According to industry research, email marketing is (and will continue to be) the most popular form of communication. Most of us use email every single day in both our personal lives and work lives.
As association admins, it’s your job to communicate with members, prospects, and sponsors. But before you send out your monthly newsletter, weekly check-in or event reminder, it’s key you review your message for mistakes. We’ve all been through that “pit-in-your-stomach” moment when you send out an email with the wrong “your”, a broken link, or incorrect personalization. Even if it wasn’t a glaring issue, a recipient may notice and take your group a little less seriously.
To help you avoid these common mistakes, skim through your message with our checklist in hand before you hit send.
Your 5 Step Checklist Before Pushing Send
1. Spellcheck
This one should be obvious. Always, always, always, spell check. It’s a no-brainer! And with all the automated spell check programs out there, it’s really easy to accomplish. Take the extra 2 minutes to filter through your message before pushing send.
2. Links
Sometimes during copy and paste, links can break. Maybe you missed a slash, forgot the HTTP, or it’s an old link and has since been removed from the web. Either way, one of the easiest ways to assure your email isn’t ridden with broken links is through a test. If you’re using an email platform like MailChimp or have an internal messaging system, send yourself a test copy. Click the links and test them out.
3. Personalization
If you use personalization in your messaging (which you should), be sure the fields map properly. Again, sending yourself a test version with some dummy data is the best way to be certain everything is working properly.
4. Dates / Times
If your message is advertising an event, triple check the date, time and location. This one is easy to overlook.
5. Images
Adding images to your email is a great way to keep readers interested. Just make sure they’re loading properly and can be seen across all devices.
