Email marketing mistakes are almost impossible to hide. When you send an email, every oops can be spotted by every customer that opens the emails.
So to be sure you are not, it is important to follow an email marketing checklist so the final draft is free from errors and that everything you need to include is included.
The following checklist tips will help to make sure you are sending an error-free email each and every time.
1. Subject line
The subject line is one of the most important aspects of a marketing email. It should be catchy and draw people in without being confusing or giving away the main information about what your email promotion.
Most importantly, the subject line must encourage the reader to be curious enough to open the email. Read the subject line or lines if you are doing AB tests, several times to ensure it makes sense.
Part of your checklist can be to send the email to a coworker or a friend to get their thoughts on the subject line.
2. Compelling content that is error free
Although an email isn’t expected to be as perfect as the content on your website, it represents your company and brand.
Poor content can prevent visitors from going to the website or prevent them from opening any future emails from your company.
In the worst case scenario, emails with poor content will cast a doubt on your company and not only encourage people to unsubscribe, but give you a bad review as well. So, it is critical that you read and reread all content. Again, make sure it is free from spelling and grammar errors and that the content makes sense.
3. Subscribe/Unsubscribe
As you make it easy to subscribe to your company newsletters, it should also be easy to unsubscribe. Even the best marketing campaigns will have part that simply isn’t interested in the campaign anymore, so make it easy to opt out and unsubscribe.
On unsubscribe follow through with a pleasant response, to maintain your good standing with customers who may still want to use your service/product in the future.
4. From address and from name …
In some situations, a funny or unique name for your newsletter can appear as spam to your subscribers. So, make sure to only use the name that is associated with your company as the sender and/or as the title of the newsletter. If you want to use a fun new name, try to only use it in the email itself and be sure to still include your company name to reflect who you are, such as in the closing.
5. Branding and your template
Everything that has to do with visuals and the way your emails will be shown is always good to check. But besides, have your text be in the right tone of voice for your Brand, be sure to pick the right color scheme and style while creating a logo, images, and other similar details.
A big help here is to use a drag and drop email template builder and bake these elements into your master template. Some editors also have the option to “lock” certain areas – so you won’t change them by accident.
Make sure the email promotions have the right tone of voice and offer as well. Can’t match a laid back brand with an overly hyped promotion.
6. Links
There is nothing more frustrating for a customer who took the time to read your email, only to end up with a broken or dead link. Some email service providers will have automated link checking. Still, test all the links one-by-one to ensure each works and that it goes to the page you intended.
Also keep in mind that opening an email that has a link included in each line is a distraction as well as a turn-off to many customers, so limit the links to no more than three and make sure they lead to pages that are relevant to the email.
7. Final Review and check
After completing the email draft, set it aside for a little bit and go back to read it later. This will give you a chance to read the email with a fresh new eyes. Read it thoroughly and if possible send it to a coworker or friend to read as well. If any part of the email doesn’t make sense to you (like your email’s length or any of the points above), it won’t make sense to your customers either.
A single marketing message never stands alone, so be sure to check your follow up email campaign flows, mobile app, PWA push notifications, and landing pages that are in the same campaign.
Your marketing emails are an opportunity to promote new traffic to your website and encourage continued visits from current customers, so you should draft them as though you are addressing an audience that has gathered together just to hear you speak.
