Email programs don’t necessarily read and display html the same way that web browsers do. For example, email programs don’t read JavaScript, and Outlook 2007 uses Microsoft Word to render and display the html in your email. In fact, almost every email program behaves a bit differently when it comes to displaying your html email creation. According to the Email Experience Council, fewer than 50 percent of marketers create emails that render appropriately and one in five emails are invisible and ineffective due to blocked images.
Testing your html designs in every email program to make sure each of your customers see the same designs in the same way isn’t practical because there are literally thousands of different email programs used by consumers.
Instead of designing for the masses and worrying about how your emails will look in obscure email programs, design for the majority so you can be assured that your emails will render properly for most consumers. According to MarketingSherpa’s 2006 Email Marketing Benchmark Guide, here’s what consumers are using to read their emails:
- 20% use AOL
- 19% use Yahoo!
- 15% use Outlook Express
- 12% use Hotmail
Sending a test email to each of the aforementioned email programs and then eliminating any quirky design flaws assures that at least 2/3 of your audience will see your email the same way. Of course, the best Email Service Providers already design templates intended to render properly in the majority of email programs, so using an email template designed by a professional with a good reputation is a good way to go.
Even if you’re an advanced html programmer, starting with a trustworthy email design template and customizing the html in the template will save you from rediscovering the most common email design pitfalls. Make sure you pick an Email Service Provider with plenty of template options that allow you to access the code and style sheet behind the template.
John Arnold is the Regional Development Director for Constant Contact, and author of the book Email Marketing for Dummies.
