{"id":1933,"date":"2017-07-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-07-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zenmedia.go4wordpress.com\/2017\/07\/25\/creating-stellar-html-emails-tips-email-marketing-pros\/"},"modified":"2023-02-17T17:21:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T17:21:48","slug":"creating-stellar-html-emails-tips-email-marketing-pros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenmedia.com\/blog\/creating-stellar-html-emails-tips-email-marketing-pros\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating Stellar HTML Emails – Tips from Our Email Marketing Pros"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to designing effective HTML emails, even the most competent designers and marketers can find themselves feeling frustrated.<\/span><\/p>\n

While it\u2019s true that email clients like MailChimp and Constant Contact have made it much easier to design nice-looking, readable emails – even if you have absolutely no HTML skills – there are plenty of tips you can follow that will help you take your emails to the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few from MZ\u2019s own email marketing gurus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t go wider than 600 pixels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Making your readers scroll side-to-side is the kiss of death for your emails. Not only will it make your brand look amateurish, but it will also prove really annoying to everyone who gets your emails, making it way more likely that they\u2019ll just send them straight to the trash.<\/span><\/p>\n

To avoid this, 600 pixels is a good standard to stick to. In addition, keeping things consistent will make it more likely that your emails will show up well across all email clients (and there are hundreds, even though most people only use one of the few big ones).<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep important stuff on the left side<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eye-tracking studies have proven that people tend to focus more on the left side of the screen than the right. To put a finer point on it, most web users look in an F-shape – they\u2019ll look at a headline, and then mainly focus on left side and a little way into the text as it moves toward the right.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: Kissmetrics<\/span><\/p>\n

This is, of course, why sidebars are usually on the left side of the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does this mean for your emails? While focusing on the left side should never mean sacrificing a pleasing design, you may want to scan your email templates to see if you can optimize them with this in mind. <\/span><\/p>\nReaders focus more on the left side of the screen - which makes that a good place for your call to action. #emailmarketing <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

For example, where are your calls to action? <\/span><\/p>\n

Are you keeping the most important information toward the top?<\/span><\/p>\n

Where are you placing your images?<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not getting the follow-through from customers that you want, moving some of these design elements around is a good step to try.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cabove the fold\u201d imperative is a myth<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea that information has to be \u201cabove the fold\u201d – above the point at which a user will have to scroll down – if you want the majority of readers to see it has been popular since the early days of newspapers. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the newspaper world, the day\u2019s most important stories (or the ones that were likely to sell the most papers) were placed at the top of the front page, so that customers would see them when the paper was folded and put out for sale. <\/span><\/p>\n

The term was co-opted for the web design world and most web designers have advocated putting important information above the fold <\/span>since a 2006 Nielsen study found that 77% of website visitors won\u2019t scroll down<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But since then, it\u2019s been found again and again that people do, in fact, scroll. So while it\u2019s still important that key information is placed above the fold, there\u2019s no need to worry that users will ignore most of what\u2019s below it.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cAbove the fold\u201d is largely a myth. People will scroll if you give them something valuable. #emailmarketing <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

However, calls to action should be placed at the top<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a caveat to the above the fold issue for emails. <\/span><\/p>\n

Since most users decide whether or not to read your email from the quick preview they get after clicking on it, you do want your calls to action to be both effective and placed toward the top. <\/span><\/p>\n

Assume your images will be blocked<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Source: Windows IT Pro<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though it\u2019s 2017, and you\u2019d think we\u2019d be past this automatic email image-blocking thing, most email clients – <\/span>60%, according to Mailigen<\/span> – still block images by default.<\/span><\/p>\n

So instead of relying on your images to make people read your emails, focus on ensuring that your copy and headlines are compelling all on their own. <\/span><\/p>\n

You should also make sure you have descriptive alt text for each image – you never know when the alt text will entice someone to take the extra 30 seconds to download your images. <\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that a huge percentage of your readers will be opening your emails on mobile devices<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mobile usage is outpacing desktop usage<\/span><\/a> and has been since 2015. If your emails aren\u2019t optimized for mobile and tablet viewing, you\u2019re likely missing out on a huge percentage of your potential readership. <\/span><\/p>\n

How do you optimize for mobile? Here are just a few ways: <\/span><\/p>\n