One reason some people resist automation is because of the potential for the egg-on-your-face mistakes that make us all cringe.  We’ve all had it happen, something goes wrong and instead of “Dear Sean” we get “Dear <First name>” or we use a segmented list that doesn’t segment quite the way we expected.

Here’s a list of the 5 biggest bloopers we see often and what you can do to avoid them:

1. “Personalization” Fails

Personalization is a huge benefit to email marketing when it is done right.  Unfortunately, it can also cause some big embarrassments! We definitely want to avoid the classic “Dear <First name>” instead of what we intended.  This typically occurs because the merge field code is not accurately inserted to the email.  Using copy and paste is sometimes the culprit but it can also occur when the merge field has a minor mistake.  Since personalization doesn’t populate unless you preview or test, it can be hard to catch with just the email itself.

Fix: The takeaway is to always double check that the automation you’ve set up is working as you designed.  Be sure to preview the email and send a test!  An ounce of prevention is worth at least a pound of cure after the fact.

2. Incomplete (or Inaccurate) Demographic Data

Demographic data can be used to segment a list and send targeted data.  It is a useful tool when you’re trying to sell location-based offers.  But, it can also annoy prospects if they’re being sent offers for areas they can’t take advantage of.

I had a situation when I went to a marketing conference for a company I used to work with that was based in Phoenix.  However, at the time I was living in St. Louis, not Phoenix.  The marketing emails about the conference were specifically targeting me for upsells that were local to Phoenix only – which obviously didn’t make any sense to me and felt very untargeted.

Fix: If you’re going to use geo-location or other specific demographic segmentation in your marketing, be sure that your data is accurate, because it can be a huge flop if the data is wrong!

3. Offering a discount to the wrong person

This is a classic problem scenario for businesses that don’t keep their marketing emails and sales records in the same system.  A prospect decides to purchase a product at the full sales price, then later gets a new marketing email offering the exact same product at a discount.  Naturally, the new customer will be angry and expect a refund on the price difference.

This can also happen if your records are not up-to-date.  For example, a current client has not been tagged as such so she still shows up as a prospect.  You send an email to all prospects offering a discount to “new” buyers and the current client wants to buy.  Turns out though, she’s not eligible because she’s already a client.  So now, you have to either honor the offered price or lose some goodwill.

Fix: Use automation to remove “prospect status” from new customers, and only send your sales emails to the group of people who are actually prospects!

4. No Personalization At All (dear Costco, I do not need a greenhouse)

Sometimes the marketing approach becomes “shoot wide and see what happens” but that doesn’t always work.  In fact, it can alienate your prospects because you’re sending them something they probably have little to no interest in. In this case, you’re wasting the time, effort, and money expended in the marketing without really getting anything in return.

A friend recently told me a story about how she had purchased a low priced item at Costco then was later sent a marketing email trying to sell her a $17,000 greenhouse – which she had absolutely no interest in whatsoever.  Instead, the company could have offered a product in the same category (and a similar price point) and had a reasonable shot at the cross-sell.

Fix: Study Amazon – they have mastered the art of upsells and cross sells.  When you buy anything, you’re sure to see offers for other complementary items!  Offering items your client is likely to be interested in will certainly succeed more often than “spray and pray” marketing.  Plus, your client is being offered items that are more likely to benefit them which fosters your relationship with them.

5. Being Creepy With Your Automation

Sometimes it’s easy to let the power of automation get to your head when writing your marketing messages.  Having the ability to see exactly what a prospect has opened and clicked on can be great information.  It can also help you build better sequences based on such behavior.  But, “I noticed you didn’t click…” might feel too “big brother” for many prospects and creep them out a bit.

Fix: Instead of directly calling out what prospects failed to do, you can use softer messaging to get the same point across.  For example, instead of “I noticed you didn’t download this e-book yet”, you can use “Hey (name), I’m not sure if you’ve had a chance to check out this e-book yet, but if not, I’d really suggest you take a few minutes this afternoon to read it over!”

Automation can be a huge asset when used properly!  Be sure you’re maximizing it’s power and avoiding these major missteps at the same time.

Comment below with other problems you’ve encountered or tell us here so we can help.