eShoutz have noticed that there has been a subtle growth in the use of animated GIFs in email marketing during 2008. This has been especially true in this month, where subscribers are bombarded with numerous email campaigns and so companies are using animated GIFs in order to stand out from the crowd.
This subtle growth in the use of animated GIFS could be because, despite popular belief, they are supported by all of the major email clients and also because they do still hold a novel quality when used in email.
So what are the benefits from using animated GIFs in your email marketing?
- They can grab your reader's attention - Since animated GIFs are not greatly used in email marketing there is still quite a lot of novelty surrounding them and this is great attribute for grabbing your reader's attention.
- They can allow for a more creative message - Animated GIFs are great for drawing attention to particular elements of your email marketing message and for encouraging your reader to complete a certain action. The eShoutz team have seen in previous emails that animated GIFs have been used to encourage the reader to scroll down the email and also to highlight the call-to-action.
Here are a few points to bear in mind when using animated GIFs in your email marketing:
1. consider the file weight - animated GIFs can be considerably larger files than static images, especially since they use more and more colour.
2. consider how file compression affects your email design - Your email marketing message may lose its effectiveness if the design doesn't look good. Therefore, keep an eye on how the file compression affects the design, if it looks pixelated and garish, then may be animation isn't the right method for you.
3. keep it simple - You should assume that you only have your readers' attention for 10 seconds and so you should keep the copy to a minimum and make sure that your message is clarly defined.
4. consider compatibility issues - the major compatibility issue is that Outlook 2007 uses Word to render HTML emails and so animated GIFs do not display correctly. Instead, in Outlook only the first frame is displayed and so, for that reason, you may want to design your animated GIF so that the first frame contains all the information.
For more tips and advice on email marketing visit eShoutz.com.
Showing posts with label email marketing advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label email marketing advice. Show all posts
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Monday, 10 November 2008
Should I include a permission reminder on email newsletters?
A permission reminder is a sentence or two explaining to the subscriber where you had their email address from. It is usually found in the footer and can often help prevent you from being blacklisted or reported as a spammer.
It is a good idea to integrate your permission reminder with your unsubscribe link. This means that if a recipient believes that the email is spam and goes to click the unsubscribe, they may be reminded that they actually signed up to receive your email marketing campaigns and add you to their safe senders list instead.
Realistically, if you are sending to quality address books you will not need to remind subscribers where you had their email addresses from as they will have signed up for your newsletters on your website. However, permission reminders are not just for your subscriber's sake. If you do ever become blacklisted and classed as a spammer, your permission reminder can help determine that you are a 'good guy' when it comes to email marketing and help to get you off any blacklists.
When writing a permission reminder, explain thoroughly how your recipient's email address was added to your address book. Don't try listing all of the options, but cover as many as you can in one small explanation. For example 'You're receiving this email because you opted in for email newsletters whilst on our website'.
Always be polite in your permission reminder. Show that you genuinely care about your recipient's privacy, and include actual proof that a recipient gave you permission to email them.
Remember, if you find it difficult to write a good permission reminder, it may be a sign that you don't actually have permission to use all of the emails within your address books.
Finally, here's an example of a good permission reminder:
'In the past you provided 'Company name' with your email address xxx@yahoo.co.uk whilst purchasing from their website. Occassionally you will receive special offer newsletters and promotional emails. If you no longer wish to receive these please click unsubscribe.
For more email marketing tips visit eShoutz.com.
It is a good idea to integrate your permission reminder with your unsubscribe link. This means that if a recipient believes that the email is spam and goes to click the unsubscribe, they may be reminded that they actually signed up to receive your email marketing campaigns and add you to their safe senders list instead.
Realistically, if you are sending to quality address books you will not need to remind subscribers where you had their email addresses from as they will have signed up for your newsletters on your website. However, permission reminders are not just for your subscriber's sake. If you do ever become blacklisted and classed as a spammer, your permission reminder can help determine that you are a 'good guy' when it comes to email marketing and help to get you off any blacklists.
When writing a permission reminder, explain thoroughly how your recipient's email address was added to your address book. Don't try listing all of the options, but cover as many as you can in one small explanation. For example 'You're receiving this email because you opted in for email newsletters whilst on our website'.
Always be polite in your permission reminder. Show that you genuinely care about your recipient's privacy, and include actual proof that a recipient gave you permission to email them.
Remember, if you find it difficult to write a good permission reminder, it may be a sign that you don't actually have permission to use all of the emails within your address books.
Finally, here's an example of a good permission reminder:
'In the past you provided 'Company name' with your email address xxx@yahoo.co.uk whilst purchasing from their website. Occassionally you will receive special offer newsletters and promotional emails. If you no longer wish to receive these please click unsubscribe.
For more email marketing tips visit eShoutz.com.
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Checklist for your email campaigns
Having an effective checklist for the quality control of your email campaigns can help you to spot and correct mistakes before you send to your email address books.
Most common blunders on email marketing include:
1. misspelt subject line
2. missing images
3. wrong links used or links not working
4. spelling and grammar mistakes
5. sending to the wrong list
Running through a checklist will help you to limit these types of mistakes from your email campaigns so that you can send them in confidence. See the eShoutz suggested points for your checklist:
1. Have I proof-read all the copy? Try reading in Microsoft Word, using the spellchecker to highlight glaring spelling mistakes. You should also read in Notepad, Word won't always catch grammatical mistakes (e.g. to/too/two) so putting your email copy into another environment will help you to see any mistakes that may have been missed previously.
2. Are all links correct and working? Check that each of your links are working and they are each going to the right page/offer.
3. Does each image have an ALT tag? Make sure that each image has an ALT tag decribing the content, this is important because it gives you another way to deliver you information to readers who have disabled images.
4. Have I proof-read all the copy in the text version? Repeat step 1 on your text version. Usually not as much attention is paid to the text version in comparision to the HTML version but this is just as important for your subscribers who do not receive HTML emails.
5. Have I included all of my company information? You should include your company name, street address, telephone number, website address and email address. Having different ways to be contacted encourages your subscribers to interact with you, which in turn makes them feel more confident in your company.
6. Have I previewed the email? Complete a test send so that you can view your email campaign in the preview pane, with images disabled and with different email providers (Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail etc). This enables you to see the email as most of your subscribers will view it. If it doesn't look pretty then go back to your design and make the necessary amendments.
7. Has another person checked over the email? Before you press send, get someone who has not been involved in the creation of your email campaign to check over it. A fresh pair of eyes can spot mistakes that you may have overlooked.
8. Am I sending to the correct address books? This final check helps to ensure that your email campaign is being sent to the intended address books.
For more email marketing advice visit eShoutz.com.
Most common blunders on email marketing include:
1. misspelt subject line
2. missing images
3. wrong links used or links not working
4. spelling and grammar mistakes
5. sending to the wrong list
Running through a checklist will help you to limit these types of mistakes from your email campaigns so that you can send them in confidence. See the eShoutz suggested points for your checklist:
1. Have I proof-read all the copy? Try reading in Microsoft Word, using the spellchecker to highlight glaring spelling mistakes. You should also read in Notepad, Word won't always catch grammatical mistakes (e.g. to/too/two) so putting your email copy into another environment will help you to see any mistakes that may have been missed previously.
2. Are all links correct and working? Check that each of your links are working and they are each going to the right page/offer.
3. Does each image have an ALT tag? Make sure that each image has an ALT tag decribing the content, this is important because it gives you another way to deliver you information to readers who have disabled images.
4. Have I proof-read all the copy in the text version? Repeat step 1 on your text version. Usually not as much attention is paid to the text version in comparision to the HTML version but this is just as important for your subscribers who do not receive HTML emails.
5. Have I included all of my company information? You should include your company name, street address, telephone number, website address and email address. Having different ways to be contacted encourages your subscribers to interact with you, which in turn makes them feel more confident in your company.
6. Have I previewed the email? Complete a test send so that you can view your email campaign in the preview pane, with images disabled and with different email providers (Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail etc). This enables you to see the email as most of your subscribers will view it. If it doesn't look pretty then go back to your design and make the necessary amendments.
7. Has another person checked over the email? Before you press send, get someone who has not been involved in the creation of your email campaign to check over it. A fresh pair of eyes can spot mistakes that you may have overlooked.
8. Am I sending to the correct address books? This final check helps to ensure that your email campaign is being sent to the intended address books.
For more email marketing advice visit eShoutz.com.
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