Everyone makes mistakes - even digital marketers. Between managing mobile, web and email, you're bound to make a mistake or two. That's why we've pulled together common marketing misses and how to make sure you get it right every time. Check it out!

1. Major Digital
Marketing Fails
and How To Avoid Them!

2. Everyone
makes
mistakes…

3. Digital
marketers
are not
exempt.

4. Whether
it’s a
poorly
placed ad
or
complete
email
screw
up…

5. Digital
marketing
can fail
us.

6. Even with the best intentions….
sh*t happens.

7. Fear not, marketers.
We are here to set you straight.

8. We’ve gathered some examples of
digital marketing gone wrong and the
tactics you need to avoid slipping up.

9. Miss:
Don’t
forget
relevancy
is a
major key.

10. When you serve the right message
to the right audience at the right
time, your marketing is relevant.
And the relevancy always wins.

11. But
sometimes
the right
person
doesn’t
always
receive the
right
message.

12. You are probably
thinking, “Great
offer! What’s the
problem?”
Unfortunately this
landed in the inbox
of a 32-year old
male.

14. Fix: Don’t sweat it! You can avoid this kind of mishap by
collecting better data on your customers at the individual
level -- demographics, interests, etc. -- and then segment
customers and personalize your marketing messaging
based on those attributes. Clearly from this mishap, even
the most basic level of segmentation based on gender or
geography, would make a big difference!

15. Miss:
I think I’m
having
deja vu.

16. If you abandoned your cart while
shopping online, chances are that retailer
is emailing you a reminder…

17. But sometimes
they can
slip up.

18. This dresser
looks well and
good (not to
mention the “P.S.
You’ll Love
This…” section).

19. But it only works if the recipient
hadn’t already purchased a
dresser over a week ago.

21. Fix: Avoid this by tracking your customer’s purchases over
time. Technology that allows for this data collection will
help you to put recommended products/content in front of
your customers that is relevant to them at the time you
message them, rather than show a product -- or similar
products -- they’ve already purchased!

22. Miss:
The
Birthday
Conundrum

23. It’s smart to ask your customer for their
birthday - this way you can give back on
their special day with a gift or promotion.

24. But it gets tricky when your customers are
buying gifts for others. Brands should be
mindful of including recommended products
to customers buying gifts.

25. Or in this next case...careful to suggest
buying birthday gifts for yourself
when it’s out of context.

26. I’m sure Kristine
is thrilled that this
brand knows
when her birthday
is… but I’m
guessing she is
weary of the
suggestion to buy
flowers for
herself.

27. A fix for this campaign could be centered around Kristine
sending a gift to celebrate herself with a tweak in the
messaging, but again it’s all about the data.

28. Miss:
The Gifting
Conundrum

29. So, you are online shopping for a gift
for your friend’s baby.

30. A week goes by and this
arrives in your inbox...

31. This brand did
not realize that
the item
purchased was
bought as a gift,
even though it
was explicitly
marked as one.

32. Here are two fixes to consider:
1. A little personalization goes a long way - according to a recent study,
open rates were shown to jump 20% when the email includes a first
name. Take that first step towards personalization, with the first name
rather than saying “Dear Shopper.”
2. Make sure your email, mobile and onsite technologies can identify
when a purchase is explicitly marked as a gift so that review triggers and
other emails can be suppressed from gift buyers. It’s a small step that can
make a big difference; don’t let your customers feel like you don’t know
them or their history!

33. In the long-run, these digital marketing misses
aren’t a huge deal. But you’d be surprised at how
much your customers care about the little
things.

34. Because
sometimes the
“little things” are
big to your
shoppers. A
birthday is a
milestone. A
dresser is a big
purchase and part
of your daily life.
Show them that
you care...

35. ...and you’ll be in a position to keep your customers
around for the long-term, and ultimately increase
engagement, revenue and retention rates.

36. Miss:
Data
Without
Context

37. If you are retargeting your customers
- and let’s face it, almost everyone is -
beware of being non-contextual.

38. These ads for
Barney’s New
York were
served to a
husband looking
at holiday
presents for his
wife - which is
great!
(Lucky lady....)

39. But the holidays are over...

41. Well we’ve got your fix...

42. Consider data decay. Remove data points from
high gift giving timeframes, like the holidays, so
that you’re personalizing and retargeting within
context throughout the year.

43. Miss:
It’s not only
about when, but
where customers
are engaging.
(cough, mobile, cough)

44. Marketing appears virtually on all devices these
days, and with the growth of mobile marketing
it’s even more critical to get it right.

45. Knowing your customer is more than
knowing their first name or last purchase -
it’s about knowing where and how they
connect with your brand at every touchpoint.

46. Account ending in -55008
Hello B. Pierce
We love how
AmEx is driving
customers to
their app,
but turns out
this customer
had already
downloaded the
app...years ago.

48. The email also has calls to action for both
iOS and Android, but she has only
engaged with the brand via iOS.

49. Fix: Consider a cross-channel tech that
connects your web and mobile experiences..

50. That way you're
sending calls to
action that are
worthwhile,
instead of
communicating
that you don’t
know your
customer at all...

51. And ultimately
may risk them
disengaging
or opting out
from your
communications
all together!

52. Have any marketing misses worth noting?
Tweet us @sailthru!

53. Sailthru is the largest sender of personalized email in the
world. We are the leading choice for modern marketers and
retailers like Alex and Ani, Everlane and Betabrand for
campaign management across email, web, and mobile.
To see Sailthru in action, contact us at 877 812 8689
or visit Sailthru.com for more information.