Email is a complex medium. It is also one of the most powerful and timely. Regardless of our experience there are times when our email marketing campaigns simply don't work or don't work as well as we anticipate.

There are hundreds of factors that can dampen your overall email response. Here are ten of the more common reasons why email marketing campaigns don’t work – and what you can do about it.

1. Permission is not enough.

It pays to be absolutely explicit with potential email subscribers in terms of what they will receive and how often. When they enter a competition, for instance, they often don’t see the pre-checked e-newsletter subscription box. Let people know if you intend to contact them again. Let them know how they will be contacted, what they will receive and how often they will receive it. Then allow them to make the choice for themselves.

If your offer is compelling enough, there will be no problem attracting engaged email subscribers.

2. You Can’t Buy Integrity

If your email list is bought, largely untargeted, and not compiled of interested prospects – your chances of success are less than average. Up to 40% of "bought list" email recipients have said such email annoys them. It pays to settle for smaller but more relevant permission-based mailing lists.

3. Subject Lines Matter

Your subject line was bland, misleading, or not relevant to the readers' interests. Pick a style (intriguing, branded, or timely) and stick to it, allowing customers to get to know what’s coming. Plus, don’t make big promises in the subject line that you don’t actually deliver on inside the email.

4. What’s in a Name

Email messages were not personalised inside. It’s not hard with email marketing programs to insert the recipient's name right in the body copy i.e. . “The sweetest sound to a person is their own name”, says Dale Carnegie. Let’s test that theory. To take personalisation a step further, test targeted dynamic content based on what you know about subscribers' expressed interests, past purchases, and website behavior.

5. Relevant Offers to Segmented Email Lists

If your email list was not segmented – i.e. you tried to market hula hoops to seniors, you'll likely receive a hostile response. This necessitates getting some relevant info at the point of capture. If your list is nationwide, you can segment certain events and offers by state, so people in San Francisco don’t get invited to workshops in Houston.

6. Single Opt-in Not as Good as Double Opt-in

If your subscribers sign up via a single opt-in on the website you should either double opt-in or confirm the single opt-in by email. People have bad memories. Always err on the side of caution in this regard. (Read: 4 Email List Building Essentials: Assess Your Opt-In Process)

7. No Privacy, No Respect

Don’t forget to state your privacy and email policies. Mention it right there under the opt-in box, and it doesn’t hurt to have a small link to the full policy page in each email you send. People want to know that their email address is not going to be sold to any third parties.

8. See How You’re Tracking

If you are not tracking open rates and clickthroughs in combination with website behavior to get an overall picture of your email visitors, there is a piece missing. This picture will let you know which subject lines were effective, which content was popular, and effectively what you should focus on in future email campaigns.

9. Testing Market Response

If you are letting your opinions rule and not testing, your marketing has become "slingshot". Split test different offers, formats, and distribution days when you first set up your e-marketing, and see which generates the best results. If you’re not getting response from a format that’s all graphics, try a mix of both text and pictures.

10. Reader Feels Bombarded

Sending too many promotions? Unless the email recipients are justly rewarded, they may tire quickly of frequent promotional offers. Try to send one newsy e-zine or item of value for each outright promotion. (Read: Three Strategies to Find the Right Frequency)

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About the Author

Adrian Saunders is co-founder of Cogent Online P/L. As one of the earliest adopters of the value of opt-in email marketing, Adrian has spent ten years educating Australia's marketing community on the benefits of electronic direct mail (EDM) and database marketing. Adrian is well regarded as a leader in the EDM field in Australia, and shares his expertise with clients to help them get the best results from their email campaigns.

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