Email templates: Do's and Don'ts

Email marketing is a very efficient and cost effective way to develop a strong and lasting relationship with your subscribers. You can also use it to promote your products and services at a global level. However, there are certain parameters you have to adhere to, when it comes to email template design. The following are some dos and don’ts.

Do’s

Email readability should be your top priority

Your clients don’t like to read a big chunk of content at once. Keep the paragraphs concise, with a maximum of 2-3 sentences. In doing so, the chances of subscribers reading the complete mail will get a boost. Even if they do not read the mail fully, they will still absorb most of the information they read.

Keep the design below 620 pixels

Do not cross 620 pixels, when it comes to the design. With a size that small, people who use Microsoft Outlook will be able to view the email template in its preview window. This holds true for web based email services that provide a preview pane as well.

Validate the template code

Various email applications interpret HTML code in their own way. Hence, it is a must that you validate the code before you send the emails to subscribers. Once you validate the code, your subscribers will not encounter problems, when they attempt to open the email.

Don’ts

Don’t add images on the template

Emails that have large sized images take a lot of time to load. In the process, they slow down the Internet in general. Your subscribers may get frustrated if your email takes too much time to open. Hence, avoid adding images on the template. Instead, load them on the server and provide links.

Don’t show the image toolbar

While you view an image on Internet Explorer, move the mouse pointer on it. You will see that a small toolbar appears on the image. This toolbar is not more than 200 x 200 pixels. This toolbar can distract subscribers from the image and even the content that you include. They may also get irritated because of the appearance of the toolbar, each time they move the pointer on it.

Don’t use flash files

When you use flash files in your email templates, the HTML code gets taken off or ignored by some email clients and web based mail services. Like images, you can load flash files on your servers and provide links or you can give a small clickable image of the file. However, if the mail service or client does not permit images in emails, then your subscribers may not be able to view the image.

These are some of the do’s and don’ts that you should keep in mind when you design your emails.

Email Templates: Do's and Don'ts
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