Avoid These 6 Common Email Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make

If email seems a little old school to you, you’re right. Email turns 40 this year, and it’s being outpaced by texting, instant messaging and Facebook messaging. As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pointed out last year, email is too much of a “cognitive load” for younger people.

Yet you probably haven’t given up your Gmail account yet, have you? That’s because, despite the stigma of being a middle-aged technology, email is still useful and universally accepted. In fact, those who make a living from email marketing say there’s never been a better time to do what they do.

“Email marketing is getting more exciting because of some of the things you’re able to do with it,” says Chip House, vice president of relationship marketing at ExactTarget, “because of the ability to bake in social sharing. You can follow me on Facebook or tweet about this.”

For small businesses, email still represents a cheap, effective way to establish or maintain a relationship with clients. But there’s the rub. While the medium is fairly neutral-to-positive, the content has the power to either attract or repel. So before you hit “send” on your next batch email newsletters, take heed of these six common email marketing mistakes.

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Optimize Your E-mail Marketing for Social Media Results

Marketers plan to increase spending on e-mail and social media marketing more than any other tactics in 2011, according to a recent survey.

As marketers find opportunities to build audiences, conversation and conversions with clever cross-promotion between the two mediums, e-mail and social media tactics are becoming increasingly popular and intertwined.

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The Mistake That Can Kill Your Business

Too many times, as entrepreneurs, we get consumed with trying to do it all. We cram in one more email, one more blog post, one more sneak peek at Facebook or Twitter. We stay up late into the night tweaking one more ad, putting one more image on our website, or adding one more item to our to-do list. Sound familiar?

And pretty quickly, we go into overwhelm mode, where we’re busy putting out fires instead of believing in ourselves. We begin to crumble under the weight of our growing business, and we lose ourselves in escapism. We focus on only what has to be done today instead of looking forward to tomorrow, and we’re just relieved when our inbox finally gets to zero.

But is that what really matters most? Our inbox getting to zero? All those piddly things getting done?

No.

What matters most is to keep moving forward with our business. To block out the tidal wave of new emails, new Tweets, and “one more thing” and to remember, instead, to create every day. To bring something new into the world.

Mix Up Your Marketing For Increased Sales

Have you evaluated your marketing mix lately? True profits come from sales staff on the streets and are backed by memorable marketing efforts. Your community should think of you first for any concession need. Below are a few, easy tips to help you break out of the traditional marketing mix.

Put a “Face” to Your Business
Your time is spread thin, so look at any involvement like a business deal and evaluate the ROI (Return on Investment).

* Consider supporting a charity your customers and community care about

* Write a newspaper column

* Be a guest blogger

* Speak at an event

* Serve on a non-profit board or join a chamber of commerce

Combine Direct Mail with E-Marketing
While social media and E-marketing efforts are effective, many people still look forward to receiving mail and respond to these pieces. Try both and keep in mind these tips for best results.

* Don’t waste money; make sure to continuously update your mailing lists

* Offer opt-in programs on your Website or on any printed piece, including
invoices

* Offer a carrot to get contact information. Combine special deals on social
media sites and support efforts with direct mail pieces

* Avoid SPAM filters. Don’t use: Free, Gurantee(d), One time only, $$, Apply now, ALL CAPS, Excessive punctuation (!! or ??)

* Always include the option to be removed from a mail list