Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of digital marketing but it still packs a punch. When used effectively, email marketing can not only help your business stay top of mind, it can position you as a thought leader.

At MindStream Creative, we believe marketing is education. If you aren’t educating your customers and prospects, someone else will. Don’t let a competitor win out and take your market share.

Two common email marketing mistakes you must avoid

Spam – We aren’t talking about the canned meat, we are referring to email content that is perceived as commercial or promotional. When it comes to email marketing, it can be extremely frustrating to spend time creating great content only to have your email land in the recipients’ Spam folder. Here are a few tips to help reduce the chance of your email being caught by mail filters as Spam or promotional content.

• Avoid using too many links. Linking is essential in content, but don’t go crazy. Add a few links to relevant sites to help readers dive deeper into specific topics.
• Don’t use all caps. You may recall that all caps was considered screaming at someone when done in text. Sometimes caps are needed to attract the eye, but we suggest using different tactics. Break content up into sections that are divided by colors or text boxes to build interest and keep attention.
• Avoid overusing the exclamation point! I am baffled at times at how easily some people throw around the exclamation point. Sparingly use the exclamation point to emphasize an emotion surrounding content, but remember proper grammar and keep it to one at the end of a sentence and not three.
• No reply is no good. We get a ton of emails that are sent from ‘noreply’ boxes. If you want to limit your chance of ending up in spam, send messages from a validated email box that can receive replies. Plus, it can be highly frustrating to receive an email, reply to it only to get an undeliverable message back because the response was sent to an unmonitored box. Don’t do this unless you have to.

Email send frequency – Rejection stinks. No one likes getting rejected, but it is a part of life. Follow up emails are a necessity if you want to grow. Just because an email is ignored once, twice or even three times, it doesn’t mean it will be ignored the fourth or fifth time.

Yesware reports that 70% of email chains stop after one unanswered email. Perseverance pays off with 80% of prospects saying no four times before finally saying yes. So, don’t give up so easily. Find a creative way to make your recipient smile, and you may get a response, and hopefully, it will be a yes.

Communication is essential for building trust and staying top of mind. Ensure your communication strategies through email marketing and content marketing are reliable and sustainable to allow for the growth you desire.