Have you ever wondered how to create a quality culture? Whether it’s avoiding email failures or improving the development process, a structurally planned quality assurance (QA) procedure should be built, executed, and evaluated. Here are some of the most common problems found within a QA procedure, as well as tips for developing a completed and structured QA. .
Email Client QA
Common practice of testing, is sending sample emails out to mobile devices to test the outcome when viewed on a smaller screen. Additionally, comprehensive testing with all email clients, including desktop testing is crucial.
The importance of QA is to ensure that all email templates appear accurately , due to email clients reading CSS in a different format.
It’s also essential to use a particular testing platform, and work with marketing agencies which have extensive resources to fix any breakages. .
Common Problems in QA
Misalignment
The misalignment of two or three columns can produce display problems. It ispossible for email clients using Outlook, Gmail iOS7, or AOL to experience display issues. Talking about the lack of attention to details can also hinder the presentation of the company’s message and downgrade the concept of the company’s brand.
Images Do Not Show Properly
Since images are visually attractive and work to convey the marketing message for all email recipients, clients are more concerned with proper image loading, rather than the written content.
Common image loading issues such as: no shows or cut offs, usually occurs when the size of the image is too big or contains breakages. Blurred images also give the impression that senders are not thorough or sincere in sending out messages.
Tips for QA
Gmail and Android read CSS different from another. It is common to display the desktop view, instead of the mobile view. In urgent circumstances, when fixing problems in the mobile view is not a viable option, converting it into a desktop view makes it possible to fix.
To ensure quality assurance, a preset footer is recommended, which eliminates the hazard and minimizes issues in email creation. Using a snippet in Marketo, where a coding expert approves the actual turn out, is a good idea to accommodate different regions such as language requirements.
Inserting an Alt message in images is the best practice to avoid images that don’t load or are broken. By inserting an Alt message, the message still gets through. This practice can ensure consistency and effectiveness of the company’s branding. Email Send QA
Email Send QA
Before sending out emails, it’s important to create a checklist. . Email details such as the content envelope including ‘from’ and ‘reply-to’ email information, live send, and send out dates should be taken into consideration.
If you are using a Marketo platform to send out emails, the first important step is to create the subject line in the content envelope. This practice doesn’t affect using A/B testing or a sample testing group. For example, the subject line: “Don’t Miss Out On Our Seminar”, clearly states the purpose of the email sent. The email’s subject line is about an event and creates interest from the recipient to find out the event details.
Additionally, approving the emails before sending them out in Marketo is critical. This is a required function by Marketo, but, moreover, it’s an important step to ensure the content and the details have been reviewed. When the approval stage occurs, QA has been implemented and, therefore, optimizes effective email delivery.
We’ve just gone through some common problems and tips you may encounter when doing QA. As you can see, having a structured QA procedure greatly improves response rates because well-developed email messages can effectively connect to its target audience. In addition,, well-designed email messages exemplifies professionalism and credibility of what the company is offering in their emails. Think about it, would you register for a seminar from a company that sent you a garbled email message stating they can make you rich? Well, of course not.
