The Messaging Times

Email is sticky stuff. This is great if you design a message that you are proud of and would like to see passed around. Not so great if you make mistakes, release sensitive information or send it to the wrong group of people.

* To see this and other comic strips from The Messaging Times, just click the strip.

We’ve all sent an email at some point that we wish we hadn’t. Usually, the moment of clarity comes just after we click send. Unfortunately, that’s one click too late. In order to ensure that your message is really ready to send, it is important to develop a final email checklist for your email marketing campaigns.

“Checklists are an essential tool for most professions. Pilots certainly use them before climbing to 30,000 feet. Developers do before they build an 80-story building. Web designers do before they launch their new site. The fact is, no matter how many times you do something, it is important to check that everything is done each time. Actually, routine tasks require the most checking, because when we are too familiar with a process we tend to go into autopilot mode. We think that we can do it with our eyes closed. But that is when mistakes happen; when we close our eyes for one second too long — when we allow our momentum to automatically carry us to the “Send” button.”

To avoid post-traumatic send nightmares, create an email checklist and refer to it every time you send a campaign. Here is a sample of some things you might put on your email checklist:

1. Is my “From” field correct for this email list (some marketers have different “From” names depending on their audience)?
2. Is my “Subject” relevant to the email list that I’m sending it to? Is the Subject formatted correctly (headline format, caps for all first letters)?
3. Is my subject spelled correctly? Is it worded well?
4. Is the group list that I’m sending the message to correct?
5. Is my message clear and relevant to the group list that I’m sending it to?
6. Are all links within the message working correctly?
7. Are all graphics included in the message loading properly and quickly?
8. Is my call to action obvious?
9. Are all words spelled correctly?
10. Is my contact information correct?
11. Are the details in the message accurate and up-to-date?
12. Are my merge fields inserted correctly throughout the message?
13. Has somebody else checked the message?
14. Have I sent a test message to myself yet?

For more on the importance of email checklists read Edit Twice, Send Once and The Importance of Email Checklists

I discovered the sign below in a neighboring town. It’s a good example of how a signal single word can discredit your entire business. For your next email campaign, edit the message twice (or three times) before sending it.

I have never heard of ‘neddle dreams’. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of ‘needle dreams’ either, but at least the latter would make a bit more sense in an advertisement for a tattoo parlor. One thing is certain; if I ever do decide to get a tattoo, I probably won’t go to these ‘boneheads’.

Tattoos are permanent. So are mistakes in an email after you click ‘Send’.

It’s always a good idea to create a test group to send your message to first. Sometimes, it’s easier to notice mistakes in your inbox than it is in a message editor. Using a test group will also give you the opportunity to see how your message appears in different email clients. Create a test group with some Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail and Outlook addresses to see what your message looks like before sending it out to your list.

And if you don’t do anything else, use a spell checker (but don’t rely on it). Eyes work butter better.

Related Post:

The Importance of Email Checklists