5 Causes of Missed Email Campaign Deadlines and How an Email Proofing System Can Fix Them
Gone are the days of proofreading printed copies of campaigns, having runners go from office to office to pick up copies and drop off new ones. Campaigns, and proofing those campaigns, have gone digital.
This should make things easy, quick, and efficient, right?
Wrong.
Even as your company shifts to more online management, you might still be missing necessary deadlines. Let’s look at these 5 reasons this could be why, and how implementing a better email proofing system can help.
1. Lack of coordination
Each person has their own way of doing things, their own resources they like to use to keep themselves on task. Some might like Slack, while others prefer Google Hangouts. There is Trello, Asana, JIRA, and many other tracking systems. Also, what about files and how they are shared? By needing to ask for permissions or where a file is located, it just adds to the frustration leading up to a deadline. Especially if you are a startup, choosing the best avenues to communicate the needs of the company can take time … and a lot of software.
Choosing minimal applications and software across the board with your internal and external staff will keep everyone on task and your deadlines met.
2. Not having a defined review cycle
By not having a defined review process, it causes it to become unending, and the email campaign gets delayed. This goes back to the first issue, where everyone has their own processes, but that certainly backfires when a campaign needs to be released.
The cycle for each new campaign needs to be linear, not a figure-8.
Having clear approval indicators let campaign managers know when a review is done and to work on addressing them. With email proofing software, such as ProofJump, you can mark comments resolved so it’s clear that questions or issues have been addressed. Also, utilize workflow management tools to keep staff and stakeholders on task to get the job done in a timely manner. No more missed deadlines!
3. Version sprawl
One surefire way to miss a deadline is having feedback scattered everywhere. It is a weak process that creates duplicate reach-outs, duplicate issues, and a lot of bottlenecks. Also, churning out copies will create double-digit versions to keep track of.
By using a comprehensive proofing system, your versions will be all in one place, and all your team members and stakeholders can see the same version, as well as any fixes and suggestions. You can have all emails and comments in an organized manner, have version control so stakeholders always know which version is the most current one, and view real-time status to check on campaigns.
4. Proofing in an overwhelmed inbox
If an average person is constantly bombarded with emails, imagine how the inboxes of your stakeholders look like. Emails often slip into the wrong folder, get accidentally deleted, or just are plain ignored because of other pressing matters.
Proofing in an overflowing inbox causes stakeholders to miss crucial proofs or become confused about different variations, which causes delays in review.
By using a comprehensive proofing system, it gives everyone, including stakeholders, a single spot to write their comments, mark their changes, and then see these improvements. A proofing system should offer labels that clearly spell the variations of email, as well as versions to show which proofs are latest, which allow stakeholders to not only review the right proofs but also the latest proofs (and not a random proof they happen to spot in the inbox).
No more tracking down people and sending (a few) reminders.
5. Stakeholders not seeing the right view
Stakeholders not seeing the right view of the email can cause confusion and unneeded email chains to identify the actual problem. When reviewing comments and changes, you might not know if the stakeholders are referring to the desktop or mobile version of the email.
A proofing system that shows both mobile and desktop versions allows for quick identification of issues. With so many features within a comprehensive proofing system, you will know what changes need to be made on which version, whether that’s the desktop campaign or the email campaign.
After taking a good look at your processes, you might have identified why you are missing these deadlines. Many reasons come down to an ineffective proofing system. Online email proofing management tools, like ProofJump, can help companies streamline the review process so you can get your product out on time.
With ProofJump, stakeholders and team members can have access to all the email campaign versions, with comments and suggestions right at their fingertips to review. Changes can be easily made and then shared with everyone to view again. This way, you stick to your deadlines and everyone is happy.
To see how ProofJump can improve your email proofing and approvals, make stakeholders happier, and meet your deadlines, schedule a free demo today!
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