The importance of CTR can not be underestimated. It is a true game changer as it can make or break your email campaigns. What if you meticulously crafted an email campaign with all the eye-catching elements and it still does not get enough response? How will you feel? Heartbroken, right? But what if we tell you that you can avoid this circumstance and improve your CTR just by avoiding these five mistakes?
Check out these top five markets that are silently killing your email click-through rates.
A minor mistake can ruin someone’s entire effort and pose significant consequences.
To put it together, think of a great feast prepared by you for your family. You took hours and hours to create this single dish and everyone is excited about it. But what if you forget to add salt? Your efforts are ruined.
This is similar to drafting an email after much consideration of everything, but you forget to add a good subject line. What will happen? Most of the readers won’t bother to read it and it doesn’t sound promising at first glance only.
We don’t want your efforts to go in vain and therefore we have compiled a list of five common mistakes that can kill your CTR. So if you are wondering why you are not getting enough click rates, you must check out this article to know if you are repeating any of these mistakes or not.
What is a good email click-through rate?
Before we start illustrating the top five mistakes, let us first understand what is a good email click-through rate and how to know how your email campaigns are performing.
A good email click-through rate is a CTR that meets or exceeds your expectations from a certain email campaign. It illustrates the engagement level of the receipts and how often they clicked on the links or CTAs.
A general rule for a good click-through rate falls in the range of 2%-5%.
A good email click-through rate depends on various factors- industry, audience and type of email you send.
| Remark | Percentage | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Below Average | 2% | Below Average- room for improvement |
| Average | 2%-5% | A decent percentage- indicates that users are engaging with the email content |
| Above Average | above 5% | Above average- represents that your email campaigns are performing well and resonating well with the audience |
| Exceptional | 10% and more | Exceptional – Your email campaigns are performing at their best |
Check out this article to increase your email open rates – 11 simple tricks to increase email open rates today
Learn the top 5 mistakes sabotaging your click-through rates – It’s a feast of knowledge!
Do you feel your emails are not getting enough click-through rates? If yes, here are a few mistakes you must avoid at all costs. You will also find ways to avoid it so get ready.
Segmentation stumble: Serving One-size-fits-all dish
One of the basic mistakes anyone can make is a segmentation mistake. It is similar to serving the same dish to everyone. Just imagine that you are a sweet-tooth person and you only get savory dishes again and again. How would you feel? Bad, right.?
Now if your customer cannot relate to the email but you are sending the same email again and again, how would they feel? They would probably feel like unsubscribing. Or ignore it.
By segmenting your email list, you can understand the different needs of people and create distinct emails for different people. So that they can get a customized experience. Just like serving different dishes so that people can choose what they like.
Before you send your email to your audience you need to know your audience. Divide your audience into several groups, based on demographics, interests, behaviors, etc.
Subject line slumber: Serving tasteless appetizers
Subject line is important for your entire email campaign. One of the first things that a reader would notice in an email before opening it is the subject line. But if you don’t pay attention to it and send boring subject lines, the readers will probably ignore the email and won’t open it.
Think of it as an appetizer. A delicious appetizer that makes people crave more. They get excited about the upcoming dishes. But if you serve a boring appetizer, they will likely get bored or may leave the feast.
Similarly, a well-crafted subject line can get the readers to take a closer look. They may even click on the email to read the entire content. And if that is also promising and good, then they will readily click on the mentioned CTAs and your email campaign would be a success.
A good subject line is somewhere around 41 characters. It sets expectations and ignites curiosity.
Here are a few mistakes to avoid while drafting a subject line:
- Vague subject line: Don’t write a confusing subject line. It is similar to a menu without descriptions and the reader won’t know what’s inside and might skip it.
- Overusing caps and exclamation: Sometimes going overboard can make things worse. It’s like keeping things loud on a peaceful evening of the feast. While writing a subject line, don’t overuse caps and exclamations. As it may trigger spam filters and your email can go to the spam folder.
- Misleading content: Always and always a right relatable subject line. Don’t promise something other than the content of the email. It can lead to disappointment and may discourage the subscribers from continuing with your brand. It’s like serving a snack when you have promised a three-course meal.
- Too long or short: Write a subject line that is just the right length. The right length of a subject line is around 41 characters. Anything short or long can lose its charm and go to waste.
Want to know more about writing beautiful subject lines? Here is perfect guide for you- how to hook subscribers with effective email subject lines
Mobile responsiveness: A feast that is unfit for a small plate
So you have drafted a perfect email. But it will be of no use if it’s not functional across all devices. What if your customer is using an Android, iOS, or desktop?
About 3 in 5 consumers check their email on the go (mobile) and 75% say they use their smartphones most often to check email. – Fluent “The inbox report, consumer perceptions of email”
With this report, one thing is clear: most people use the phone to check emails. But what if your email design is not responsive to mobile? More than 75% of users won’t read your mail and your efforts will go in vain.
So you need to choose an email template that automatically adjusts according to the device. Also, design your email with a single-column layout as it is easier to read on a small screen without rotating the device.
Finally, before sending out your email, test it on multiple devices to check its visibility and functionality.
Neglecting email deliverability: Banished to the kitchen
What is the point of making a dish that you can’t even serve to your guests? There is no point in the whole email campaign if your email ends up in the spam box. It also leads to a decline in open rates and can damage your reputation.
Want to know more about email deliverability? Here is a perfect article for you – email deliverability decoded: the ultimate guide to inbox success!
To avoid this you can follow these steps:
- Use a reputable email service provider.
- Also implement email authentication protocols like SPF (sender policy framework), DKIM (domain keys identified mail) and DMARC (domain-based message authentication, reporting & conformance).
- Regularly clean and remove invalid emails from your list.
- Try to craft an email that does not trigger spam filters. For example, avoid excessive use of exclamation, punctuation and misleading subject lines.
- Always keep an eye on your spam complaints and unsubscribe requests.
- You can also use a double opt-in process to verify the subscriber’s intent and reduce spam complaints.
Want to know why your emails land into spam? Well, there can be several reasons but check out these common 5 reasons why your email goes to spam
Common CTA mistakes- The invitation dilemma
We cannot complete this topic without mentioning some common mistakes about CTAs.
The primary goal of any email marketing campaign is to evoke a desire or interest in the recipient to click on it. But if you failed to create clear and compelling CTAs, the whole purpose of the email would be wasted.
Here are few mistakes related to CTAs to avoid to improve your CTR rate:
- Vague or generic CTA: Rather than using generic phrases like click here and learn more you should try to include CTA in a specific way that conveys the value of clicking on it. Try to include them subtly in the mail.
- Poor CTA placement: Another mistake is the placement of CTAs. Many big brands make a mistake of not adding a clear and prominent CTA button in their emails. Without a visible button the desire to take action is not effectively channeled leading to reduced CTR.
It is similar to sending a vague invitation to your guest for the feast. The guest would not be able to interpret as to when and where the feast is organized. - Linking from an image: Secondly many businesses make the error of using images as clickable elements rather than providing an alternative text or clear CTA button. It is a risky method as if the image doesn’t load the recipient would not be able to understand where to click.
- Too many CTAs: Another mistake is overloading an email with multiple CTS that can confuse recipients as to where they should click. Instead try to add one primary CTA to get a better CTR.It is like sending multiple invitations for the same feast on different dates. It can confuse the guest as to when they have to come.
Want to know more about CTAs? Here is a detailed guide on CTA and how you can create them for better Conversions rate- What is WordPress call to action (CTA) & how to create it?
Conclusion
Finally, we are at the end of this article. Remember that in the world of email marketing, your only success is to connect with your audience and inspire them to take action. Now that we have explored five common mistakes that are killing your CTR and the ways to avoid them, we hope you are better informed now.
Remember, that email marketing is like forging meaningful connections with your subscribers. Always pay attention to what you are sending to them. Keep on experimenting and try to provide value to them.
Happy emailing!