Unlike on the playground, there are no “take backsies” in email marketing. Once you click the “send” button, your campaign has flown the nest. The fact is that even seasoned pros make mistakes sometimes, but having a checklist of essential elements to double and triple-check can help ensure that your email marketing effort has the best chance of succeeding. Here are our top five things to do before you send your next email marketing campaign.
Test in Multiple Email Clients
Making sure that your design displays correctly in a variety of email clients is one of the fundamental challenges of email marketing. This is because not all clients render HTML the same way. Test your email in multiple email clients to ensure that your design will maintain the desired look whether it is viewed in Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, Lotus Notes, or one of the countless other email readers. To streamline this process, many email marketing platforms now offer the option to preview your email in many if not all of the major email clients.
Check Your Links
The goal of your email campaign should be to get your reader to act. Action often involves clicking a link that leads to a landing page or website. No matter how strong your call to action is, a broken link is like a broken promise. To avoid disappointing your reader, be sure to check each individual link before you send your email.
Proofread Everything
You don’t have to employ a full-time copy editor to protect yourself from grammar gaffes. Avoid spelling errors by writing your email content in a program equipped with spell check, and familiarize yourself with the most common grammar mistakes. Also, consider having another set of eyes proofread your content.
Be Subject-ive
A good subject line grabs a reader’s attention and makes him or her want to open your email. Keep in mind, though, that creativity is not the only consideration when it comes to crafting effective subject lines. If your subject line doesn’t reflect your email content, readers’ interest may turn to mistrust. Also, steer clear of words or phrases that could trigger spam filters.
Get Ready to Measure Performance
How do you know whether your email marketing efforts are working or not? By choosing an email platform that allows you to track your open rates, click rates, bouncebacks, and opt-outs, you can test your campaigns, experiment, and ultimately improve your performance.
Did you enjoy this article? Make sure you get the latest articles delivered to you hot off the presses by subscribing to our RSS feed.
About Profile by Design
We are a Sacramento web design company and integrated marketing agency serving businesses throughout Northern California and Nevada. By achieving a balance between cutting-edge design and outstanding usability, our web development team creates functional tools that drive traffic and sales. Contact us today to request a free quote.