Login

Hi there friend,

Let’s face it—email automation is a must-have, not a nice-to-have. It saves you valuable time and energy, keeping your audience engaged, working its magic while you sleep, play, create, and more.

But there’s a catch: if you’re not careful, automation can go off the rails and actually hurt your email marketing efforts.

No worries, though! We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen. 💪  Below, we’ll cover some common email automation mistakes and how AWeber’s tools help you steer clear of them. Let’s get your automations running smoothly and efficiently!

⚠️ Pitfall #1: The One and Done Welcome Email

Sending a single welcome email is like giving a handshake without a smile. You’ve got a golden opportunity to introduce your business and build a relationship—don’t let it slip by!

How to avoid it: Try a welcome series instead! Spread out 3-5 emails over a week or two, introducing your business, offering helpful tips, and even throwing in a special offer or freebie to sweeten the deal. You can use our Welcome Series campaign to get started, but be sure to add additional emails! 

⚠️ Pitfall #2: Setting It and Forgetting It

Set it and forget it? Not so fast! It’s easy to create an automation, turn it on, and never think about it again. But the most successful email marketers regularly review their automations to make sure they’re still relevant and effective.

How to avoid it: Schedule a monthly check-in with your automations. Check performance metrics like open rates and click-through rates to see what’s working and what needs tweaking. 

AWeber’s Campaign Reports let you track your open and click rates, so you’ll know exactly how well your automations are performing. If something’s off, it’s easy to tweak your content or timing to keep things on track.

⚠️ Pitfall #3: Too Many Emails, Too Quickly

You’ve got a lot of amazing things to say and to teach to your subscribers. But overwhelming them with too many emails in a short period of time is a big no-no. Your subscribers might start feeling overwhelmed, and that’s the last thing you want.

How to avoid it: Space it out! When building out your sequence, think quality over quantity. Spread your emails out over a few days or even weeks to keep your audience engaged without overwhelming them.

⚠️ Pitfall #4: No Personalization? No Connection.

Not all of your subscribers are the same, so why send them the same content? Forgetting to segment your audience means you could be sending irrelevant emails that end up in the trash (or worse, marked as spam!). Personalization goes a long way in making subscribers feel valued.

How to avoid it: Use your subscribers’ names in subject lines or email content, and use behavior triggers like “clicked a link” or “purchased a product” to segment subscribers into targeted groups. It’s like sending a personalized message to each person without all the extra effort! 

With AWeber’s Tagging & Segmentation tools, you can easily group your audience based on their interests, behavior, or stage in the customer journey. That way, your emails are always hitting the mark.

⚠️ Pitfall #5: Ignoring Inactive Subscribers

Keeping inactive subscribers on your list can hurt your deliverability and engagement rates. Plus, it costs you extra for no added benefit.

How to avoid it: Set up a re-engagement campaign to win back inactive subscribers! Send a “We miss you!” email with a special offer or ask if they still want to hear from you. If they don’t engage after that, it’s okay to let them go—it’s all about keeping your list healthy and active. Read more about this in last week’s newsletter!

Ready to Master Automation?

We know email automation can seem daunting at first, but it’s one of the most valuable tools a small business owner can have in their email marketing strategy. The initial effort may feel like a lot, but the payoff is huge: better engagement, more conversions, and a more efficient marketing process that allows you to focus on growing your business.

And when it comes to choosing the right tool, AWeber has your back. With easy-to-use automation features, you can create and launch targeted email campaigns that feel personal—without the manual effort. Half the battle is having the right platform, and AWeber’s powerful automation tools are designed specifically with small business owners in mind to make automation a breeze.

This Week’s Challenge

We know you’ve got a lot on your plate, but trust us—email automation is your secret weapon to save time, keep your audience engaged, and boost conversions. 

This week, fine-tune your automations and check them for the common pitfalls listed above. How’s your Welcome Series? Your sending cadence? Are you personalizing? Make sure your automations are working for you, not against you!

What did you think of this email?

❤️❤️❤️ Loved it. Can't wait to get the next one.

💔 I didn't really care for it.

Easily update multiple messages at once 🌏 ✂️

Picture this: You’ve got something important—like a promo code or your business contact info—that you need to include in several email campaigns. Then, you have to update that detail in all your emails. It’s a lot to manage, right? Not necessarily! Enter Global Snippets! 🎺

With Global Snippets, you can set up reusable pieces of content, like your business signature or a key message, and use them in multiple emails. The best part? If you need to make an update, you only have to change it once, and it automatically updates everywhere you’ve used it. No more tracking down every campaign to make edits!

Get our latest expert advice and helpful tips 

Wishing you smooth, seamless sends!  

- Chelsea H. and the rest of the AWeber team