5 tips for improving your email marketing success rate

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Email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools in a marketer's arsenal, with the potential to drive engagement, nurture customer relationships, and increase conversions. However, even the most well-intentioned email campaigns can fall flat because they fall into common tropes.

In this blog post, we will explore some common email marketing mistakes that you should steer clear of to ensure the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Avoid too much text

Email copy should be concise, a well-crafted email can be written in 100 words or less, about two short paragraphs.

Long paragraphs are likely to be ignored, so to make an impact, start with the most important information. Treat your email like a newspaper article. Put crucial details in the first paragraph and add less important information later. Use the "two scrolls" rule. Most emails (66%) are read on mobile devices, so if your email can't be read within two scrolls on a phone, it needs to be trimmed down.

Make sure to include headings 

Many people cram their entire message into a single block of text, causing two issues. Firstly, it lacks visual hierarchy and secondly, it fails to emphasise the most important parts. To improve your emails, make them more scannable by using section blocks, headings, and subheadings.

Challenge yourself to include three headings in each email. One main heading and two subheadings. Ensure that your headings are clear and compelling. Your headline should clearly convey the main point or benefit of your newsletter content. It should pique the reader's interest and make them want to learn more. Top tip: Aim for a headline length of 40-50 characters or 5-8 words. Shorter headlines tend to be more effective in grabbing attention and encouraging readers to open the email.

Always include a call to action (CTA)

A call to action (CTA) serves as a clear and direct instruction to your readers, guiding them on the desired next steps. In the context of an email newsletter, a call to action typically appears as a clickable button or link that prompts the recipient to engage further with your content, visit a

website, make a purchase, sign up for an event, download a resource, or perform any desired action.

When crafting CTAs for your email newsletters, it's important to make them clear, compelling, and relevant to the content of your newsletter. Use action-oriented language, create a sense of urgency, and ensure the CTA stands out visually.

The benefit of adding a call to action is to encourage reader engagement, increase click-through rates which in turn will help support your goals and objectives and provide a metric for measurable data to analyse the success of your email campaigns.

Don’t use clashing colours

A design with a broad range of tones or clashing, distracting colours can be off-putting.

Think about what would catch a user's eye while remaining readable. Avoid placing light text on a light background and also avoid using an excessive number of colours, which can overwhelm and frustrate recipients, prompting them to quickly move on to the next email.

Remember, the colours you choose for your email design also shape how your brand is perceived by readers. Therefore, it's crucial to select your colour palette wisely. Consistency is key, ensuring that your email colours align with your overall brand identity. A sudden out of context burst of neon in an email may confuse recipients and make it harder for them to recognise and connect with your brand.

Just like your website or print materials, your emails serve as a representation of your brand, so always strive to present yourself in the best possible light and stick to your brand colours where possible.

Be aware of functionality: avoid using too many images

Checking email on the go means that mobile data and Wi-Fi access will vary. Large images (like infographics or GIFs) are notoriously slow to load, particularly within responsive emails. Always resize your images (800-1,000 pixels wide is recommended) and use alt text (alternative text) in case the image fails to load.

Accessibility for all users is crucial, as some visitors may rely on assistive technology due to disabilities or visual impairments. Screen readers and text-to-speech software are commonly used by such individuals to navigate emails. If images lack alt-text, screen readers may either generically announce "Image" or read out the file name, therefore, it is essential to provide alt-text for images containing vital or context-enhancing information to ensure inclusivity.

No matter how visually appealing your email may be, it won't make a difference if it lacks the necessary functionality. While researching the latest email marketing design trends can be valuable, it's crucial to prioritise essential elements. Your email should load quickly, contain accurate links, and display properly across various devices.

Test before sending! Mistakes are bound to happen, and unlike a blog post or social media caption, once you hit that send button, you can't make immediate corrections. Prioritise testing your email before sending it out. Send a test email to yourself and your team, ensuring all links work, images load seamlessly, the message is optimised for mobile viewing, and conduct a final proofread to catch any errors.

By prioritising functionality alongside aesthetics, you ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience for your subscribers, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of your email campaigns.

Keep it professional

In the quest to foster a friendly connection with your customers, it's important to remember that maintaining a professional image is equally crucial. While relatability can enhance brand affinity, it's not the sole factor to consider for your email campaigns.

To ensure your business and its offering are taken seriously, prioritise professionalism in your designs. Designs featuring low-quality images, unappealing layouts, and of course, spelling errors risk being dismissed as a spam email!

Opt for visually appealing images that enhance the overall aesthetic of your emails. Blurry or pixelated images can undermine the perceived quality of your brand. By upholding a professional tone, and aesthetic in your emails, you establish trust, credibility, and reliability. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of your emails being well-received and valued by recipients.

When it comes to email design, there’s so much more involved than merely throwing some photos and text into an email and sending it off. Remember, the point is to engage the reader and leads them to the conversion point. Your email design needs to be:

  • Responsive
  • Eye-catching
  • Simple to follow
  • Professional
  • Relatable

Get in touch with our team today to find out how we can help your business with email marketing, which is a great way to stay in the minds of our customers. Regular newsletters also ensure that your customer base is always up to date with any company news and promotional offers.