It can be easy to set up email automation, and it can be just as easy to screw it up. Here are some traps to look out for when you are using drip email campaigns.
Misjudging the Timing Between Emails
Getting the timing right can be difficult. Don't assume you will get it right with your first try. Sending too many emails that are too close together causes unsubscribes and spam complaints. Sending them after too much time has gone by, you miss opportunities and risk the person not even remembering you. You can start with existing templates, talking to sales, and analyzing your past email campaigns for data. But the best thing is to test, watch your metrics, and adjust.
No Call-to-Action
Every email should have an objective. What do you want the person to do? It's easy to forget this when you are putting together a series of emails. How many times have you gotten a "Just checking in..." email with no understanding of what to do after you've read it? Give each email a strong call-to-action.
Broken Links
Check your email for broken links using tools like mail-tester.com. More importantly, make it part of your process to check your automated emails every week for broken links. Automated emails can outlive a web page link and just because it worked when you set it up, doesn't mean it will work forever.
Deciding on Results Too Soon
If you are A/B testing a subject line in an email, make sure you have enough data to get statistically significant results before making a decision on the winner. Here's an article more in-depth on that topic.
Setting and Forgetting
When you get a drip email campaign that works for you, it will run and not require much attention. It's amazing how quickly an email can become inappropriate when world events happen, or copy becomes stale and outdated, or there is a shift in the marketplace that starts to erode your results. Keep alert.
Making it About You
Read your email copy and count how many times it says "I"/"we" versus "you". Focus on the needs of the customer and what is in it for them.
No-Reply Email
If you are sending your emails from an address that is unmonitored, doesn't accept incoming emails, or is "no-reply", STOP. You are hurting your results. It may seem like a great way to avoid clogging up and inbox with bounces and out-of-office replies, but it is a big no-no. Email programs are sophisticated now that you can set up rules and workflows to handle routing the incoming emails.
No Personalization Fallback
Nothing kills an email like "Dear $". Not only should you make sure you have cleaned your data, but code an appropriate fallback value if the data is blank: "Dear Scrappy Marketer".
Not Removing Someone When They Take Action
Your drip campaign will have an objective: download a white-paper or purchase your SaaS product. If the customer does it, you aren't going to want to keep sending them emails asking them to buy. It makes your company look incompetent and alienates the customer you just won. Make sure you remove them from the drip campaign when they are no longer the campaign target.
Building out a successful drip campaign can be a game-changer. Make sure you take the time to do it right and not fall into these common traps.
