2) Misusing “there,” “their,” and “they’re”
Another common grammar mistake that makes it harder for you to be taken seriously.

3) Misusing “its” and “it’s”
The last member of the trio of frequently confused homophones.

4) Misspelling your prospect’s name or company
Maybe you were tired when you sent the email. Maybe your eyes were blurry from staring at the screen for too long. Guess what? Your prospect won’t care — they’ll think you haven’t done your research, are sloppy in your work, or flat out don’t care about accuracy. None of the above bode well for your ability to make the sale.

5) Misspelling your own company’s name
This isn’t nearly as insulting to a prospect since you’ve fumbled your own company, not theirs, but it still gives the sense that you just don’t care that much.

6) Mistyping your phone number
This is a mistake I made (and learned from) the hard way. My email signature contained my phone number, but I’d mistyped one digit. I got a frustrated email from a client a few days into his project demanding to know why I never picked up the phone.

If you’re going to provide a way for your prospects to get in touch, make sure it’s correct. If they actually take the initiative to call you, ensure it’s not a waste of their time.

7) Fumbling the date
Scheduling a meeting over email is enough of a pain. Asking your prospect for a meeting on “Thursday, November 16th” when November 16th is actually a Wednesday creates confusion and necessitates an additional two or three emails to correct the mistake. Make sure you’re referencing a calendar when including dates in your emails.

8) Not using paragraphs
If your email’s only two sentences long, this isn’t as much of a problem. But when you’re writing a long follow-up email or a recap of an important call, make sure you’re breaking the text up so it’s easy for your prospect to read.

9) Using inline lists instead of bullet points
To make your prospect’s job even easier, break out lists into easily scannable bulleted lists. Would you rather be asked if a meeting on “Monday at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday at 12:00 p.m., Tuesday at 1:45 p.m., Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday at 4 p.m., or Thursday at 12:20 p.m.” works better for you, or receive this email:

Let me know if any of the below times work for you:

• Monday at 3:00 p.m.
• Tuesday at 12:00 p.m.
• Tuesday at 1:45 p.m.
• Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.
• Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.
• Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

You prefer the second option? Yep, me too.

10) Failing to format
In a real conversation, you can use body language, voice tone, and gestures to accentuate important points. But it’s harder to convey tone in emails, so if your email is longer than a paragraph and it contains information your prospect absolutely must read, bold or italicize it to make sure it catches their eye.

One caveat: Don’t go too crazy. An email where every other word is bolded or underlined is jarring to read and looks unprofessional.

11) Including too much information
You can use #10 above to gut check this point. If you’ve written 800 words, but only felt the need to bold one statement, take a moment to check whether you actually need to include everything you’ve written. Save your prospect as much time as possible by cutting right to the point — they’ll appreciate it.

12) Burying your ask
Sometimes, though, you will need to write a longer email. In this case, make sure to pull out your ask into its own line or paragraph so it’s not lost in the rest of the text.

13) Not including an ask
Whether it’s asking for 10 minutes to discuss resources you’ve just sent over or offering a product demonstration, every action you take should be designed to advance a prospect through the sales process if it’s a mutual good fit.

14) Asking too much
Of course, what you ask has to be reasonable. If it’s the first time you’re speaking with a prospect, it’s ridiculous to ask them what contract terms they’d be comfortable with. Tailor what you ask for to your prospect’s stage of the buyer’s journey.

Sales emails are an art and a science. Different subject lines and strategies will work better for different prospects and industries. But these are the building blocks of professional correspondence. Get your writing rock-solid so you can focus on selling.

Remember, if you have questions (or need some help), JUST ASK!!

We would be happy to help!

Contact us today to receive your FREE Digital Footprint Analysis Report – 800-234-1522 or support@m2dmg.com

Until next time…