The consequences of poor proofreading
A couple days ago I received an email from a company I visited at a trade show last year. It is time to go see them again next month and their well written email provided a direct link to register free tickets through their name.
Given the chance to save $100 bucks I clicked on the link without reading too closely. To my surprise their Ecommerce department had neglected to proofread the mail message and omitted the registration link. The link I followed was actually the unsubscribe link and I found myself removed from their mail list.
I feel sorry for the company in that they have invested so much time and money into developing this email list to have it suddenly be pared down due to a poor proofing job. I have no idea how many leads they had unsubscribe from the list due to this blunder but imagine if the enticement had been higher and a large portion of people followed the link.
This brings up some important issues on proofing:
Try to never do the final edit on a piece of literature and then send it to print on the same day. Sleep on the final edit and then review it with a fresh mind.
Have someone else and more than one person proof your work for you. And try to include a person not from the Ecommerce or Marketing department. They will have a totally different perspective on how the literature looks and functions.
Have a documented procedure for how the literature is to be proofed and who makes final signed approval. “In the past I worked with a firm where all literature had to be signed off by the President – they had only made one mistake to print in 30 years”
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John Wilkerson is a Marketing/Sales Professional specializing in online branding, ecommerce sites, blogging, email advertising, content creation, print media, and direct mail. Follow @johnwilkerson
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Phone 863-398-2199
That is true,John. As an author and business man, I can relate to how you said, “It is time to go see them again next month and their well written email provided a direct link to register free tickets through their name”. I hope more people discover your blog because you really know what you’re talking about. Can’t wait to read more from you!
Daniel,
Thanks for the comment. I have a unique perspective in that I am self employed and have to watch not only the marketing side but the business side as well. It makes for a lot of in the trench learning.
I have certainly made my share of mistakes, just recently I spelled my name wrong on my new business cards because I was in too much of a hurry to get them to press before the Christmas break.