Use Email Marketing? Ignore the Big Picture

May 05, 2010 · by Pamela Hazelton

Last week I received a special offer from JC Penney via email. The subject - which indicated a big savings opportunity - grabbed my attention. The message, however, was unreadable.

For security reasons, my email client is configured not to display embedded messages. I know, it makes reading fancy sales pitches less enjoyable, but it keeps my system cleaner. And I'm not the only one - several webmail systems don't display images by default (in some, the user needs to opt to turn them on per message).

The company's email message was one big image. That's it. No ALT tags, no textual content explaining the offer, and the hyperlink was to an internal file on their server which couldn't be loaded publicly.

So, I did what most customers wouldn't do: I called JC Penney and advised them that I couldn't decipher the message and wanted to know what the discount code was for the offer.

The first rep told me I needed to change my email client's configuration (turn images on) then attempt to re-read the message. I had the call escalated and finally spoke with a representative who pulled up a copy of the marketing material and read the information. Afterward, I spent 10 minutes on the phone explaining why the format they were using was costing them customers.

Are your email subscribers having trouble reading your offers? How many are being junked as a result?

Here's some tips on formatting emails so they're readable by the largest possible audience.

• Include a link to a browser-loaded copy of the message. If the email is geared toward exclusive members, use text near the top of the message to grab attention.

• Use ALT tags on all images, no matter how large or small. ALT tags describe what the image is, or the message contained within.

• Use graphics to enhance and entice, not to send the entire message. Always use textual content to describe all the necessary details.

• Design for preview, not full screen. The standard for the width of an email is 600 pixels. Most people don't view emails full screen, and many actually load emails initially in a preview pane.

• Don't use a single, large image. Not only is it a problem for text-only readers, but if you've ever read a message like this on a mobile device, the panning is a nightmare.

• Avoid scripts like JavaScript, Flash and ActiveX. Use of these is a sure way to diminish readership.

• Test the email message using several clients and services (Outlook, Thunderbird, Gmail, your own Webmail, etc).

There are many more formatting guidelines, such as using true HTML and not linking to external CSS stylesheets (in case the message is being read while offline), so make sure you keep abreast of the standards and format all emails so they can be read by the largest number of people. A good start is at MailChimp, in an article aptly named, Stupid HTML Email Design Mistakes.

This post is filed under Developers' Corner and has the following keyword tags: email, marketing, accessibility, usability, design.

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