Wizemail explains the importance of e-mail basics

Wizemail has considered the hurdles that an e-mail must overcome before its purpose is fulfilled.

The planning has been targeted at obtaining the e-mail address but the old adage of 'measure twice, cut once' can save a lot of heartache.

You need to go through the campaign bit by bit to ensure that you are not wasting resource.

The basics are basic but should be checked.

Correct spelling and grammar are essential.

Many people view a lack of such care in presentation as indicative of a company's general performance.

If the offer is international then while the letter 'z' in such words as 'analyze' is generally acceptable, you might consider having two e-mails for such words as 'grey' and 'gray' depending on destination.

A degree of care can also be seen by recipients as indicative of the ethos of your company.

The legal requirements must be satisfied.

Check the e-mail campaign in its entirety purely from the legal point of view.

Courts are notoriously reluctant to consider lethargy a defence.

If you have just a bought-in e-mail list then you would have ascertained at the time of purchase its age, the last time it was cleaned and the price reduction for hard bounces.

But if they came from other sources, either additionally or solely, then these should be checked.

If you have a limited number of origins then check a sample of each to see if one has a particular problem.

Poor-quality data entry is a perennial problem.

It is much better to discover if one of your staff is underperforming before the campaign starts.

There are four main aspects to inbox presentation.

The 'From' field is what most people read first.

Check that it is neither confusing nor off-putting.

Remember too that there is a legal requirement that it should not be dishonest.

Who is the e-mail being sent to?
Decide if it should it be personalised and if so whether the list allows the kind you have planned for.

Dear Mr Kevin might be a bit off-putting.

The 'Subject' line needs to grab attention, so work out if it does.

Would it intrigue you?
More importantly, would it intrigue those it is aimed at?
Check what can be seen in the preview pane.

These vary in what they show, so ensure that the best bit is at the top.

Two lines are about all you can depend on.

Run the e-mail through various spam filters.

Work out if the e-mail body copy is exciting enough.

Is the offer given sufficient prominence?
Ensure there are ample click-through boxes but that they are not overwhelming.

It should not bother you if the recipient fails to read the entire e-mail.

All you want is for the box to be clicked, so ensure one is presented early on.

Size is important, and in more ways than one.

Various authorities vary as to how many seconds a recipient might be willing to dedicate to reading a marketing e-mail but in one aspect they are in accord: it is not long.

Therefore, everything should be designed to grab their attention at once.

Check that any images are present on the server.

Basic stuff, of course, but who hasn't been irritated by the little red cross in the box?
Links must work.

Check each and every one of them to ensure that they take you to the right landing page and the right place on it.

Check the appearance of the e-mail in all main platforms.

Include some of the more troublesome earlier incarnations of those that are currently popular.

Outlook 2007 can give some irritating problems.

It is no longer safe to assume that the vast majority of recipients will use Internet Explorer.

Other browsers are becoming tremendously popular.

It is essential that the landing page and any subsequent ones are checked in all those likely to be used by the recipients.

Forms can have a habit of deforming when viewed in certain browsers.

Timing is one of the critical elements with regard to open rates, so you would have already dedicated a considerable degree of thought on this aspect.

However, things change.

Ensure that nothing has occurred recently that makes your e-mail campaign poor taste.

For instance, if you have used a viral element then is there a joke against anyone specific which now, after some recent occurrence or revelation, can be seen as inappropriate?
If you are using a public figure to front your campaign then consider if there is any blemish on their CV that was not present at the planning stage.

If you are offering a product at 50 per cent off RRP then it is an idea to ensure that the RRP has not changed in the meantime.

Furthermore, if you are boasting that if the price you are advertising is beaten by any other genuine offer you will not charge for your item, a quick search on competitors' websites might save a lot embarrassment, even more money and perhaps just the one job.

Complete the form to check it works and that once submitted it goes to the destination you wanted.

Find out what happens if it is completed incorrectly, such as an improper e-mail address.

Is there an alternative for those who are reluctant to complete the whole form?
Something like a catalogue or an enquiry form can be useful.

If you produce an e-mail marketing campaign in order to collect e-mail addresses, you should ensure everything in the procedure is directed at that one target: getting the recipient to complete the form.

The e-mail is not there to entertain, educate or enlighten.

It is not even the secondary purpose, because there is only one target.

You want e-mail addresses.

Back to top