fbpx

Thursday - July 06, 2017

10 Steps to NOT Sabotage Your Own Marketing Communications

terra3-admin - Marketing Communications, Tips & Tricks - , - 2 Comments

If you can’t bother to get the details right, what does that say about your company, product or service? Overlooked details —  no matter how small — can add up to create the wrong impression about you and your company. Worse yet, they can create confusion that leads to lost opportunities and sales.

Suppose you sent out a direct mail piece, handed out a brochure or launched a website that misspelled the words “accuracy” or “quality”? The error just might overshadow the message. Perhaps the product specifications on your website don’t match the specifications in your product catalog. Not only can that impact your credibility, but the confusion could cost you a sale. I once worked for an educational company who put the wrong phone number in their school and library mailer. The phone number looked correct, but no one actually called the number to verify its accuracy. Imagine the surprise of the recipients who reached a phone sex line when they called to inquire about an encyclopedia. Are you starting to get the picture?

Today I received a very compelling e-mail from a company that has established itself as an innovator in dimensional marketing. I have been following this company for some time and have been continually impressed by their innovation. So, I was predisposed to open their e-mail. They showed some very compelling content that I wanted to learn more about. Click, click, click, click. Not one of the links in the e-mail worked.

Unlike most recipients, I took the time to respond to the company and to the person who “sent” the e-mail letting them know they captured my attention, but I was unable to take my interest to the next level.

To the company’s credit, I did eventually receive a reply telling me that the links should now be fixed. By that point, I had deleted the e-mail and really didn’t care to pursue it further.

These folks are lucky. They have a unique and superior product. Even though they blew a prime opportunity to capitalize on the interest they created and turn it into a lead and/or a sale, they will probably come out alright because they have a truly unique product.

Now, all this might seem like a no-brainer. And, I agree that it should be. But, in reality, it isn’t. Errors happen, but you can take steps to minimize how often they occur. Here’s a checklist of items to double check before launching your next communication:

DETAILS CHECKLIST

  1. Check facts for accuracy.
  2. Compare those facts to all other references for consistency.
  3. Spell check.
  4. Proofread
  5. Call phone numbers to ensure they are correct.
  6. Visit web addresses to make sure they also are correct.
  7. Check to make sure all links function.
  8. Always have more than one person checking for facts and accuracy.
  9. Send yourself test e-mails to see how they appear BEFORE you launch the next eBlast or eNewsletter to the entire list.
  10. When you find an error, correct it right away.