How to Design an HTML Email

An HTML email can be a powerful marketing tool or an irritating time-waster. Well-designed HTML emails provide simple, concise information to recipients, and offer a clear course of action. Many organizations use HTML emails to reach a wide customer base and to target new audience sectors. When designed efficiently, HTML emails can be brand ambassadors, effective advertisements and a valuable source of information to current and potential clients.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Decide on a core message. The goal of an HTML email is to push a specific message or messages at a specific part of your database. HTML emails can be used to promote upcoming events, new product releases, important service announcements, or other time-sensitive information. The message you choose to promote will inform the design of your email.
2. Choose a size. When designing an HTML email, it is important to keep in mind that many email programs can support a limited width. To be sure that your email looks the way you prefer, do some research into the type of mail programs your audience generally uses. As a rule of thumb, 500-600 pixels is a safe width for HTML emails. Most web- and locally-based email programs can handle 600 pixel width emails without trouble.
3. Decide what you want to promote. Narrow your subjects down to a maximum of five topics; any more will leave readers confused and overwhelmed. Write the text of your HTML email, remembering that user attention spans are brief. Write short, attention-grabbing text and include links that direct readers to your website for more information.
4. Make navigation easy. If the text of your HTML email will require more than one scroll to get to the end, include links at the top to each topic. Create HTML anchors in the body of your email so that the reader can choose the topic of interest and go directly to the relevant section.
5. Give your readers an end action. What do you want readers to do at the end of your HTML email? Should they go to your website for more information, or do you want them to go directly to a product page? Be sure to include clickable links for URLs and email addresses to increase the chances of response. Make contact phone numbers and street addresses very clear. The easier the reader perceives the action to be, the more likely they are to take it.
6. Include relevant, eye-catching graphics. Your HTML email should reflect your organization's brand identity and the topic at hand. Add images that add meaning to the text instead of filler emails. Images should be spaced throughout the text to create a comfortable flow of information. Be sure to keep them small and use absolute links instead of attachments. This way, the email will pull the images from the internet as the reader opens it, and the total size will be smaller.