If you have a website and a good visitor base, you are bound to be tempted to increase the participation levelof the visitors. And once they participate in some way, you are sure to gather their email address. And once you have their email address, you would be again tempted to turn them from just mere participants in some free activity to become a customer for your products or service. This is called Email Marketing.
Earlier, email was only constricted to basic Text versions, then came the usage of Formatted Text and after that, the usage of Stationery(a html background made up of a JPEG/GIF pattern).
However, like any web enabled service, the evolution process never stops. In this competitive world, every man is trying to outdo competition in whatever way possible or create a separate identity for himself. When Email Marketing became a common practise, the next step was to make your Newsletter or Monthly mailer/ Promotion mailer stand out from the crowd.
It is true that the websites/companies realy gained a lot by sending out regular emails to prospective customers or turned mere lurkers into a community based site or Contest/Gaming sites to regular visitors. But, somewhere down the line most people miss out certain major ideologies.
A HTML enabled email can make your newsletter look real cool, sexy, sophisticated, have more functionabilities. You can of course use lots of colours, graphics, have hyperlinks, carry out the theme of your website with simillar look and feel, and even use Flash for animations and Java Script for redirecting the visitor to your website or opening a pop up etc. But ARE YOU SURE the recipient wanted all that? In most cases, people are not aware what they are opting in for when they submit their Email address in a Subscribe box as they are not provided a choice.
So before creating a Media Rich Email, you got to think of some of these things:
The recipient should be provided a option for receiving Text / HTML versions of your Emails .
If you are going to use Macromedia Flash animations, the end user has the ability to view them, and has the latest browser plugin.
If you are going to use Javascript or som other ActiveX control, the recipients email client or Web Mail, or Browser will allow running of the same.
The recipient is not on AOL browsers.
You are not using any browser specific codings.
Keep a text version link to the same emailing to be on the safe side.
Why an option for Text and HTML? Thats probably the most obvious, because a large share of internet users are on DialUp connectivity which is quite slow compared to Cable Modems, ISDN or Broadband services. If your email takes ages to download and stops other messages from downloading, for the recipient, he is bound to get annoyed with you/your site. So such people would always want to receive the text versions. Remember, the Main Job is to get your message across . if you can do that efficiently and fast, you are bound to notch up a few extra points with your prospective customer.
Flash animations are real nice, smaller in size with lots of innovativeness. But first and foremost the enduser should be able to view it. For that he needs to have the plugin for Flash for his browser and that too of the same version you used to create your animation.So it is better to use a lower version to be on the safe side. Note #a Do not have sound files in them, because it might conflict with any other sounds playing already.Note#b Do not try to put action scripted animations, because they won’t work on most email browsers /clients.
Javascript is a very common usage I have noticed which is quite obnoxious, to say the least. People detest Pop-up’s on general websites and if you dare to have them in emails too, God help you with your clients. Moreover, major browsers and email clients have varied security settings for most types of ActiveX controls. So test out beforehand what is working where .
AOL browsers and Email clients are the HTML Email publishers ’worst nightmare’. I have read of learned content developers/publishers giving up on AOL. LOL Majority of codings and design gets screwed up majorly. So another reason for having a text version. One reason being AOL uses a propreitary image compression that will even convert any JPEG/GIF/BMP whatever to it’s own .ART extension. Secondary majority of tags like lists, hard carriage return, blockquote etc. are banned, so to say;)
Now, here are some methods and elements you can use if you do have a HTML email:
- Keep your website/company logo or banner(static) on the top of the email.
2.Use as much link to different sections of your website as possible.
3.Use bright colours - YES. Use glaring colours - NO.
Carry out website theme, colors. Use dynamic fields and personalization for the recipient.
Use CSS for highlight, creating navigation menu if required and thus use fewer graphics.
Keep a Refer A Friend option/ link .
Always remember to have a Unsubscription option like Mouthshut emails has .
The logo graphic should always be at the top in order to identify yourself at the first look. In email clients like Outlook Express or people with 640x480 resolutions, the user gets to see only top part of the email without scrolling first. So, based on wether you are liked or disliked;) . your email will survive the regular spam deletion process.
If your email is only just the stepping stone for your main sales pitch, you save a few words in instructing the user to find further information. An email should be short and to the point . not descriptive. Also create enticing graphics screaming with your best offers and reasons he should visit your website.
You are using Rich Email content so undoubtedly you have the right to use bright colours, but make sure you use it judiciously. Glaring Red, Florouscent and Yellow etc. attract attention yes, but also turn off most people. There should be a effective contrast between the background and text colours and the images used.
Using your website’s colours always works in enhancing your Brand Image/identity. Just think of the Pepsi ad - they now call our national team cricketers’Men In Blue’. If you have ever been to a site called Flashkit, the fanatics out there always talk about the Yellow that engulfed their regular lives.:)
Effective usage of CSS will lighten your graphic heavy mail at least of a few button images.
Dynamic languages provides you with the option of reusing simillar emails with different values picked up from a database. When you receive Notification of a comment being added to your review, remember . it gives you major part of the information like which topic, how much ratings, who commented etc. Simillarily, when I used to have a community, my emails used to contain dynamic stuff like’So and So member, you have last visited on 21-12-01. X no. members have joined and uploaded Y no. of tutorials since the. Where are you?’ etc.
Same way you should always have a Unsubscription link mentioning why is he receiving the email, at what email address and where to unsubscribe. This was the recipient will always feel safe.
Oh, and do not forget the Refer a Friend link. That way you have a chance to get more subscribers for your mailings.
Generally people join subscriptions or websites more easily when they learn of the benefits from another existing member and a known person.