What’s Your Biggest Email Marketing Challenge?

Oh email marketing. I have been involved as an email marketing affiliate in some capacity or another since 2007. As an affiliate who relied upon email for 100% of my business I can tell you with confidence email is a “Feast or Famine” undertaking. There are three major lessons I had to learn the hard way that would have kept me on the “Feast” side of that equations more often then not, and helped my business tremendously, had someone just told me to practice from the beginning.

#1. Subject Line, Subject Line, Subject Line – You could have the greatest product in the world with the most amazing email message and most compelling call to action, but if no one opens the email you will not make a dime. Also, with the internet service providers placing so much emphasis on interaction with messages versus traditional filters, you need your subscribers opening and clicking to build and maintain solid delivery and positive reputation. Of course following best practices when writing subject lines still applies, 50 Characters or Less, Avoid Filter Trigger words like FREE, and as always relevance to message.

#2 Test and Track Everything – This means everything, down to the time of day you send. Number of Characters and Key words in subject line, size of creative, text vs html creative, and Color of Call to Action Button to name a few. You never know what is going to result in a 10%-20% increase in performance, even something as simple as changing “Hello” to “Hey”.

#3 Always Have a Backup – As with anything in life, if things can go crazy they usually will, especially with email. Always have backups for everything, image servers, ip addresses, data servers, even back up email service providers. Expect the Best, Prepare for the Worst.

Hopefully as you all start to learn more and venture further into the labyrinth that is the world of email marketing these three lessons from an email veteran will keep you from falling into the same traps I did and keep you on the fast track to email success and riches.

For me, initially it was finding decent mailing software. I have a decent one now, but had to outlay for it – you get what you pay for really applies here.

For about 4 or so years, it was so frustrating to mail successfully, because either software problems, hosting problems because of the amount of mail going out.

Getting email addresses isnt the problem if you have the network of sites, and maintaining that list isnt too much of an issue as long as your software is good and you mail regularly (1-2 times a week).

Actually building up that initial database of emails can be a bit of a pain, but once its sizeable and returning – its a breeze!

Just needed to persist with it.

The biggest challenge in the effectiveness of the email marketing in my view is targeting your forecast and customers with highly relevant content.

@selivjames 231461 wrote:

The biggest challenge in the effectiveness of the email marketing in my view is targeting your forecast and customers with highly relevant content.

So true! I think so many people come across this issue! I know one effective tip that can help is to survey your email audience to find out more about them and what it is they want from your email newsletter.

Anyone seen success with this?