Month: May 2018

What’s Your Digital First Impression?

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You only get one chance to make a first impression and your business is no different.  Most trainers, consultants, and professional coaches view that as a strategic advantage because they look and sound polished.  They know how to make a positive first impression and project a perception of professionalism on the business.  But are they equally prepared when they are not personally present? 72% of your buyers will first come into contact with your company via Google (or other search engine). So more often than not, your website, google account, or social media accounts make a first impression before you or anyone at your company gets the opportunity.

It’s important to remember that digital engagement is continuing to encroach on interpersonal engagement. Buyers can find testimonials, product or service offerings, and pricing comparison online.  It’s best to intentionally position yourself to create a positive first impression on these channels.

Remember that first impressions are immediate.  So a first impression from your website is not the site itself, but the Google preview, Google business profile, or social media previews. Review those previews and listings to ensure that the content it contains is accurate and understandable so that first time viewers take the next step of engaging with the actual sites.

Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Email Marketing Pre-Send Checklist

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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A re-send is often considered a cure for an email mistake but it has some nasty side effects, loss of credibility being the worst. Of course, mistakes are going to happen in your email marketing from time to time but it’s important not to default to a re-send as the remedy. Set some simple email release review steps that will help prevent the need for an email re-send.

The first step to prevent email marketing mistakes is to familiarize yourself with your email marketing platform.  While most platforms have similar functions they might have some unique features or idiosyncrasies that you will be alerted to by giving the tool a dry run. For instance, many tools have a reminder or follow up feature. Sometimes that tool is pre-set with default text in the email body.  Other times it is pre-set with instructions for the administrator on how to customize the email body.  Mistaking the tools function could result in a nonsensical email being sent to your users with instructions for setting up a communication in your email marketing tool.

Once you’ve had the chance to get acquainted with the tool it’s a good idea to make a release checklist.  I strongly suggest a physical checklist (on paper or digital) that you can check-off before your send. Since this is a repetitive task there is always a risk of absentmindedly going through the steps but not actively registering what you are reviewing. Physically checking off the list helps to keep you focused and actually reviewing the email.

Checklists will vary a little based on the email platform and type of send but common ones are:

  • The email is set to the correct list and segment
  • The ‘From’ name been checked and is from a recognizable name
  • Working ‘Reply To’ address has been set
  • It looks as expected across email clients
  • It looks as expected on mobile devices
  • Includes a working Unsubscribe link
  • Proofread and spellcheck the subject
  • Proofread and spellcheck the email body
  • Set up any personalization tags or fallbacks
  • Set up a plain text version of the email
  • All links lead to the correct place
  • Images have explanatory Alt text for when images are blocked

Your checklist might have a few more or a few less items than this depending on the platform and what type of template you use.  The importance of the email review process is to avoid an absent-minded review and carefully focus on what you plan to send so that you don’t have to re-send the same message again.

Email Marketing