The 5 do's and don'ts of email design

Withouth a clear, consistent and well designed e-newsletter, your email may not get read, or worse, deleted. Consider the following tips for your next email marketing campaign to ensure that it gets read and forwarded.


1. Maintain a balanced ratio between text and images
If your email newsletter contains too many images, or too much text, it could be flagged as spam. Integrate images with text properly to ensure that your messages can be easily read, and most importantly, stays out of the spam box.

2. Always assume that embedded images won't appear properly
Don't you hate it when you get emails where every image is replaced with a red 'x'? Not all email clients automatically display images without prompting the user to take action first, eg click here to view images. It's important that your key messages - the information that you want your readers to take away from your email - aren't embedded within an image. Use HTML body text to deliver the most important information.

3. Do provide a backup option for emails with image-rich backgrounds
Not all email clients (like gmail or outlook) provide support for background images. Provide a backup option, such as a coloured background if an image is usually used as the backdrop for your email.

HTML allows both an image and a colour to be coded in the same tag, which means that if a mail client supports background images, the image will show, but if it doesn't then your chosen colour will appear in its place.

4. Consider using a table of contents for emails with several articles
Create a simple table of contents at the top of your email if your e-newsletter contains several articles or sections. Make it easy for your readers to navigate and read the articles that interest them.

5. Have a strong call to action
Whether you want your readers to click a link, email or call you direct, visit your website, or share the content with their friends, make sure you have a clear call to action where readers are most likely to see it.

Always remember that a great email design will help you in three areas:

1. A well-organised and visually appealing email is more likely to be read and shared
2. Proper email design can help avoid delivery hang-ups and will ensure that it always looks good regardless of the mail client used and it will always get delivered into a person's inbox
3. Optimal integration of text, images and a clear call to cation leads to increased ROI

To get started with email marketing, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.