Email spam trigger words are bad for business. Using these words in email marketing campaigns inadvertently leads to emails being marked as spam by internet service providers and sent to recipients' junk folder.
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While using trigger words may make your copy sound more natural, there's a big chance you'll be hitting the spam folder and annoying prospects and customers.
By 2021, these spam trigger words and phrases will be so overused and flagged as spam by the ISPs and email service providers that it's not even funny.
Let's talk about these negative triggers, why they're so bad, and how you can avoid them altogether. Let's get started.
Why Email Spam Is Bad For Business
It's not worth the risk to continue using email spam trigger words when it damages the image of your personal brand.
Unsolicited junk emails will be reported as spam by customers, making them feel like they're being spammed and lose trust in you—especially if there was no opt-in on their part when they subscribed to your list.
Are you aware of the fact that ISPs can block your IP address once they get a report from a customer who's been spammed?
SourceThis will also lower your website’s "domain authority" and links, affecting your rankings in SERPs.
There are other ways spam emails affect businesses: lowering sales conversions, wasting time on customer service inquiries, giving you a bad public image, and increasing bounce rates (which affects SEO).
You don't want to be known as a spammer because it can cost you customers and sales.
Words To Avoid When Creating Email Marketing Material
The following list will be divided by topics that can put you on the wrong side of email marketing and spam filters.
Trigger Words When Asking For An Action
Trigger Words That Make Things Sound Too Good To Be True
Trigger Words That Are Used To Over-Promise
Trigger Words That Are Just Shady
Trigger Words Related To Financials
Trigger Words Related To Marketing
Trigger Words Related To Relationships
Trigger Words Related To Offers
Other Factors To Consider When Sending Email Marketing Materials
Use compelling subject lines
Clear subject lines will help increase the chances of people opening your email. It all depends on what you are sending them for, so personalize it to each individual.
Remember, if you are sending emails about sales, call it 'New Sale On Now.' or something along those lines - this will catch their attention.
Do not use spammy words like 'Sale' or 'Discount' by themselves. Using the right words in the right context matters (more on this soon).
Do not use stock photos
Your customers are looking at you as a brand, so make sure to give them the best experience of your product.
If you're sending out new designs, use custom photos showing your designs and who can use them. For example, if you're selling children's clothes, show them on a child or if it's jewelry, then including photos of people wearing it gives the customer an idea of who might want this piece of jewelry.
If you have a studio and are taking your photos, make sure to use a plain background, so it looks professional.
Do not incorporate stock photos. These look unprofessional and may put off your customers from wanting to buy from you.
Make sure you're complying with CAN-SPAM laws
CAN-SPAM laws are the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act.
CAN-SPAM has become more critical as people lost trust in brands since many marketers began using long jargon-filled terms and information about their company.
To comply with CAN-SPAM, you should only send emails to people who have opted-in to your list of contacts. There are various ways how people can opt in to an email list.
'Broad' permission means no specific approval for promotional messages was given, which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your business model.
With ‘narrow’ permission, your contacts must have selected a specific checkbox or similar opt-in method. This is preferred as it allows you to be more persuasive and send highly targeted messages.
You may also want to consider including a physical postal address. This should be your actual and valid address, not your PO Box. If there were ever a problem with a purchase (in case you’re an eCommerce business), you would need to give customers somewhere to reach out if they needed help or had questions.
The emails you send should include how people can opt out of receiving future emails from you.
This includes easy unsubscribe links that allow people to either remove themselves from your list or return receipt confirmation back to you through automated response systems such as text messages, chat platforms, and various social media sites depending on the company's policy.
If you are sending emails about products or services, include your refund policy.
There should also be information about how people can get in touch with you if they have complaints or want to know more about your business or services. You should consider adding a well-designed email signature to your emails. An email signature with your headshot can increase your response rates by up to 20%.
Also, this goes without saying, but you should only ever be contacting people that have opted in themselves. This means they would have signed up to your mailing list themselves by giving you their details.
Have a clear CTA that follows along with the purpose of the email
Having a clear purpose for sending an email is the first step. Making sure to have a call-to-action for the email is the second. These should be obvious when giving your customer information about what you want them to do next - such as 'Shop,' 'Book Now,’ or ‘Sign Up’.
When people click on the CTA link, they should know where they’re going to land; in other words, the destination website should match what the user is expecting based on the context that you gave in your email.
If someone responds and wants to be removed, make sure to keep your list clean and remove them immediately—no questions asked.
You must act quickly to remove people from your contact list when they respond and ask to be removed.
Writing back with questions like 'Are you sure?' will only annoy people. Sending them more promotional messages than before increases the chances of blocking or reporting your email address as spam.
Instead, thank them for letting you know and unsubscribe them immediately. Also, make use people know of the unsubscribe link in your emails.
SourceOverall, make sure that there is something of value in each email, and use your call-to-action buttons to draw attention where needed. If someone wants to unsubscribe from your messages, make sure you act on their request immediately - sending further can cause more harm than good.
Understand how email segmentation works and how it helps you personalize content
Email segmentation is a potent tool to use. It collects information about your customers and allows you to send highly custom emails relevant to their interests.
The better the message, the more likely they will engage with it - which means you're going to see excellent results from this process.
Getting started with email segmentation isn't hard either. Add tags or segments within your email service provider platform and use such tags when sending out emails. This way, any repetitive work can be eliminated from the process, ensuring you get great results every time.
For example, add a 'featured' tag to the email once someone views your website's 'featured products' page and joins your email list from there. When you tag people, they will get future updates about these specific items when you select the correct tag. This means you are sending exactly what they want without being too promotional.
The more relevant information you can send out at the right time and in the right place, the happier people will be, and the more likely they will open your emails and take action you want.
Be smart with how you use tags and segments (and don't overuse them). The idea is that you choose a small group of highly targeted individuals and deliver messages that address their needs directly.
Moreover, suppose you want to take segmentation to the next level. In that case, you can also use quiz funnels to target and collect information on who your most passionate fans/customers are within specific areas of interest.
Context Is Everything
Finally, the above spam trigger words might be acceptable if they are correctly used.
Using these words within the proper context be acceptable if they are done in moderation. This means that it isn't just a copy/paste of the exact words over and over again.
Take each spam trigger word one by one and ask yourself:
What are they trying to convey? How can you use this in an email marketing campaign without being too off-putting? What can you do to make the experience worthwhile for your customers?Some people might even think that using these words is cute and want more. But it's essential to balance the message, so there is something in it for everyone.
Most importantly, ensure you consistently deliver value in some shape or form when sharing news about your brand/product/service, improving your customer digital experience is one main objective when selecting the right words to use. This way, you will receive an increased open rate, improved click-through rates, and even more sales.
Whether you are just starting an online business and want to use email marketing or have already mastered the art of email marketing, understanding the context of the words we use and how they could affect our open rates is crucial.
Conclusion
In conclusion, email spam trigger words need to be kept in mind not just for 2021 but also beyond. Creating valuable content and not overusing spam trigger words can be difficult. It takes time to find out what works for you and your lists.
However, once you do, you will notice the difference in your email marketing. Such a different means that current customers will be happy, and new customers will join your list and be part of a great experience each time they find a new email from you.
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About author
Hanson Cheng is the founder of Freedom to Ascend. He empowers online entrepreneurs and business owners to 10x their business and become financially independent. You can connect with him here.