How to test before sending emails in a marketing automation platform

1. 12/07/2017
How to test before sending emails in a
marketing automation platform

2. Agenda 1. General Testing Guidelines: Test Criteria
2. Testing Scenario for an Email Tool
3. Testing Scenario for an Email Workflow

3. 3
Content of the email
• From name and email
• Subject line and preview text
• Text and version
• Layout, visuals & ALT text
• Smart/dynamic content
• Hyperlinks, CTA buttons & web version link
• Personalization tokens
• Email type
Data
• Recipients & excluded contacts
• Data quality (e.g.: first name field)
• Contacts with low engagement
Delivery
• Responsiveness (desktop & mobile)
• Test in different email clients
How to test before sending emails in a marketing automation platform
What are the different criteria that you should test in an Email?

4. Agenda 1. General Testing Guidelines: Test Criteria
2. Testing Scenario for an Email Tool
3. Testing Scenario for an Email Workflow

5. 5
Check all 5 steps when sending an email via an email tool
How to test before sending emails in a marketing automation platform
EMAIL
• Check the content of your email
• Preview the email on different device types
(as specific contact)
• Send yourself a test mail (as specific
contact)
• Test your email in different email clients
1
SETTINGS
• Check the campaign associated with your
email
• Check the email type (important for
unsubscribes!)
• Check your web version URL & page title
2
RECIPIENTS
• Check your “Send to” and “Don’t send to”
lists
• Determine if you want to send to contacts
with low engagement
3
REVIEW
• Check all aspects suggested by
your marketing automation
tool.
4
SEND OR SCHEDULE
• Pay attention to AM/PM when
scheduling your email
• Also pay attention to the time zone
associated with your account
5

6. Agenda 1. General Testing Guidelines: Test Criteria
2. Testing Scenario for an Email Tool
3. Testing Scenario for an Email Workflow

7. 7
Always estimate the number of contacts before activating an email workflow
How to test before Email Sending
ENROLLMENT CRITERIA
• Check that your criteria are as narrowly
defined as possible.
• Determine if contacts can go through the
workflow more than once (re-enrollment).
• Determine if contacts who already meet the
criteria, should be enrolled or not.
• Always estimate the number of contacts
before activating a workflow
1
ACTIONS
• Only add an action (e.g.: send an email) to
your workflow after activating it (first check
how many contacts enroll).
• If possible, set a goal for your workflow
(e.g.: a form submission). People who
already meet this goal should be excluded.
2
SETTINGS
3 4
TEST
• Enroll a test contact in the workflow, to
check your actions and branching logic.
• Make sure to test with yourself or a test
contact, not a real contact!
• Determine if you have to remove contacts
from other workflows when they enroll in
this one.
• Check your suppression lists, the lists of
contacts who should be excluded from the
workflow

8. Get in touch!
info@thom.eu
Want to discuss marketing
automation?