You have multiple marketing tools at your fingertips. Many of which cost little to no money to utilize. One of which is email marketing. Email marketing is a great way to send both current and potential customers updates, specials and information about your business initiatives. Many businesses use email marketing software to make the marketing and sales process easier for them. However, this should not be an excuse to get lazy. Getting lazy will only push email recipients away, which is something small business owners do not want to happen.

Double Check Your Reply To Email

Do not send an email with a do not reply address attached. Give your customers a way to contact you after reading the email. By sending outreach from an active email, you give recipients a chance to hit the reply button and easily submit questions or concerns. Additionally, offer a user friendly unsubscribe link at the bottom of all outreach emails.

Avoid Mismatched Links

Do not mismatch the link between the call to action (CTA) and the landing page. The CTA of your email should be the main topic of the whole message. Make sure the CTA’s link directs recipients to the intended landing page. Double check the link to make sure it is not broken or does not take recipients to the wrong page. Finally, stick to one CTA per email.

Test It

Do not set your software to send out the emails without first reviewing them. Send yourself a test email and double check that all provided links work, that there are no programming or grammatical errors and that everything that is supposed to load, loads properly.

Customize & Segment

Poor segmentation of your email marketing campaign will only lead recipients to realize you do not genuinely care about their needs, concerns and business. You never want to appear automated. Avoid sending emails that appear as if you commissioned a robot.

Track your customers’ behavior on your website and send out marketing materials customized to their Internet searches. Make different customer lists to better customize your email marketing campaign. This way you can send out personal emails to those wanting different items from your business. It is also a good idea to customize the email’s subject line so recipients have an idea of the email’s contents before clicking it open.

Watch Your Length

Keep emails short and sweet. If possible, keep all content on a single page. If it is necessary to send longer emails, keep the CTA above the fold. Quite often, recipients determine if they want to continue reading within the first few lines of an email. This quick decision makes it crucial to keep the CTA higher up on the page.

Email marketing software can help you conduct successful email marketing campaigns. However, these programs make it easier for businesses to become lazy in regards to their email content and promotional skills. Steering clear of robotic marketing antics will be good for your business and will show customers you have paid attention to their needs.

Amy Bishop works in marketing and digital strategy. You can connect with Amy on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn or Pinterest.