Emails have always been a part of our lives for what seems like forever. The wide instant reach of email marketing has made them an important tool for marketing campaigns.

There are currently 4 billion daily email users and this number is expected to climb to 4.6 billion by 2025. (Statista, 2021). Many professional marketers cite email marketing as their favourite communication method and prioritise it over social media.

“Email generates $42 for every $1 spent, which is an astounding 4,200% ROI, making it one of the most effective options available”. Hubspot

So, I think we’ve established that email marketing is not only still relevant but could possibly be your most successful marketing tool.

That’s why it’s important to make sure it’s right before you press send. Because it’s easy to make simple mistakes.

So, to ensure that when you press send on your next big email marketing campaign everything is spot on. Here is a list of things you should check before hitting send!

The missing link

Let’s imagine you’ve written an email going into detail about a new product and you hit send, only to see that the link to the product isn’t there… what a nightmare.

Especially if you’re writing an in-depth email, it’s easy to get lost in the writing, even when doing a re-read.

A top tip is, to read and read again…and if in doubt read it one last time.

It’s always good for; catching grammar errors or spelling mistakes.

Links can be included within a word or embedded into a call to action button; so it’s easy to miss them out or forget to hyperlink them.

And that’s not the only link issue that can catch you out…

If it’s broke… fix it

Another issue you might have faced a couple of times is broken links. Typically this could be due to a typo in the link or perhaps the link was copied a while ago and since doesn’t work.

When copying a link, test it out first and always make sure the link is as up to date as possible for the most reliable outcome.

Spell it out

The most common mistake is the one that everyone has done and still does; spelling and grammar.

It happens to everyone, so it’s always best to give it a read-over and then get someone you know to read it again for a second opinion.

Spell and grammar check is usually enabled on the majority of email providers but getting a human opinion is always a good second.

Changing the subject

The subject during any email (campaign or otherwise) is often something many don’t think twice about. But the subject line is essentially the headline of your email campaign, it’s what could determine whether the user clicks or not.

Think of something eye-catching that also feels human, strategic uses of exclamation points and words in all caps are almost like written sound effects!

Make sure the tone relates to your email campaign, keep it formal and subtle if your campaign has a serious theme or topic behind it. Or slightly jovial and conversational if the topic supporting it is lighthearted.

Formatting issues

Another thing to consider is the way your email is formatted.

People don’t want to be greeted by a big block of text when they open their email, especially if it’s trying to sell them something or create bonding with the viewer.

Make sure your content of the email is clear and presentable, don’t be afraid to have paragraphs made up of one sentence. Giving information in chunks gives the person reading an incentive to read on.  Include images, buttons, and headers to break up your text. Also, make sure that the font you choose is clear, strong, and easily readable.

Mobile First

On the subject of formatting issues, it’s really important to make sure that your content is compatible with mobile devices.

Around 55% of website traffic is generated from mobile devices, however, almost 1 in 5 email campaigns is not optimised for mobile devices. When creating your email content make sure that you check how it displays on mobile. The last thing you want is for someone to open your email and not be able to read it properly.

Signing off

Those are just some simple tips for creating an effective email marketing campaign.

Hopefully, these tips will help you in reducing those little mistakes that often pass by under the radar.

Now when you press send on your next email, you’ll know all bases are covered.