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Apr 28

Although images are great for adding interest to your emails, how your customer may receive and view the email should be considered. Many email carriers, including those like Gmail and Aol Mail, automatically block images unless if the user accepts images from the sender, which makes all the hard work you spent perfecting images and graphics on your template sometimes go by unseen.

Because images do not always appear on emails, you want to make sure that your email still has meaning without images. Images can be great additions to your email, but you do not want to put the bulk of your message or text in the images. Without images, you still want your email to tell your customers what is most important, i.e. the special promotions, deals, or products you are offering.

Of course, a great way to let your images be visible to your readers is to remind them to add you to their address or contact list so that your images will always be visible. A sure-fire way to test to see if the email is clear without images is to send a test email to preview how it looks. Although images can add a lot of visual interest to an email, make sure that your overall message will still shine through.

Apr 21

With so many free and subscription template options out there, it may be hard to know whether you are getting a quality product or not. When finding new templates to use, you may want to keep a few things in mind to be sure you are getting a product that works.

Look for contact information on the web site. If you have issues with a template, you should be able to contact the web site for technical support and advice on using the template.

Many web sites pre-test their templates to make sure that they are compatible with different email providers. With a template that has already been tested, you can save time, money, and aggravation later.

In addition, you want to make sure you are getting what you pay for. If you are investing a large amount in downloading templates or building email campaigns, you want to make sure the company you are using is worth the money. With a free template download, you may not expect a lot. However, if you are investing in your templates or campaigns, then you want to make sure the company offers the right services, including technical support, training, informative articles, and anything else you may need. StreamSend is a great company that offers these services and more.

Searching for professional template providers and campaign managers may take time, but in the end, you will find that a great company is worth the time and money spent.

Apr 15

If you are new to email campaigns and using templates or are looking for new ideas, online communities are great places to start. You can share and see ideas from other business owners and users of email campaigning.

Look for forums and message boards on email campaign and template web sites or other online communities. You can ask questions about problems you may be having in your campaign or answer other peoples’ questions. In addition, you can get ideas about templates to use, how to customize your templates, and techniques for conversions.

You can also learn about using different campaign strategies, which could open your business up to more customers. Whether you have been in the business for a while or are just starting, online communities are a great place to gain and share knowledge.

Apr 8

When planning an email campaign, you may be focusing on elements like templates, graphics, pictures, or your customer list. All of these are important considerations, but when it comes to actually writing and sending the email, you should be sure not to overlook one of the most important, yet simplest, parts of the email: the subject line.

The first thing your customer sees, the subject line is responsible for catching your readers’ attention and making them want to open your email and read it. To write an effective subject line, you should take some elements into consideration.

You want your subject to say what is in the email but in an interesting and unique way. For instance, if you are advertising a 15% off sale, you should say more in the email than just “15% off sale.” Instead, you can include specific items or reasons for the sale: “15% off All Seasonal Decorations” or “Take 15% off Our 2010 Bestsellers.” Both subject lines give your reader enough information while still piquing their interest.

Another element to successful subject lines is length. You want to include the right information, but you want to make sure you do make your subject line too long where it gets cut off. The above examples also are short enough to provide the reader just the right amount of information.