To err is human; sending an email to correct it, questionable

Some email mistakes can be corrected after deployment. For example, if an image path is coded incorrectly it will appear broken in the email, but in some cases this can be fixed by simply uploading the image to the same path being referenced in the message code. The image should then display for any recipient who opens the email from that point on.

If a link is pointing to a site that appears to be down, contact the site's administrator as soon as possible to alert them to the situation - whether your own site's administrator, or that of a third-party site (an advertiser, for example). In some cases it may be possible to quickly implement a redirect so recipients who click on an incorrect link within your message will nevertheless wind up on the correct landing page.

If you host the Web version of your message, don't forget to make corrections as soon as any type of error is discovered. Subscribers who have images blocked may click directly over to the Web-hosted version of your email (typically included near the top of email messages) in which case they may never know that the email version contained any mistakes.

Not fixable

Unfortunately, some of the most common email errors absolutely cannot be fixed after deployment, such as typos and mistakes in coding that affect the message layout. Even mistakes that can be corrected are likely to be seen by a number of subscribers before corrective measures can be taken.

At this point, a judgment call must be made as far as whether or not to send a follow-up message. This is advisable only if a) the error affected a very important aspect of the message and b) you've built up enough loyalty among your subscriber base that a resend won't lead to serious consequences.

For instance, if "5% savings" was supposed to be "50% savings" (or vice versa) it would be a good idea to alert subscribers to the error with a follow-up correction. Be sure to add "Correction" (or something to that effect) in the subject line of a resend so recipients know they aren't receiving multiple messages without cause, and call out the nature of the correction in the pre-header area so it can be seen in the preview pane.

Beware of triggering a spam reaction

Errors that don't drastically affect the overall message should be learned from, but don't warrant taking additional action. Any kind of error can be cause for some embarrassment, of course, but there is great risk involved in redeploying to your mailing list. A loyal subscriber base may be a bit more lenient than otherwise, but email recipients in general are very sensitive to the amount of marketing messages they receive. Once a frequency has been established, seeing the same sender name in their inbox more often than normal can cause some recipients to take action - either through unsubscribing or, even worse, clicking the "SPAM" button without even reading the subject line.

When it comes to correction/apology emails, ask yourself these questions before acting:

• Has the error caused any misrepresentation or greatly altered the intended meaning of the message?
  
• Is the error likely to mislead, confuse, anger, insult or otherwise alarm customers?
  
• Is the nature of the error likely to cause great embarrassment to the company?
  
• Will the intended correction add a great deal of value for recipients who have already viewed the original message?
  
• Is the error damaging enough to risk loss of subscribers or damage to your sender reputation by redeploying?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, the situation likely calls for a correction/apology email.

Nobody's perfect, but the margin for error in email marketing is about as small as the amount of extra space in today's overcrowded inboxes. Errors will happen, but when they do, act accordingly - don't let damage control lead to more damage.

Article courtesy of MediaPost