how to recover from email marketing mistakes
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How to Recover from
Email Marketing Mistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Email marketing mistakes are
not a matter of if, but when.
Email is too dynamic, too complex, and too quick
of a medium to avoid mistakes completely.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
The best you can hope for is to keep mistakes
infrequent and small, and then to manage them quickly and recover
with a degree of grace when they do happen.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
To that end, we created a decision framework to
help guide you to the appropriate response to
any error, one that minimizes the impact and prevents
overreactions.
The Pivotal Questions:• Is the error minor or easily understood
as an error?
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
The Pivotal Questions:• Is the error minor or easily understood
as an error?• Has the send completed?
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
The Pivotal Questions:• Is the error minor or easily understood
as an error?• Has the send completed?• Can you fix the error or eliminate most
of the resulting confusion post-send?
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
The Pivotal Questions:• Is the error minor or easily understood
as an error?• Has the send completed?• Can you fix the error or eliminate most
of the resulting confusion post-send?• Does the error only affect subscribers
who click or try to convert?
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
The Pivotal Questions:• Is the error minor or easily understood
as an error?• Has the send completed?• Can you fix the error or eliminate most
of the resulting confusion post-send?• Does the error only affect subscribers
who click or try to convert?• Does the mistake warrant wider
damage control?@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
The Pivotal Questions:• Is the error minor or easily understood
as an error?• Has the send completed?• Can you fix the error or eliminate most
of the resulting confusion post-send?• Does the error only affect subscribers
who click or try to convert?• Does the mistake warrant wider
damage control?@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Plus one more critical question…that we’ll address at the end.
Chad White @chadswhite• Research Director at Litmus• Author of Email Marketing Rules• Written thousands of posts and
articles on email marketing
• Quoted in over 100 publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today
You’ll receive a copy of How to Recover from Email Marketing Mistakes, which contains the decision tree, along with these slides and the recording following the webinar.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Over the next half-hour, we’ll discuss 10 real-
world email marketing mistakes
and use the decision
framework to guide us to the appropriate
response.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #1Subject Line Typo
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Linens-N-ThingsNov. 28, 2011 (Cyber Monday)Subject line of the 1st email of day:
Cyber Monday Deals + Free Shipping SitewideSubject line of the 2nd email of day:
Last Chance: Cyber Monday Deals End in 60 MinutesSubject line of the 3rd email of day, which arrived 4 hours after the 2nd:
Last Chance: Cyber Monday Deals End in 60 Miutes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Subject line of the 4th email of day, which arrived 2 hours after the 3rd and 5 hours after the sale was supposed to end:
Oops! Sorry for the Typo: Cyber Monday Deals End in Minutes!
Ignoring the credibility issues around the end of the sale, apologizing for an easily understood typo isn’t necessary—even when it’s in the subject line. Plus, sending a 4th email on Cyber Monday that gives subscribers just minutes to respond will irritate some at a time when opt-outs and complaints are costly.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some brands have seen such a positive response to their correction emails
that they regularly manufacture mistakes for the sole purpose of
issuing an apology.@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Since it’s difficult to measure the long-term brand damage done by routine apologies, our advice is to save your goodwill for when you
actually make a mistake.@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #2Image Loading Issue
B&H Photo VideoMar. 8, 2011
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Thanks in part to B&H’s smart use of defensive design, consisting of extensive HTML text and ALT text, their email was able to convey its message adequately while their image server was offline.Although situations like this are rare, they are another reason to design your email with images off in mind.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #3Early Deployment
Drs. Foster & SmithNov. 14, 2007(a full week before Thanksgiving Day)
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
While this email was clearly sent a week earlier than intended, it was close enough. More importantly, the early send didn’t impair subscribers’ ability to act.The silver lining is that it’s possible this email stood out because there were no other season’s greetings emails that week and less email volume in general.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
If you’re unsure if an error is truly minor, check your
email metrics. Sometimes things aren’t as bad as you imagine them
to be.@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #4Bizarre Content
FabAug. 3, 2014
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Clearly this was a test email that got loose. Especially considering the popularity of cat pictures, this was a low-risk mistake.However, with some clever copywriting and images, Fab turned this non-catastrophe into an oppurrtunity. But if you’re not as clever or fun as Fab, let it go.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #5Early Deployment
Amazon.comJan. 7, 2013 (morning before the BCS Championship game)
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
The recipients mostly likely to buy championship gear knew that the game hadn’t taken place yet. Amazon could have used the landing pages to clarify that gear would be available after the game “tonight.”In this case, sending an apology only seemed to draw more attention to the mistake.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #6Sent an Old Email
OfficeMaxJune 15, 2012
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
OfficeMax was able to act quickly and update all of the images in their primary content block to transform this outdated email into an apology email. They also sent a mass apology email the next day. The delay, plus a relatively weak call-to-action, probably made it a low performer.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #7Broken Interactive Con-
tent
LitmusMay 21, 2015
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
#EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Thanks to a heads up by our Twitter followers, we were able to recognize the problem quickly, halt the send, fix the problem, resume the send, and send corrected versions to the 53,000 subscribers who received the broken interactivity.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Action is needed when an email marketing error significantly impairs
subscribers’ ability to act on the message or causes significant brand damage by annoying, angering, or
offending subscribers.@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #8Emailed without Per-
mission(sort of)
Alchemy WorxJuly 15, 2013
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Permission is sacred. So even though there were some signs that this email was just a mistake, it was definitely worth clarifying the issue. Alchemy Worx did that with a simple apology email that they were able to get out quickly, less than a hour and a half after sending the erroneous email.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #9Broadcasting a Tar-
geted Email
Sharper ImageOct. 12, 2006
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
#EmailMistakes
Humor, which The Sharper Image uses well in the subject line of this apology email, can take the edge off a mistake. However, when an error reveals that some people are getting something that others are not, the best way to avoid any hurt feelings is generally to let everyone have the offer, if possible.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Case Study #10Broadcasting a Tar-
geted Email
ShutterflyMay 14, 2014
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
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@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
This mistake caused genuine pain to some subscribers and sparked lots of media attention. To try to minimize damage to the brand, Shutterfly sent a text-based apology signed by the CMO, broadcasted apologies on social media, and responded to individuals via social and email.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
The Final Ques-tionto Ask Yourself after
Making an Email Marketing Mis-
take
Can I change my email production process to
reduce the chance of this mistake recurring in
the future? @chadswhite #EmailMistakes
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Avoidable failures are common and persistent, not to mention demoralizing and frustrating, across many fields—from medicine to finance, business to government.
And the reason is increasingly evident: the volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliverits benefits correctly, safely, or reliably.
Dr. Gawande’s prescription for better outcomes is the checklist—and it’s ours as
well.
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email • Eliminating production processes that invite errors
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email • Eliminating production processes that invite errors• Restricting access to certain tools or tool functions for
some team members
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email • Eliminating production processes that invite errors• Restricting access to certain tools or tool functions for
some team members• Improving copyediting
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email • Eliminating production processes that invite errors• Restricting access to certain tools or tool functions for
some team members• Improving copyediting• Using an email rendering tool
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email • Eliminating production processes that invite errors• Restricting access to certain tools or tool functions for
some team members• Improving copyediting• Using an email rendering tool• Checking that all links are functional and lead to the
correct destinations
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email • Eliminating production processes that invite errors• Restricting access to certain tools or tool functions for
some team members• Improving copyediting• Using an email rendering tool• Checking that all links are functional and lead to the
correct destinations• Double-checking that the final email matches specs in
the brief @chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email • Eliminating production processes that invite errors• Restricting access to certain tools or tool functions for
some team members• Improving copyediting• Using an email rendering tool• Checking that all links are functional and lead to the
correct destinations• Double-checking that the final email matches specs in
the brief• Running the final email through spam filter tests
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
Some process changes and checks to consider:• Creating a brief for every email • Eliminating production processes that invite errors• Restricting access to certain tools or tool functions for
some team members• Improving copyediting• Using an email rendering tool• Checking that all links are functional and lead to the
correct destinations• Double-checking that the final email matches specs in
the brief• Running the final email through spam filter tests• Strengthening the approval process
@chadswhite #EmailMistakes
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Questions?The slides, a recording, and copy of the full report will be sent via email to everyone who registered for this
webinar.
Submit questions via the Q&A panel
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