Regulations like GDPR and CCPA have established strict rules for how businesses can handle personal information.
These laws require companies to obtain explicit consent from subscribers before collecting, storing, or using their data. Failing to comply can lead to severe penalties, including hefty fines and long-term reputational damage.
Additionally, consumers are now more aware of their data rights and expect businesses to be transparent about how their information is used. In fact, IAPP’s 2023data shows that 85% of consumers have deleted a phone app, 82% opted out of sharing personal data, 78% avoided certain websites, and 67% decided not to purchase because of privacy concerns.
The numbers show that businesses need to clearly communicate their data collection practices, offer simple opt-out options, and securely store personal information. These steps help ensure compliance with regulations, build customer trust, and reduce the risk of legal penalties or reputational harm from data breaches.
Struggles with email list segmentation
Email list segmentation is the practice of dividing your subscriber list into smaller groups based on specific criteria such as:
- Demographics (age, gender, location)
- Purchase history
- Engagement levels (open/click rates)
- Behavior (browsing habits, downloads)
- Preferences (content types, interests)
This allows you to send more personalized and relevant content, which can significantly improve engagement and conversion rates. Campaign Monitor research shows that marketers who segment their email list can increase their revenue by a whopping 760%
However, segmentation can be challenging due to the need for accurate and detailed subscriber data. If the data is incomplete or outdated, it can lead to poorly targeted campaigns that result in lower engagement or even higher unsubscribe rates.
Hence, it’s important to invest in the right data collection tools to ensure you’re gathering accurate and up-to-date information from your audience. Regularly updating subscriber information helps keep your campaigns relevant and effective.
Marketers can ensure customer data is up to date by using CRM integrations or email marketing platforms that automate data hygiene. These systems update details in real-time based on customer actions, like purchases or email interactions, without needing customers to manually update their information.
Poor email list hygiene
Over time, email lists can collect inactive subscribers, invalid addresses, or duplicates, which can hurt your deliverability and engagement rates. If your bounce rate is consistently over 2% and your open rates are low, it’s a clear sign that your email list needs attention.
If you keep sending emails to inactive or incorrect addresses, email service providers may start marking them as spam, which can damage your sender’s reputation.
You should regularly clean your email list by removing inactive subscribers, eliminating duplicate entries, and correcting or deleting invalid addresses. This is usually done every 3 to 6 months, but the frequency depends on several factors, including:
- How often you send emails
- Subscriber engagement levels
- The size and growth rate of your list
- The overall performance of your campaigns
Email verification tools and re-engagement campaigns can help recover inactive subscribers or remove them if they stay unresponsive.
Clean email lists lead to higher open rates, improved deliverability, and better overall campaign performance.
Email deliverability challenges
Ensuring your emails reach the inbox is the first step to success. Therefore, addressing deliverability challenges early increases the likelihood that your audience will see and engage with your emails.
Some of the main issues that can impact email deliverability include:
Not considering email authentication
Email authentication is key to proving that your emails come from a legitimate source. Without proper authentication, your emails might be flagged as suspicious or even blocked by email service providers.
Protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) are essential to verify your identity as a sender. They help ensure that your emails aren’t being spoofed or sent from unauthorized sources.
Failure to maintain a credible sender reputation
Your sender reputation plays a huge role in email deliverability as it’s built on factors like:
- Bounce rates
- Spam complaints
- Engagement levels
- Sending history
A poor reputation can lead to your emails being blocked or sent to the spam folder.
To maintain a good reputation, send emails to a clean, updated list and avoid using old or purchased addresses. Actually, you must never attempt to send a campaign to a purchased list.
Track your performance by monitoring engagement metrics like open and click-through rates. Removing inactive subscribers, keeping bounce rates low, and sending relevant content will further improve your reputation.
Not avoiding spam filters
Spam filters are automated tools used by email providers to block unwanted or harmful emails from reaching inboxes. They scan emails for factors like spam triggers, sender reputation, and email structure to decide whether to deliver or block them. But remember that we can only guestimate what the filters look for, and email clients keep them a secret.
Anyway, spam filters can also block legitimate marketing messages. Interestingly, Backlinko 2024 research shows that about 48.63% of all emails sent are automatically marked as spam.
Therefore, avoiding the spam folder can be challenging, but you can improve your chances by creating clear, trustworthy content, using proper email authentication, and regularly testing your emails to avoid spam traps.
Email content challenges
Even if your emails reach the inbox, poor content can lead to low engagement or unsubscribes. That’s why it’s important to craft content that resonates with your audience by balancing personalization with relevant messaging without being intrusive.
Here are some of the factors that make email content a problem:
Issues with proper personalization
Personalization plays a key role in successful email marketing. For instance, Klenty’s 2024 research reveals that personalized subject lines lead to a 35.69% increase in open rates.
However, personalization comes with challenges — over-personalization can feel intrusive, while under-personalization will most likely fall flat.
Achieving the right balance requires a deep understanding of customer behavior, preferences, and past interactions. Without high-quality, detailed data, marketers struggle to create targeted content that truly resonates with individual users.
For example, some marketers may struggle with integrating data from multiple sources, such as CRM systems, web analytics, and social media platforms. Inconsistent or siloed data can lead to mismatches in customer profiles, resulting in emails that feel disconnected from the recipient’s actual needs or interests.
This is where the challenge becomes particularly complex. Marketers must ensure that the data they gather is not only accurate but also up-to-date and aligned across all channels.
When done correctly, this alignment improves the effectiveness of personalized email campaigns, leading to higher open rates, increased conversions, and stronger customer loyalty.
Not avoiding spam triggers
Spam filters are getting more advanced, analyzing everything from subject lines and content formatting to the sender’s reputation. Even well-written emails can be flagged as spam for small mistakes.
Common spam triggers include excessive use of capital letters, misleading subject lines, too many links or images, and the overuse of words like “free” or “buy now.” Emails from unverified domains or with poor sender reputations are also more likely to be filtered.
This is challenging because marketers may overuse these elements while trying to capture attention. The result can be low deliverability, low open rates, and lost revenue.
To avoid landing in the spam folder, it’s important to create clear, professional content that builds trust with your audience. Also, ensure to use trusted email authentication and regularly test your emails to meet spam filter standards.
Not writing compelling subject lines
Subject lines are the first thing recipients see, and they determine whether your email gets opened or ignored. According to 2023 Zippia research, 47% of email readers open emails because of the subject line alone.
However, writing captivating subject lines is not always easy, they need to be informative, engaging, and concise without resorting to clickbait tactics.
Always test different subject lines using A/B testing to find what works best. Focus on clarity and relevance. Adding personalization, urgency, or curiosity can improve subject lines, but they must match the email’s content to build trust and increase engagement.
Improper balance of email length and engagement
Emails that are too long can overwhelm readers, while overly short emails may not provide enough value. The challenge is to create content that is engaging but concise, delivering important information without overloading the reader.
