What's the Picture on a BRAVIA like? Lessons in checking your HTML emails…
“Dear My Sony.
Thanks for your marketing email to me today. Yes, I would like to enter your competition to “Win a 40″ BRAVIA LCD TV”. If only I could see the images in the mail!
No problem, I thought. It must be the spam blocker, so just in case I’ll just click on the link that helpfully says: If for any reason you are unable to read this e-mail, please click here.
Sadly the same result. I still can’t see the pictures in your email. Also the link to the pictures www.charterhouse.tv seems to be broken. Thought you would like to know, Adam from Amsterdam”
Well, it’s a lesson to all of us who do email marketing to our customers. If Sony can make a mistake like this, so can you. Here’s the lesson: Always check and re-check your HTML emails, or at least make sure the links go to a solid landing page.
I agree. And there are many more things to think of before you send off your campaign. Here are 3 points I always use:
1) whom are you targeting, make sure the topic of your message is relevant to them. If your message is general make sure you have a follow-up action available to the recipient so you can start segmenting in your second mailing.
2) NO spamming. Avoid contacting the same people over and over again. No more than 2ce a month unless it is Very Important to the recipient.
3) Check content at least three times for mistakes (spelling, images, subject-field are common mistakes you can easily avoid)
The focus should be on getting your message and execution right. Design is secondary!