5 Main Mistakes in Email Marketing and How to Avoid Them
“Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches – at scale.” – David Newman
As an email marketing agency owner with over five years of experience, I’ve seen countless businesses struggle and succeed, often due to the same few pitfalls. Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach customers, but many eCommerce businesses still fall into common traps that can diminish their success. These mistakes are easy to make, especially for those new to the world of email marketing or when scaling operations. However, they can be costly.
In this article, I’ll explore the five most common email marketing mistakes that eCommerce businesses make and how to avoid them. Whether you’re using an email marketing platform like Klaviyo, or any other tool, understanding and correcting these issues will improve your overall strategy, boost engagement, and, ultimately, increase revenue.
Incorrect Infrastructure: Setting Up Klaviyo the Right Way
One of the most fundamental mistakes in email marketing is not setting up the right infrastructure. Whether you’re using Klaviyo or another email marketing platform, your system’s setup forms the foundation for your entire email marketing strategy.
Mistake Example:
A client of mine was sending emails without defining customer segments, resulting in a scattergun approach that led to irrelevant messaging. Their emails were being ignored, and engagement was poor. After auditing their Klaviyo setup, we found they had neglected key flows such as welcome emails, post-purchase follow-ups, and abandoned cart reminders. The result? Low conversion rates and wasted resources.
How to Avoid It:
To ensure your Klaviyo setup (or any other platform) is solid, follow best practices for creating relevant customer segments, defining automated flows, and integrating your eCommerce store effectively. The setup process may seem technical, but it pays off in the long run. Here’s a helpful guide on how to set up Klaviyo correctly. Having a robust infrastructure in place will lead to more personalized, high-performing campaigns.
Pro Tip: Always double-check your integration with Shopify or any other eCommerce platform you’re using. A seamless integration will ensure that customer data flows smoothly and your segmentation is based on real-time actions.
Ignoring Deliverability: A Silent Killer
Email deliverability is a hidden aspect that many marketers overlook. Failing to ensure that your emails actually land in your recipients’ inboxes is one of the quickest ways to waste all your hard work.
Mistake Example:
One of our clients in the apparel niche had an incredible campaign lined up for a seasonal launch, but their emails never reached their audience. After investigating, we found that their sender reputation had plummeted due to a lack of attention to deliverability best practices. They were unknowingly hitting spam traps, and the bounce rate was sky-high.
How to Avoid It:
To avoid this, always monitor your sender reputation and engagement rates. Make sure you’re sending emails to clean lists and consistently gather data on who opens your emails and who doesn’t. Implementing double opt-in processes and regularly cleaning your list will go a long way toward improving deliverability. Check out our guide on optimizing deliverability for Klaviyo users.
Pro Tip: Use tools to monitor your sender reputation, and make sure your email list is clean. Remember, even the best-crafted emails won’t be effective if they don’t reach the inbox.
Lack of a Thoughtful Strategy: A Recipe for Failure
It’s common for businesses to send out random promotional emails without any overarching strategy. Without a clear strategy, even the best email design and content will fall flat. A strategy is what helps guide your email marketing efforts to reach your business goals, whether it’s increased sales, customer retention, or building a stronger brand.
Mistake Example:
A client in the fashion industry sent weekly email blasts to their entire list without considering whether the recipients were interested in their products. Their emails lacked segmentation and personalized offers, leading to high unsubscribe rates. A better strategy, which included segmentation based on browsing behavior and past purchases, would have driven far more engagement.
How to Avoid It:
Define your goals and audience clearly. A great strategy includes segmentation, A/B testing, and tailored messaging. Focus on email marketing automation and creating a mix of eCommerce flows like welcome emails, cart abandonment emails, and post-purchase emails to build long-term relationships. Always ensure that your strategy aligns with your brand’s objectives. You can check out our strategy development process for more details.
Pro Tip: Use Klaviyo’s data to create detailed customer segments, so you can send relevant emails at the right time. Personalization increases open rates and drives higher conversions.
Ignoring Legal Compliance: A Costly Mistake
eCommerce businesses often overlook legal requirements when sending out email marketing campaigns. While this might seem like a small issue, failing to follow laws like CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CASL can lead to heavy fines and damage to your brand’s reputation. Not to mention, if you don’t include an easy way for subscribers to opt-out, it can annoy recipients and erode trust in your brand.
Mistake Example:
One of our clients in the health and wellness sector overlooked compliance with GDPR, and a European subscriber filed a complaint. The result? They had to temporarily suspend their email marketing efforts while they fixed the issue, causing a significant loss of revenue.
How to Avoid It:
Always ensure that your emails comply with the regulations applicable to your region or target market. Include clear unsubscribe links, provide necessary information about data collection, and respect user preferences. You should also make sure to monitor any opt-in or opt-out requests in your email marketing platform.
Pro Tip: Familiarize yourself with the regulations in your target markets and make compliance a priority. It’s far better to be proactive than to deal with fines or legal trouble later.
Poor Design and Content: An Unforgivable Mistake
The design and content of your emails are what make them stand out—or get ignored. If your emails aren’t visually appealing, well-written, or mobile-friendly, then you’re missing out on the chance to engage your audience. This is especially true in the age of smartphones, where eCommerce businesses need to ensure their emails are optimized for mobile devices.
Mistake Example:
A client in the luxury apparel niche sent an email campaign with broken images, poorly formatted text, and no mobile optimization. Their subscribers on mobile devices had a terrible experience, and as a result, the campaign underperformed with a low click-through rate and conversions.
How to Avoid It:
Invest in professional, mobile-friendly designs and make sure your emails look great on all devices. Focus on writing compelling subject lines, personalizing content, and using clear calls to action (CTAs). Avoid overcrowding your email with too much text or too many images. Simplicity, clarity, and a user-friendly design will help your emails shine.
Pro Tip: Always preview your emails on both desktop and mobile before hitting send. Tools like Klaviyo’s email preview feature will let you see how your email renders across different devices.
Final Thoughts
Email marketing remains one of the most valuable tools for eCommerce businesses, but it’s easy to make mistakes. By addressing the issues of infrastructure, deliverability, strategy, legal compliance, and design, you can avoid the most common pitfalls that damage email campaigns. Remember, success in email marketing doesn’t happen overnight. It takes consistent effort, a clear strategy, and the right tools to build a sustainable and profitable system.
If you’re just starting out or looking to optimize your existing email strategy, make sure to get the basics right. Set up your email marketing platform properly, create targeted strategies, and always monitor your results. Klaviyo, Shopify, and other platforms offer fantastic opportunities for growth, but it’s your strategy that will lead the way.
Stay ahead of the competition, and your email marketing campaigns will thrive!