Email is one of the most effective follow-up tools you can use to keep your message and brand fresh in customer's minds. In fact, email should be a regular, integrated part of your lead follow up process because of how quickly it can be done, and how easy the results are to track and measure. However, sending a bad email can be worse than sending no email at all. Here are three of the most common errors when sending marketing email to leads and clients. 

1. No Clear Call To Action

Calls to action are vital in any sales pitch, but you'd be surprised how often they go AWOL in marketing emails. It's common to see the writer get so wrapped up in the content and design of their email that they lose sight of the very reason they're writing it--to generate more sales!

Calls to action in emails generally take the form of links, or a phone number to call. Links can be useful if you have the right software: you can set alerts for yourself that will let you know when someone has clicked a link from your email, thus letting you know to call that particular lead and follow up. 

Remember: in your emails, always include either a link to your inventory, a phone number to call if the recipient is interested, or a specific person to reply to. 

2. Poor Subject Line

How can you know how good your call to action is if nobody opens your email? Subject lines are one of the most important, yet most ignored, elements of a professional marketing email. If you find that you aren't getting a good ROI on your marketing email campaigns, take a look at your subject line composition. 

Most emails today are read on mobile devices, so subject lines should be no more than 4 words in length so they won't be cut off on the screen. Avoid all caps in your subject lines, and when possible pose a question to the recipient. Remember that short, snappy subject lines will almost always have higher open rates than highly descriptive ones. You can always add more description in your pre-header.

Some good subject lines: 'Your New Car Awaits!', 'Save Big Today', 'Ready to Ride?'

Some bad subject lines: 'Come & See Our Great Deals Today!', 'Drive Off The Lot In Your Dream Car!', 'CHECK THESE GREAT DEALS!'.

3. Being Long-Winded

The best marketing emails in the world are short, sweet, and to-the-point. Most recipients will spend less than 5 seconds reading marketing emails unless they are familiar with the sender, so you have an incredibly small window to make a great impression. The best way to accomplish this? Links and images! Provide images of your inventory, be very clear by using large (but not too large) font, and avoid being overly descriptive. 

Remember: the entire point of the marketing email is to get the recipient interested enough to call and/or visit the lot. There's no need to run through an entire sales pitch in the email!

Good luck!

If you have any further questions about email marketing or how you can improve your dealership's email marketing campaigns, feel free to reach out directly at steve@copyhook.com.