Email marketing is hypothetically one of the most efficient marketing strategies available, and it’s certainly one of the most widely used strategies across a multitude of industries. Because of the low costs and nonexistent barriers to entry, you should theoretically be able to see a return on investment (ROI) many times higher than what you see with other marketing tactics. 

However, the majority of email marketing campaigns fail in one way or another. And according to ClickFunnels, there are several distinct challenges that are ultimately responsible for these failures. It’s up to you to identify your biggest pain points and fix them, so your email strategy can thrive. 

The Lack of a High-Level, Integrated Strategy

The first major challenge is a complex and multifaceted one: the lack of a high-level, integrated strategy. What does that mean? It means you haven’t fully thought out or planned your email campaign—instead, you just kind of “winged it.” 

A good email strategy has several hallmarks, including: 

. A Defined Target Audience.

  You should know exactly who you’re emailing and why. Who is most likely to engage with your email content? 

. Clear Goals.

What are you hoping to achieve with your email campaign? If you don’t have clear goals, how can you even define success, much less achieve it? 

. Strong Leadership.

Good campaigns benefit from a decisive director, who can plan and manage the email marketing campaigns to success.

. Integration With Other Strategies.

Email marketing works best when it’s integrated with other strategies in your marketing, advertising, and sales departments. 

If you’re missing these elements, your strategy won’t ever reach its full potential. 

Bad Lists and Data

Your email campaign management could also be struggling because you’re working with bad lists and/or data. If you’re emailing the wrong people, or are emailing them in the wrong ways, it’s going to work against you.  With the help of an email address checker, you can remove incorrect or irrelevant email addresses from your list.

For the most part, buying an email list is a bad idea. It’s much better to cultivate a list organically, so you can be sure that every subscriber on your list is both relevant and interested in what you have to say. If you do buy an email list, or if you manage an existing list, it’s important to regularly scrub it and filter out people who aren’t interested (and addresses that no longer exist). 

Lack of Staff and Internal Resources

Some email campaigns fail simply because they don’t have the internal staff members or resources necessary to pull off a strong campaign. You might be able to use templates on your email marketing platform of choice, but it’s often better to work with a professional designer. You might be able to automate your email blasts, but you still need someone to thoroughly test and monitor its execution.

Email Provider Limitations 

Sometimes, the blame falls on the email provider. If you’re using a platform that isn’t able to support a high volume of emails, or if you’re constantly dealing with deliverability issues, it could ruin an otherwise promising campaign. 

Bad Tools

There are lots of fantastic email marketing tools available to businesses today, but it’s hard to tell the difference between an amazing tool and a mediocre one. If your email tools aren’t user friendly, if they don’t offer many capabilities, or if they don’t have the features you need to be successful, your campaign could be dead in the water. 

Poor Design 

Poor email design is often a symptom of one (or more) of the above challenges, but it can’t be neglected as a standalone factor for failure. If your emails are unappealing, or if they aren’t relevant to your target audience, they’re going to fall flat. 

Lack of Effective Measurement and Analysis 

Measurement and analysis are vital for your email marketing campaign to succeed. 

There are three main areas worth considering: 

. Defining KPIs.

First, you need to define the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are most closely tied to your long-term goals. How do you define success, and how can you measure it? 

. Measuring email effectiveness.

Next, you need a system to conveniently and transparently measure the results of your campaign. Does your email marketing software allow you to view reports on your past and present performance? 

. Analyzing and improving.

Finally, you need to turn those data points into actionable insights. You might have learned that a certain email did well or did poorly, but do you understand why? And do you understand what to do to make your next blast more effective? 

No email marketing campaign is successful overnight. If you’re facing any of these challenges, you’re not alone. But recognizing the challenges you face is the first step in resolving them; commit to addressing these obstacles, one by one, and eventually, you’ll end up with a campaign that works.