Although email marketing is mainly automated, it is still run by humans and is prone to human error. The main idea behind correcting errors in email marketing is response speed, but it’s not the only thing you should be worried about.
We’ll continue with some examples that should give you an idea of what it is like to correct email marketing mistakes.
Example #1:
Shelly has sent an email to over 3000 people, and realizes that somehow the emails have all been addressed to “John”.
She quickly reacts and contacts sales dep to provide a one-time discount for her company’s products, and sends an apology email regarding the previous email. The email provides detailed information on how and why all went wrong, and includes a one-time discount, which not only overrules the error made previously, but leads to more sales and even enhances the company’s personality in the subscribers’ eyes.
Example #2:
Donald is the editor of a weekly newsletter about local travel offers. He realizes after sending the campaign that one of the weekly offers contained the wrong link.
Donald corrects the issue and sends a correction email titled “Correction to weekly newsletter #54” which explains the situation and gives the subscribers the right link address. It apologizes to the subscribers in a quirky manner, which is fun for the readers.
In the examples above, a few things were common: first of all, the response was immediate; secondly, it was needed, because clients could become very frustrated if they thought that the sender didn’t even know their name; and lastly, both of the corrections contained something more than a mere “sorry”.
Besides, in the examples above, the mistakes made are explained so the recipient doesn’t get confused.
The second email illustrates that you don’t have to always materially make up for the mistakes in the email–you can simply turn it into something positive and it won’t do much harm. The second email also introduces a mandatory practice: tell that it’s a correction in the subject line.
The apology
In most cases, the simplest apology possible works. Something along the lines of “Sorry for the inconvenience, we meant xxx instead; we’re humans, just like you are. ;)” should do. But if you have a bargain in mind that you can include in such an email, do include it in your email–your customers will love it.
Conclusions
Make conclusions from every mistake.
If it was a typography error that didn’t deserve another email, make a vow that you’ll read the next email you send from the other end (a common spell-checking practice).
If the mistake made was of a larger scale, you need to improve your sign-off procedure. Sit down and do it now, or the future will hold more embarrassing moments.
There are many common email marketing mistakes that marketers make, and not because they don’t know what they’re doing. Email marketing mistakes are made simply because there are many things you need to check over and over again, because some mistakes are deadly for success.
