Owning up to mistakes: Email edition

So, you goofed. 

You linked to the wrong URL in an email campaign, you sent a message to the wrong distribution list, you misspelled the name of a VIP in a tweet. Whoops! 

While it’s tempting to turn your out-of-office auto-reply on, lock your office door and spend the rest of the day engaging in online retail therapy, hiding won’t fix the problem. Mistakes are a part of life, but how you handle them will speak volumes about you as a professional and about your organization. Who knows – you may even get more positive attention from folks who are impressed with how you handle your comeback.

If you have an “oops” moment, here’s what we recommend.

1. Apologize to your team.
   Apologize to your colleagues for the error and claim your responsibility. Avoid being defensive or giving excuses, period. If your mess-up affected any individuals in particular, go to them directly to address your mistake and apologize sincerely.
   
   

2. Own it externally as quickly as possible.
   Craft your correction – be it an email, social media post or some other form of communication – as soon as possible. Distribute it quickly, but not so fast that you don’t engage others to proofread and gauge how it resonates. Oh, and triple-check all of your links.
   
   

3. Consider offering an incentive for the inconvenience.
   Boost your credibility and reputation by not only owning your mistake but offering to compensate your constituents somehow. If you work in the retail industry, offer a code for free shipping or a one-time 20% discount. If you’re not in retail, consider sending a resource to your audience, like a free online guide or an insider video that will make recipients feel seen and valued.
   
   

4. Hire a professional.
   You knew this was coming, right? Give us a call at Murphy Marketing. We love nerding out over spelling, grammar and all things proofreading! We’d be honored to partner with you in creating content that will engage your audience.

We’ve included some of our favorite “whoops” emails below just for funsies.

As you can see from these examples, addressing your mistake in a lighthearted way can work well (if that aligns with your brand voice). Humility is always appealing.

To improvement – even through our goofs.