8] HTML E-Mail Design TIPS

Many of us at some point in our careers will be asked to create an HTML template that will be sent to our client's contact database. Where on Earth do you start?

There are many e-marketing tools out there that's WSYWYG (what you see is what you get). The one I've gotten to be familiar with is MailChimp. Most of these types of services are pay-per-month or pay-per-use, averaging about $.02 - $.03 per e-mail. It also allows for awesome tracking features.

If you take away anything from this post, take away "CONSISTENCY IS KEY. & DON'T OVER DO IT."

But, here's what I've got to say when it comes down to design/layout and writing advice (in no particular order).

1] PREPARE
Find out who your TA is, and what they want to know.

Come up with a 1 year plan for your editorial calendar (the topics you'll have throughout the year). This is simple. Come up with the standard subjects you want to talk about every time; i.e. company staff updates, health update, from the editor, coming events, etc.

Once you find out the standard sections for each newsletter, then you go in and be specific about what content you want for each. "Jennifer Howard is our new CFO," "Preventing STAPH Infections," etc. Come up with your ENTIRE year for content.

This will make so much easier for the developer. Not to mention, it will help identify who has what role to play, so not everything will be so last minute. Great time to have a creative brainstorm, but watch your nerves, this can be very stressful for those attending.

2] WRITE SHORT BUT DETAILED SUBJECT LINES
I attended a writing conference a year or so ago, and one of the most valuable points I picked up is, when it's time to write an e-mail subject line, think COSMOPOLITAN MAGAZINE! YES! Just walk by the magazine stand and take a look at the subject blurbs on the front cover; "15 steps to great abs," etc.

Make them snappy, make them quick, and definitely say enough to pull the reader in. If you're doing a corporate newsletter, have consistent subject lines "SmartyPants December 2008 e-newsletter."

• be informative
• be intriguing
• be emotional
• use action words
• Keep it 6 words or less
  

3] DESIGN YOUR E-MAILS FOR THE INBOX
Basically, what I'm saying is, think about the size of your inbox. Most likely, it's not anywhere near the size of a traditional browser. So this means, make sure your HTML table is between 500-650 pixels wide. Keep with HTML text, and less graphics. After all, graphics can fill up someone's inbox, and they'll get cranky with you. Don't get me wrong, graphics is absolutely critical for encouraging an emotional connection, just don't over do it.

4] PERSONALIZE IT
Some e-marketing tools allow you to personalize the e-mails using the recipients first name or other characters you identify. The algorithms are already done for you in these programs, all you'd need to do is put a place holder, e.g. *|FIRST|*. It can be quite simple.

By putting the person's name, business or whatever is a key focus point for your project, it definitely increases an emotional connect with your brand, and also encourages readership. Just don't over do it. Max out the personalization of names at 3 times per e-mail.

5] DON'T FORGET TO GIVE IT PERSONALITY
Common advertising practice, keep all your produced materials consistent with the look and feel. This means, keep with the same colors. Convert them to hexadecimal code; e.g. #00FF66 or RGB colors to adhere to brand standards.

Fonts are difficult to match, you have the standard Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet, Helvetica, Verdana fonts. Although you may be using a specialized font, it's best to use one of these as they are more standard for browsers to read. It will help to have the content appear "normal" for each user.

Play around by using columns, and headline weights, or display type colors and size. My advice is, which ever you use, be consistent with all your other issues so people can start to develop an emotional connection to your brand, to help with your brand recognition. Consistency is key.

6] HAVE A TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR EACH ISSUE
That's obvious. Have a table of contents for each issue. Be sure to bullet point them, and keep them brief, limiting each point to 4 words. You can use anchors if you wish, but they aren't necessary in short e-newsletters.

7] DO A PRACTICE RUN & PROOF READ THE HECK OUT OF IT
This is so important. After all, you don't want send a mass e-mail out showing how you can't spell your own company name! Get it right!

Best thing to do, is send it internally to at least 3 people and have them read it and give their approval that everything looks good to go. You can start some best practices within your company.













What to check for in your test run:

• all the links and e-mails work
• it fits in the screen normally
• font size is big enough
• sections are easy to identify
• the logo is in the same place with each issue
• it's easy to identify WHAT's in the issue
• the unsubscribe button works
• the subscribe button works
• your contact information is correct
• links to your Web site work
• check consistent font use
• check consistent color use (i.e. all headlines are the same style)

8] DON'T OVER DO IT
Find out who your target audience is. Make sure you don't over saturate their inbox with your stuff. Do it at the right frequency, make it strategic around your industry and your target audience. (i.e. around holidays, pay periods, certain industry events, etc.) Quarterly or monthly isn't bad. Any less than that, people will forget you. Anymore than that, people will ignore you or call you and complain. Be sensitive. Nobody likes "junk mail."

Don't over do it by making it too long. Nobody wants to read. The purpose of this e-marketing is to give them relevant information at a quick glance. It's intended to skim and bounce around, not to read like a novel. I guarantee that only YOU will be reading the entire thing word for word.

Feel free to leave me with your comments or questions. The list of best practices for HTML E-mail Design can go on and on, and would leave me writing you a book, not a blog post. I wanted to leave you with my top hot issues.

Here are some links that you may find useful:
E-mail Labs - Best Practices
BeRelevant! - 20 HTML E-mail Design Tips
MailChimp - HTML E-mail Development Site
Leader Technologies - Best Practices for Building an E-mail Campaign
FireBird - E-mail Design & Execution Tips
ICT HUB - Best Practice For Sending E-mail Newsletters