We can guess that we all have something in common: we have to send a lot of messages by email.

And if you're using email to communicate with your customers, you can't afford to miss these mistakes.

However, if you've already committed one (or two, or three) of them, don't panic. We're not going to crucify you. We are here to help you.

Therefore, in addition to listing these errors, we will help you to correct them before they cause collateral damage.

So before you hit "send" on your next email campaign, check out the following list of email marketing mistakes and, most importantly, correct the ones you've already made.

1. Writing content for everyone

Messages that aim to satisfy everyone in terms of content end up satisfying no one. They lack context, personalization and any trait of humanity.

That's why segmentation is so important to the success of your email marketing campaigns.

Instead of exhausting yourself writing blindly for a faceless audience, always prefer segmentation by persona, location, gender or age, which helps to adjust the focus and meet the tastes and needs of those segments.

How to correct the error:

If you have the opportunity to segment your contact lists, do it. And if you really must send an email to your entire base, keep it simple.

With simple We mean that it should not be too specific in content, with complicated terms that only a small percentage will understand.

Segmentation is the key. If you haven't downloaded the eBook "Why Segmentation Matters in Email Marketing", please click here. download it here.

2. Neglecting the subject of the message

The subject of your email message is something that you should not neglect and even less leave as the last priority of your message.

In fact, many would argue that affairs are an art form.

If you think about it, they are one of the few things that define whether your email will be opened or deleted.

What can you write in the subject line that will make the recipient think they can't afford not to open your email?

How to correct the error:

Generate subjects that foster a sense of urgency, that awaken people's interest but also motivate them to take immediate action. The latter is essential for them to open the email today and not tomorrow.

For example, if you wrote a blog article, to motivate people to open the email, instead of including the title of the blog in the subject line, it is better to include something like "I can't believe the huge success of this article".

This will undoubtedly arouse people's curiosity. To create a sense of urgency through curiosity, like this example, you don't need to literally write "see this email today; otherwise it will disappear".

There are many tips for creating successful issues. The important thing is that it reflects well what you want to communicate in the message, that it is simple to understand, brief, that it says what the reader should do and why, and that it is personalized as best and as much as possible.

3. Treat your messages as if they were rainbows.

Remember: less is more.

Highlighting one or two elements of your message with a color is perfectly acceptable, but when you have red and yellow text, blue links, yellow borders around an image, and a bright background, you only make your readers dizzy.

It is overwhelming, unprofessional and likely to cause readers a headache.

How to correct the error:

Always keep it simple!

Don't confuse your audience by trying to say too much in a channel like email, which allows for too little.

By this we mean that the email is designed to bring the audience a news story, like the front page of a newspaper; no more. That is to say, good headlines and a short blurb. And if we accompany it with a good image, all the better.

The rest of the content should be delivered by the landing page (landing page or blog post), not by the message, whose mission is simply to convey the communication and invite conversion, not to generate it.

Accompany that objective with a clear design, ideally with a single color that is able to highlight that call to action.

4. Not optimizing your messages for cell phones

The message conceived for the PC differs from the one designed for the small screen of the cell phone. The text, the body and the graphics must be adapted.

The change from mouse to finger implies reformulating the HTML and complying with certain special conditions to make the reader execute the desired action also from a smartphone.

It should be noted that 64% of decision makers read their messages on their mobile device (Source: TopRankBlog).

However, only 31% of marketers know their message open rate via mobile (Marketing Sherpa).

As decision makers are actively using their mobile devices, it is crucial that we focus on the optimization and performance of email marketing on these devices.

How to correct the error:

• Change the layout to a single column.

While messages designed for a PC have several columns, the single-column version is much more appropriate for mobile devices. Not only because it makes more sense in terms of usability on small screens, but also because it contributes to improved readability.

• Modify the content.

When operating on a smaller screen, the amount of information that can be viewed is limited. This means being forced to remember more, so long-form content is inadvisable.

To improve the mobile experience, take your PC content and reduce it by half; it may even still be too large for that screen. In short, keep it to a minimum.

• Use buttons to optimize.

It should be easy to click (with your finger) on all the calls to action included in your messages.

To avoid a frustrated audience, make sure the buttons are large enough to be seen and easily clicked.

5. Creating false expectations

If the subject line or message seems too good to be true, it will probably generate the opposite effect than expected.

Empty promises sent by email, such as: "The only solution to all your problems of..." or "Click here to increase your profit by 110%", will only hurt you and your company.

While it is important to persuade someone to open your message and click on it, it is even more important to set clear expectations.

Exaggerating the benefits of your product or service, delivering information that is biased or out of context, or presenting an offer that does not match the message, can leave your recipients feeling that they have been misled.

How to correct the error:

Be clear and direct, don't beat around the bush, don't exaggerate or say things you can't deliver.

People want transparency and anything that can reinforce the trust they have in your company is key. On the Internet, trust is the most important asset.

This requires sending messages that are not only transactional but also communicational.

That is, do not only send messages when you have something to promote or sell, cultivate a relationship that transcends the transactional: greetings of welcome, birthday, anniversary, congratulations or thanks, are very well received by your audience.

They are personal, affectionate and break the ice of a consumer-company relationship, generating bonds that diminish reticence and reinforce trust.

6. Failure to facilitate unsubscription

Just as in real life with real people, it is not right to hold hostage your blog subscribers, or the clients with whom you communicate via email on a frequent basis. We repeat: it's not right.

Making unsubscribing a problem for your audience because the unsubscribe process is cumbersome is not only in bad taste, it also means that you will eventually be blocked or marked as spam (which is even worse).

The more people take action against your email campaigns, the greater the impact it will have on your online reputation, which will affect your deliverability. Instead of getting a space in the inbox, you will end up finding that your messages permanently fall into the spam folders of your contacts.

How to correct the error:

It is important to note that under the CAN-SPAM Act, which governs ISP companies such as Yahoo and Gmail, you are required to include an opt-out option in every message you send.

In other words, not complying with this simple law significantly affects the relationship with ISPs, and we are sure that you will not want to affect that relationship when you realize that the ISPs mediate 80% of the world's mail.

Our advice? Take the unsubscribe option seriously, make it visible (don't hide or omit it) and make sure it works and you don't get messaged again.

People unsubscribe for more reasons than you can count. Maybe they changed jobs and your communication is no longer relevant, or your messages were simply never relevant to them.