The 8 Biggest Email Marketing Challenges (And Tips to Overcome Them!)

Anish Joshi

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April 5, 2017

We recently deployed a campaign asking our subscribers to vote on their biggest email marketing challenges. We then took that information and turned it into an infographic, which you can view below. Didn’t get our email campaign? Make sure you [subscribe here](https://movableink.com/resources/newsletter-sign-up) to receive all of our upcoming campaigns. Keep scrolling for a list of email marketing resources![![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/movableink-blog-production/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/06140559/MMadness_INKredible_680_r4_v2.png)](https://movableink.com/contact-us)**Resources to help you overcome your biggest email marketing challenges****TIME at 46%**A great way to reduce production time is by looking at your current email workflow. From personal experience, the easiest way to reduce time is by using an automation tool. If that isn’t possible, I’ve also included some more resources below!– [\[Webinar\] How Lenovo and Movable Ink Create Real-time, Personalized Experiences with Email](https://movableink.com/blog/webinar-how-lenovo-and-movable-ink-create-real-time-personalized-experiences-with-email/) – [Case Study: How HSN Lifted Revenue with Content Automation](https://movableink.com/blog/case-study-how-hsn-lifted-revenue-with-content-automation/#more-4239?utm_source=inboundweb&utm_medium=sales&utm_campaign=hsncasestudy_blogpost)**ENGAGEMENT at 15%**Test, test, and test! Learn what your subscribers like by testing at least one CTA or content in every email you send. Following up is also key! Take the results you gather and implement them across all your campaigns.–[8 Ways to Boost Your Email Open Rates](https://movableink.com/blog/8-ways-to-boost-your-email-open-rates/) –[Email Marketing 101: A/B Testing](https://movableink.com/blog/real-time-a-b-testing/) –[Email Marketing 101: How to Craft Effective Calls-to-Action](https://movableink.com/blog/email-marketing-101-how-to-craft-effective-calls-to-action/)**PERSONALIZATION at 11%**No one wants to receive a boring or impersonal email. The best way to counteract this is, when you’re writing an email, write like you’re talking to one person instead of 1,000 people. Email personalization doesn’t hurt, either.–[Email Marketing 101: Personalization](https://movableink.com/blog/email-marketing-personalization-101/) –[How to Increase Revenue and Engagement with Email Personalization](https://movableink.com/blog/how-to-increase-revenue-and-engagement-with-email-personalization/) –[Our Favorite Examples of Live Polling in Email Marketing](https://movableink.com/blog/our-favorite-examples-of-live-polling-in-email-marketing/)**CODING at 7%**Let’s face it: coding is time-consuming and can be the most stressful part of creating an email. Don’t fret; because there is a solution. It’s not magic, it’s close: it’s email automation.–[5 Email Automation Best Practices](https://movableink.com/blog/5-email-automation-best-practices/) –[Why Email Automation Is a Marketer’s Must-Have Tool](https://movableink.com/blog/why-email-automation-is-a-marketers-must-have-tool/) –[3 Ways Automation Can Humanize Your Email Marketing Strategy](https://movableink.com/blog/3-ways-automation-can-humanize-your-email-marketing-strategy/)**CONTENT at 6%**Sometimes repurposing your content for an email takes up more time then you would like. What if you just had to create it once and then automatically pull it into an email? Well guess what, you can using a web crop or API connection. You could also consider doing a live poll in order to get a better understanding of your audience. This will allow you to segment them and send them content that is more relevant to them.–[Our Favorite Examples of Live Polling in Email Marketing](https://movableink.com/blog/our-favorite-examples-of-live-polling-in-email-marketing/) –[\[Case Study\] How the British Heart Foundation Lifted Engagement with Live Polling](https://movableink.com/resources/british-heart-foundation-case-study) –[\[Case Study\] How Lenovo Increased Productivity by 50% with Contextual Email Automation](https://movableink.com/resources/lenovo-case-study)**DESIGN at 6%**The simplest thing you can do for your emails can have the largest impact. Each email you deploy should have a desktop and mobile version, and the mobile design should be optimized for MOBILE. Other things to consider are how emails can display on different email providers.–[How to Take Advantage of Gmail’s Support for Responsive Email Design](https://movableink.com/blog/how-to-take-advantage-of-gmails-support-for-responsive-email-design/) –[3 Ways to Optimize Your Emails for Mobile](https://movableink.com/blog/3-ways-to-optimize-your-emails-for-mobile/) –[Monday Catch-up: Mobile Engagement, Stepping Up Your Game & Prioritizing Email](https://movableink.com/blog/monday-catch-up-mobile-engagement-stepping-up-your-game-prioritizing-email/)**ANALYTICS at 5%**Numbers are key and let’s be honest, they’re the only way to prove if something is actually working. Most ESPs come with some form of analytics, but if not… it might be time to switch. Before implementing any new ideas that will affect your campaigns long-term, it is imperative that you check it against your data to ensure that it is the right decision.–[Email Marketing Metrics 101](https://movableink.com/blog/email-marketing-metrics-101/)**TESTING at 4%**A/B split test, a solid QA process and experimenting with your campaigns are all key parts of testing. I want to prepare you for all of it. When it comes to QA, there are several different platforms you can use. I’m a bit biased, but I recommend Movable Ink and Litmus. When it comes to testing campaigns, test all of it. Try subject line, from name and even sending your audience different content. Always remember to test just one thing per email!–[Email Testing Just Got Easier with Movable Ink + Litmus](https://movableink.com/blog/litmus-integration/) –[4 Subject Line Strategies to Increase Your Email Open Rate](https://movableink.com/blog/increase-email-opens/) –[Real-Time A/B Testing vs/ Traditional A/B Testing in Email Marketing](https://movableink.com/blog/real-time-a-b-testing/)