Top 5 Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Joseph Perry
Sep 12
9 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Email marketing can be a strong way for small firms, but big goofs can mess up your work, harm your rep, or even bring you legal heat. Here's a quick list of the top five slips you need to dodge:

Not Knowing Your Crowd: Sending the same emails to all instead of making messages for set groups.
Sending Too Many Emails: Filling up inboxes can make people leave or mark you as spam.
Ignoring Mobile Fit: Emails that look rough on phones drop interest.
Lack of Adding a Personal Touch: Plain texts don't hit the mark with readers.
Breaking Email Laws: Not following rules like the CAN-SPAM Act can cost you a lot in fines.

Main point: Stay clear of these slips by splitting your crowd, sending a good number of emails, making them fit for phones, adding a personal feel, and sticking to email rules. These moves can raise interest, save your name, and lift your project's win.

5 Most Common Email Marketing Mistakes You Probably Do

1. Not Knowing Your Crowd Well

Sending the same email to all on your list is like yelling with a big horn when you need to talk close - it just doesn't work.

Simple emails are not opened or read as much as ones aimed at certain groups. And it's not only about the numbers. These same-for-all emails feel cold and out of place. Think: a brand new person on your list doesn't need the same info as someone who has been with you for a long time. In the same way, a college kid in Denver likely wants different stuff than a business owner in Miami.

Some small shops skip splitting their list as they think it's too hard. Yet, even easy ways to do this can be set up fast and show results soon.

Here are easy ways to know your crowd better:

By place: If your shop is local, where people are matters. A food chain could send deals or news for where people are by their state, city, or zip code. Why send a deal for your Miami spot to someone in Seattle?
By what they buy: Put customers in groups by their buying style. New buyers, ones who buy often, and ones who haven't bought in a while all need different things - and your emails should show that.
By how much they read: Group your crowd by how much they read your emails. Fans who read all might like special deals, while those who don’t read much might do better with a try-again campaign.
By who they are: Use facts like age, gender, money, or job to set your words right. For instance, a tech firm could send complex guides to developers but show cost cuts to managers.

Start easy. Pick one way to split your list, see the effect, and grow from there. Even simple ways can up how many are into your emails, opening the door for more tweaks like how often you send messages.

2. Sending Too Many Emails

Filling up inboxes can backfire. If you send too many emails, people may skip over them. They might even drop their sub or, worse, mark your emails as spam.

Most folks like getting emails just a few times a week. If you send more often, they may get tired. If they do, fewer will open your emails, more might drop out, and email services like Gmail or Outlook might knock down your sender score.

What counts as "too many" can change based on your crowd and work area. For example, those who sub to a daily deal site may want lots of updates, while a B2B crowd - usually busy workers - may think daily emails are too much.

Keep an eye on stuff like open rates and drop-outs. If you see fewer opens or more leave, it might mean you're sending too much. To find the best amount, start with an email a week and check your data for about a month. If people seem into it, try more often for a part of your list and see how it goes.

Go for good, not lots. One great email beats a bunch of okay ones. When subs see value in your emails, they’ll want to hear from you more.

In the next part, we'll look at another big error that could mess up your email efforts.

3. Not Minding Mobile Needs

So many check their emails on mobile these days, and not fixing them for mobile can drop your reach. Emails that look bad or are hard to use on a small screen may be closed fast. A few easy changes can make them clearer and get more folks to click on your stuff.

Here are a few common issues with mobile emails:

Text that is too small.
Pages that make you pan side to side.
Buttons too small to press without trouble.
Big pictures that load slow and use too much data.

Subject lines are key on mobile. Most mobile email apps cut off part of the subject, so put your key point right at the start to get eyes.

To make emails good for mobile:

Use a one-way view that fits in small screens with no need to zoom or swipe side to side.
Make sure CTA buttons are big to tap with ease, and set them apart to not tap them by mistake.
Pick clear font sizes for all the text. Safe web fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia stay the same on all gear.

Also, always look at how your emails show on phones. What works on a PC may look bad on a phone. Most email tools let you see how it looks on mobile, which lets you find and fix snags before you hit "send."

4. Not Making it Personal

When you send emails that are all the same, people don't really care about them and often stop subscribing. In the U.S., folks want brands to know what they like and get emails that are just right for them.

Adding a name isn’t enough; it's about having content that fits what each person is into. For example, someone new and a long-time buyer won’t want the same things.

To make it really personal, use data like what they click on, what they look at, and how often they open emails. This helps you make messages that matter to each person. Start with simple groups - sort people by what they buy, where they are, or how much they check your emails - and tweak your message to fit. For instance, people in New York and California might like different things or words.

Dynamic content is also smart. It changes parts of the email for different people without needing new campaigns. Like, you might show winter coats to folks in cold places and swimwear to those in hot spots, all in one email.

You can suggest products too, like matching running shoes with socks, and pick send times when people are likely to see them. Start with these easy steps - simple groups and smart tips - and slowly do more. Once you’ve done this, see how your numbers change to track how well making it personal works.

5. Not Following Email Marketing Rules

Not obeying email marketing laws, like the CAN-SPAM Act, can lead to big fines - up to $53,088 for each email. If a push to 1,000 people breaks these laws, fines could jump to $53 million[1][2]. Now, rulers use smart tools, like AI, to spot wrongs fast by looking at sender spots, title lines, and how many say they don’t like it[2].

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) uses AI to check for problems like tricky titles or not clear opt-out steps. Even small slips can cause complaints, lower how well your emails reach, and pull in ruler's watch.

To keep safe by law, any sale mail should have:

An easy way to opt out: Needs to be done within 10 days.
Your real street address: This shows you're open.
True titles: Must show what's really in the email.
A clear "from" field: Who sends it should be clear and honest.

Not following rules can cost you big and wreck your sending name. Mail like Google and Yahoo ask big senders to keep complaints under 0.3%. If you go over this, your mails might get fully stopped[2]. And, if you work with other people or groups, you still answer for what they do. Courts have blamed firms for wrongs done by others[2].

Also, state rules like California’s CPRA and Virginia's VCDPA add more hard parts. One break of the rules could mean many legal steps in many spots[2].

Keep your business safe by:

Using mail checks like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to make sure your emails are real.
Watch complaint levels to keep them low.
Do quarterly checks to find and fix rule issues.
Keep a fresh no-send list to quickly honor opt-out asks.

Side-By-Side Look

Doing email marketing the wrong way as opposed to doing it right can give you very different outcomes. Here's a clear look to show the big difference:

Email Marketing Part	Usual Errors	What to Do Well	Effect Change
Who Gets What	Sending the same email to all	Making groups by how they act or what age they are	Greatly up how much people care and buy
How Often	Too many emails to people	Finding a good mix with steady, good info	Fewer people leave and more open emails
Works on Phones	Only making emails for big screens	Using designs that work well on phones	Makes sure lots are into it from any device
Making it Fit You	Using "Dear Customer" to start	Building direct, made-for-you stuff for each one	Makes emails hit the mark, raises the game
Following Rules	Missing easy opt-out links or tricking people	Sticking to CAN-SPAM laws with clear good-bye choices	Drops fines and keeps your brand's good name

This chart shows how tiny tweaks - like sorting your crowd, fixing how often emails go out, making sure phones can show them well, tailoring the message, and keeping within the rules - can bring more involved followers and better scores for small U.S. companies.

End Thoughts

To get the best from your email marketing, stay away from these five traps: bad group splitting, too many emails, no care for phone use, plain old messages, and not following the law. Avoid these errors to make sure your efforts and time pay off.

Focus on good group splitting, designing for phones, making messages personal, sending emails just right, and sticking to the law. You can really lift how many people engage, cut how many leave, and make your whole campaign perform better. These small tweaks can make a big difference.

For instance, don't just send the same emails to everyone. Make groups based on what customers do and who they are. Keep to a smart plan that helps more than it bugs. Make sure your designs work well on phones, write messages that matter to people, and always give a clear way to leave.

When you make these tweaks, email marketing turns from a bother into a tool that really reaches your people. Your emails become notes people want, and your plans can bring in steady money. Start where you need most work, then fix the rest. With time, you’ll build an email plan that brings true value to your business.

Start today and see your campaigns grow into a strong source of money.

FAQs

How can I split my email list easily, without it being too hard?

To divide your email list well and not make it too tough for yourself, start with easy picks like where they live, how old they are, or what they bought before. These are simple to track and let you send more fitting messages. When you feel good about it, you can add things like how much they chat or their special likes. Just take care not to make it too tricky from the start.

Use tools that work on their own and make clear, set rules to help you save time and make your work smoother. Aim to make groups that match what you want - for instance, going after faithful customers or reaching out to those who stopped checking in. Start basic, then adjust bit by bit to keep a process that works well and is easy to handle.

How often should I send emails to not bother my subscribers?

When making your email plan, it's good to start small - try sending 1 to 3 emails a week or about 4 per month. Then, you can change this based on how your people react. Look at how they deal with your emails and try different times to see what works best.

Time is key, too. Most good email runs hit inboxes in the middle of the week - think Tuesday to Thursday - and go for late morning or early afternoon, when folks are more likely to check their emails. Watch how well your emails do, like seeing how many are opened and clicked, to better your plan and see the best results.