Email marketing pain points can leave you feeling uncomfortable. As the technology that powers email advances, opportunities to deploy better campaigns grow, too. The following are some of the email marketing pain points we face today:
1. Cybersecurity Threats
Hackers are a real threat to our email marketing campaigns. Major security breaches have impacted huge brands like Target, LinkedIn, and Home Depot. The more technology tools you use and data you gather on contacts, the higher the risk to your company and your contacts.
It is hard to safeguard against every possible threat, but some practical steps can go a long way toward protecting your contacts’ privacy and your company’s reputation. A cloud-based email security program such as Vircom or Barracuda is a good starting point. Keeping your operating systems, plugins, and patches all up-to-date ensures you operate with the most current security features. Finally, advise your users on steps they can take to safeguard their own personal accounts.
2. Technology Training
In addition to cybersecurity, email marketers need continuous training on new software applications and other tech tools. Building and using contact profiles, updating communication records, building and executing email automation programs, and interpreting email analytics all involve some type of engagement with email marketing software.
In addition to initial training with new tools, your company needs to routinely train on important technologies and activities. You could make a training portal available and offer how-to guides for regular processes. Eliminate any redundancy in processes or responsibilities to reduce information overload.
3. Keeping Data Clean
Security isn’t the only threat to a clean, useful database. Over time, email databases get plagued by bad data, including duplicate records, incomplete profiles, inaccuracies, and incompatibilities. There are some automated data-cleaning tools you can use, but these are of little use when your contacts move, change contact information, or don’t provide necessary details up front.
An optimized database is only possible when you build a culture to maintain it. All of your employees must understand the importance of clean data and the steps involved in their roles to input, modify, and otherwise clean up bad records. This type of culture and collaborative system is very difficult to implement in a small company or one that doesn’t already have quality data in place.
Partnering with Data Axle USA, an expert in database development and management, is a practical alternative. You source current, complete, and useful contacts to build optimized email campaigns.
Conclusion
These three email marketing pain points are significant barriers to success in contemporary email marketing. They require effective strategic planning and resource investment to overcome. Your business needs to evaluate all options for cybersecurity, tech training, and partnerships to create the best email marketing plan.
Let’s discuss how Data Axle USA can help you leverage the high return on investment afforded by email marketing; contact us today!
