Email Marketing
Best Practices
Introduction
Within email marketing, creative design serves two very important functions. First, properly composed email creative ensure proper rendering and deliverability across all email browsers and devices. Second, designs must take the specific strengths and challenges of email marketing into accord in order to effectively capture and
maintain the attention of digital consumers. This section outlines the best practices that can help orient design to support the complex demands of digital media and its consumers in the mobile age.
Design for Deliverability and
Rendering
Design for Deliverability and Rendering
In the digital world, design has much greater implications that whether the aesthetic appeal is present or not. Specific aspects of design can directly impact whether the message reaches all
designated recipients. Certain Internet Service Providers (ISPs) limit size, content and composition in order to shield their users from SPAM. Compliance with industry standards and the avoidance of
certain design features will help guarantee that messages reach their intended targets.
Design for Deliverability and
Rendering
W3C Standards
Flaws within HTML coding can trigger filters, flagging valid
messages as spam. Testing documents for conformance with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Standards is one of the most
important preventative measures that can be taken. This process will not only seek out mark-up errors that may trigger spam filters, it will also point out errors that may affect rendering and
accommodation within browsers. This validator program can be found at http://validator.w3.org/.
Design for Deliverability and
Rendering
Avoid JavaScript
JavaScript should not be sued, as many Email Service Providers (ESPs) do not support it. Additionally, other ESPs may flag JavaScript as a security risk.
Design for Deliverability and
Rendering
Keep File Size to a Minimum
Many ESPs filter large-sized emails as spam. Others impose general size limitations. Emails with imbedded images tend to increase file size and often flagged regardless of their size. In order to bypass these problems, all images should be hosted on a website.
Design for Deliverability and
Rendering
Additional Coding Best Practices and SPAM Avoidance
Measures for Deliverability
Code HTML email as a single web page with basic <HTML>, <HEAD>, <TITLE> and <BODY> tags.
Ensure all tags have supported closing tags.
Attributes applied to the <BODY> tag are often flagged as spam.
Design for Deliverability and
Rendering
Design with Image Suppression in Mind
Many ISPs disable all images within an email. Recipients are required to download images or click to view a web version of the email. To ensure that recipients
continue the desired path of engagement, the use of HTML “alt tags” is
recommended. Including all relevant messages and offers in alt tags, ending with “Display images for more information” will give customers a preview of disabled content. Though limited in scope, recipients will be able to more accurately
determine the value of an email, increasing the likelihood that they will take the necessary step to view the full features of the message.
The inclusion of “alt tags” is recommended for:
Headers
Section Titles
Offers
Design for Deliverability and
Rendering
Specify the Height and Width of Images
If image dimensions are not manually set, a Web or email browser may stretch the HTML content around the image, distorting how the message renders. This can be avoided by specifying the dimensions (height and width) of all images within a message.
Design for Deliverability and
Rendering
Additional Coding Best Practices for Rendering
Use only the ASCII character set
Keep emails fixed at 500-600 pixels wide
Avoid using canvas background images
Use HTML tables for design layout
Do not use an external style sheet (often stripped out by email clients)
Avoid using CSS for positioning (support is limited and often results in broken layouts)
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Getting an email into the inbox is only the first step. The design must address the specific challenges of email marketing in order to optimize engagement. While the design principles of an email have much in common with those traditional marketing material, there are some additional considerations that much be taken into account in order to gain and maintain the interest of the email recipient.
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Billboard Mentality
The average email recipient makes a content-based value judgment in 3-5 seconds. If their preliminary skim fails to make a positive impression, they will move on. Often times they will not read small font or scroll down
unless they have found something that is deemed worthy of a closer look. As with billboard design, all elements of the email must be created to accommodate a quick skim. The following design tips will help draw recipients in and encourage a closer read.
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Billboard Mentality Tips
1. Design for Speed: Recipients should be able to gather as much
information as possible during their skim.
Limit font variation to 3-5 for the entire message (size, color, weight, face)
Use light colored backgrounds and darker, contrasting font colors
Use a bright, contrasting color for the Call to Action
Add white space and cell padding to make pages less cramped and overwhelming
Use a few large images, rather than many smaller ones. Small images are difficult to see on mobile devices. If the recipient cannot easily see the image, they will quickly move on.
Design and Strategy for Engagement
2. Utilize the Golden Rectangle:
The area of a message that falls above the digital fold (250 pixels or 2-4”) is considered the prime real estate of an email. This area demands the most attention from recipients and should be designed to contain the most important
information. When mapping out the contents of this area, images suppression must be kept in mind. Make sure that the Golden Rectangle is not comprised solely of suppressed
images that require downloading. Recipients must be able to see more than a set of white boxes upon opening the email!
This area should include (with “alt tags” where necessary):
o Branding/Logo o Most used links
o Most important headlines/offer descriptions o Most important Call to Action
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Consistency in Design
Consistency is an element of traditional design and branding that
translates directly into digital design. All platforms of interaction should maintain a consistent look and feel without falling victim to stagnation. Recipients should be able to find comfort in familiarity without being bored by predictability. One means of freshening up design is the alternation of palettes. For each email, a guiding palette should be selected and should govern color usage for the entire email. By picking one palette and sticking with it, recipients are less likely to be
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Leverage the Personality of the Brand
All communication with the customer should be in-line with the known appeal of the brand. All presentation and messaging should meet the expectations that consumers have formed based on their
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Support Images with Text and Vice Versa
Consumers are able to determine meaning and value more readily when images and text are linked. All calls-to-action, important headings and offer copy should be supported with graphic images. Similarly, all
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Encourage Engagement
The ability to link to featured products and area of the website should be made as easy as possible on the consumer. All images and major
headlines within the email should be clickable links that direct consumers to relevant sections of the website. Any display links in HTML should be displayed as a meaningful word or phrase instead of a URL.
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Attract Don’t Distract
Animated GIFs and busy images should be used sparingly, as they can distract recipients from important messaging. If included, they should be used wisely and should be designed to purposefully direct attention. Aspects of design should serve to draw increased focus to the important offers, features, calls-to-action and themes within the email.
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Design for Readability
For an email to be successful, its message must be accessible. When composing email copy, all point sizes should be no smaller than 10 (size 2 or 10 pixels, with the exceptional of navigational text). All copy in the email should utilize a universally-supported font, such as Arial or New Times Roman. Unsupported fonts will be substituted and will most likely affect design and overall readability. In situations where special fonts must be used, such as within Brand Names, copy should be rendered as an image.
Email copy should be succinct. Lengthy copy is not easily read on mobile devices, and like images, too much copy will discourage the recipient from absorbing the content of the email.
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Important Header Links for Improved Viewing
Each email header should suggest that the sending address be added to a subscribers address book, highlight that this option will allow consumers to bypass image downing in the future. Additionally, all headers should feature a “trouble viewing” link that directs recipients to a web version of the email.
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Text Versions
While many digital consumers prefer HTML messages, text version should be made available for those who favor this format.
Design and Strategy for Engagement
Responsive Design
Due to the limited screen size of many mobile devices, incorporating responsive design into your email programming is quickly becoming an industry best practice. However the rendering of CSS code is not
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