I’ve made my fair share of mistakes in email marketing.
So many that I managed to put together a list of 15 mistakes you should avoid making.
There will probably be a part 2 to this as well.
Let’s get into it…
Here are 15 things successful e-commerce email marketers don’t do:
1) Hiding the welcome coupon in the email
It’s bad for user experience. Don’t make customers go through the extra effort.
Your email revenue will go down, but your (or your client’s) business will still grow. That’s the goal.
2) Firing the pop-up right away
Why would someone want a discount code if they don’t even know what your store is about?
Let users browse first.
Wait at least 7-10 seconds before showing your pop-up.
3) Chasing email revenue over business growth
Imagine asking a business owner if they want more total revenue or more email revenue.
The answer is so obvious they probably think it’s a trick question.
Remember, you were hired to help grow a business, not boost email revenue.
4) Worrying about unsubscribes
When you start sending more emails, people WILL unsubscribe.
It’s just inevitable.
Two things:
- People who unsubscribe weren’t buyers anyway
- You probably need a better lead acquisition system
If your list is consistently growing, you wouldn’t worry about unsubscribes.
5) Hard-selling in email campaigns
At least 80% of your email campaigns should NOT include discounts.
People don’t want feel like their being sold something.
They want to be entertained.
They want to receive value.
Do those things first and then ask for the sale.
6) Neglecting plain-text emails
Plain text emails are pattern breakers.
Your audience doesn’t expect them, which means it’s a chance to stand out.
Here are 11 plain-text emails with examples you should send to your list.
7) A/B testing too early
Don’t worry about A/B testing email campaigns if your list is small.
What’s gonna happen is you’ll end up with 4 vs 9 conversions.
That’s not a statistically valid result.
You’re better off on other things, like creating better email content.
8) Guessing what will work
Great marketers make decisions based on data. 🤓
I hope you read that with a nerdy voice just like I did.
Example:
You need to set up a post-purchase sequence.
Instead of saying “let’s try cross-selling this product,” you should dig into data and see WHAT users buy second, and HOW LONG it takes for them to come back.
9) Posting Klaviyo screenshots on social media
Okay okay, just because you do this doesn’t automatically disqualify you from being a successful email marketer.
But the problem with most screenshot “case studies” is that they don’t tell the whole story.
You can increase channel revenue in ways that aren’t necessarily beneficial to a business (like the 1st point on this list).
It’s just misleading.
10) Underestimating long buying cycles
If you sell a high ticket non-consumable product (like a $500 watch), your welcome sequence shouldn’t last 7 days.
It should probably last closer to a month.
People need time to decide.
11) Ignoring mobile optimization
81% of people prefer to read emails on their smartphones.
Always make sure your email designs are mobile-friendly.
12) Overlooking deliverability
You can send the best emails, but it doesn’t matter if they end up in spam.
If this is happening to you, here are three things I’d check if I were to audit your ESP:
Have you set up a branded sending domain?
Have you set up DKIM and DMARC?
Are email campaigns sent to an engaged audience (< 60 days opened)?
13) Oversegmenting
I’ve seen brands with less than 5,000 subscribers have 15 different segments.
It’s unnecessary and overcomplicated.
You just want to make sure you’re sending emails to people who consistently engage with them.
14) Sweating over $5 questions
“Should I use emojis in subject lines?” is a $5 question.
“What is the best pop-up offer?” is a $100,000 question.
“How can I send email content that doesn’t rely on discounts?” is a $1,000,000 question.
Don’t obsess over miniature things.
15) Telling brand owners to focus on retention over acquisition
DTC expert Alex Greifeld says all roads lead back to acquisition.
She’s right — every e-commerce brand needs a consistent flow of new customers to grow.
Retention marketing has a cap.
