This is the billion dollar question. As we’ve discussed here in the past, there are no standards for HTML email. So what looks good in one client (Yahoo) might look like [click] in another (Outlook 2007). Some email marketers, in true K.I.S.S. fashion, recommend keeping the design as basic as possible. Others hire designers to custom build a solid template to work from.
Of course, the whole thing gets even more difficult when there are email client developers, like Microsoft, actually reverting back to older HTML standards for newer email clients, like they did with Outlook 2007 which has less CSS support than the previous version of Outlook had.
But, it’s not a lost cause. There are definitely things that you can do to optimize your HTML so that it will render well in the majority of email clients.
- Test your HTML using the w3c Markup Validation Service and fix any major coding errors (like no end tags, etc.)
- Use an email testing service ($$) such as Litmus
- Do your own testing. Create a test group using as many different email addresses (i.e. Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, domain, etc.) and test your messages against them.
- Use pre-tested HTML email templates when possible.
- Implement the 9 Best Practices for Email Design
One day, thanks to the hard work of the Email Standards Project, we will all celebrate the day when all email is rendered equally. Perhaps we’ll make it an international holiday for email marketers.
Until then, good luck.
Email marketing continues to provide the best ROI of any online marketing strategy. If you’re not getting the returns that others are with email marketing ($50+ return for every dollar spent), it might be a good idea to understand what they are doing differently – or what you aren’t doing but should be.
Marketing Sherpa neatly outlines the most important benchmarks and best practices for email marketers in their 2009 Email Marketing Benchmark Guide. Get it today and start getting the results that successful email marketers are achieving.
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Anyone involved in email marketing understands how recent shifts in the industry are making it more and more difficult to get messages delivered to recipients on their list. This is due to the various gates that have been set up between senders and receivers to reduce spam volumes. Sadly, all of the measures that have been implemented to combat spam are having little effect on spammers. The strategy has been very successful, however, in making delivery difficult for legitimate senders. The reality is that spam volume isn’t really going down at all; and recent reports suggest that 9 out of 10 messages sent to business email accounts today are spam. The other (perhaps harsher) reality is that it’s getting harder and harder to consistently get legitimate email delivered.
Sometimes, ISP content filters will flag a legitimate message as spam if it doesn’t pass the litmus test. Other times, a poor sender reputation due to excessive bounce rates or an inconsistent or high sending frequency might be the issue. To compound the problem, different ISPs have different criteria for deeming a sender (or message) worthy of passing through their gates. Ironically, spammers know about all of these rules and how to game them. Legitimate senders aren’t so astute.
So what do you do if you notice a dip in your delivery rates? Mark Brownlow outlines four approaches to the email deliverability conundrum.
I agree with him that the majority of senders take approach number one (remain in blissful ignorance). Of course, that’s not a good approach. It’s similar to ignoring the overdue bills that pile up inside your door. It will eventually catch up to you. It is always better to face a problem head on – and better isn’t always easier.
We can complain about it all day long. But we’re playing without standards and playground rules apply (at the moment). “Not fair” doesn’t mean anything on the playground. We can point the finger at ISPs and other email gatekeepers and argue that they are making life for emailers difficult. But they aren’t doing anything maliciously. Their intent is honorable. We must work with them to ensure that the road map for consistent delivery is easier to understand and implement.
Perhaps an organization should be formed to tackle deliverability issues – an organization similar to the recent Email Standards Project who are trying to make it easier for HTML email to render well across the various email clients. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) began efforts to define a measurement standard for deliverability and offer a standard formula in 2006. They even published a Guide to Email Deliverability. It’s a useful document to look at, even though it’s somewhat dated. But a multi-player approach to change is required.
Adhering to email marketing best practices, especially with regard to email subscription and list maintenance will still serve to eliminate many of the deliverability issues that email marketers face. Until an organized and structured effort is underway to resolve the inconsistencies that exist among the various email gatekeepers, it is probably the best place to start for individual email marketers.
