CSS3 and HTML 5 - What's new for email designers?

As the HTML5 and CSS3 creating new revolution in the web and letting designer to fall in love with HTML5 and CSS3 new features, but for the email designers like me we are really envy.

Internet marketing is the main trend of this era and Emailer marketing is the first step of the internet marketing.But we still feel that we are stuck in the start-up years of the internet and web-languages.We are still working on the tables where so many tags and style are not recognized by many browsers and web-based mail.We still not able to handle the image based mailers.

What changes we want in E-mailers coding?

- NO MORE TABLES = Although its fun to work on tables as its easy and fast but truth is its outdated and a simple mailer become too heavy because of the table structure

...

.Love to see HTML 5 simple page structure - Header, nav, menu, footer etc. Simple and straight forward, less code.

- MORE SUPPORT OF CSS = So many style tags are outdated and not supported by many browsers and web-mail.We want to have little more support of such tags and equal support in every browser and mail.

-ROUNDED CORNERS = Every designer is addicted with rounded corners and being in emailer designing rounded corners means FULL IMAGE which lead to heavy code and chances of blocked image.So, we want to see CSS3 rounded corners feature in e-mailers too.

I hope this will make our emailer designers life HEAVEN.

5 Killer Tips for Successful Mailers

Here is the Top 5 List for successful mailers that you can anytime apply and see the result too:-

1) Very Catchy and clear subject line

The very first thing that user will see of your mailer is the subject line from which he got the mailer.If the subject line is not clear, or not interesting or not user attention catchy he will never open it and it will be the first failure point for you.

So, you have to be more creative and come out of more interesting and think from thr simple user point of view that what could actually led them to click on the mail to see your mailer? Will it be FREE word, DISCOUNT word, or simple a SALE word?

2) User should be able to connect

A simple customize mailer could do wonders for you.If the mailer is going addressing by user name he/she could feel connection and will build the user attention to mailer.

3) Make the Content less but not the Information

Text Text Text everywhere will be a great turn off for users...always keep in mind it is a mailer not a website.So, just make your content less but not the information, means the content should be information oriented that user could be looking for.Eg. if the mailer is for some sale so they would be interested in the brands in sale, Products in Sale, Place and time not in the whole history of sale and store , the reason of sale and all. So, make sure you are making your content as per the information needed.

4) Call To Action

Mailer without any CTA will not let user to know where they can go after this?A very strong and eye catchy CTA is must for successful mailer

5) Size Matters a lot

Always design mailer with keeping an eye on size too.As many email service provider have limitation on the mailer received by them 40kb is the best size to maintain.Also heavy size mailer also take time to load and users done like to wait.

Images and E-mailers??Friends or Enemy?

For every designer the challenge is to design an e mailer which is less images based but still look beautifully and attractive to hold the attention of the users. This challenges let the designer to think a LOT OUT OF THE BOX!!

So, every designer comes with the questions:-

Why e mailers cant have the images?

Answer for this is very simple because the mailers are meant for the mails and based on the web-mail so images will be blocked and majority is that the user wont be able to see any of images.Which could let to the design displacement too when the images will be block.

So, being an intelligent designer you don't wont to send the user a blank email where user wont be able to see any thing.

So, it means NO image? (Are you serious?)

No, it doesn't meant that you cant use not even one image.The challenge is hide only in this only that how beautifully , creativity and with intelligence you can design a mailer with images to create the balance between the design, content and images without losing any important message that you want user to pass on.

You can use images but don't make the whole mailer into images, do not put any important message in the image because might be user wont be able to see it if the images are block.Do not put the images into the first half of the design.

alt tag is your best friend

Who is alt tag and how it can be your friend? when images are not displaying then there is alt tag to rescue you from the limitation of images in mailer.

Alt tag is know as Alternative tag and providing alt tag to any images it will help users to know what is there when images are blocked.So, you can say when the images are block the alt tag will be still there to let user know what was here.

eg.

E-Marketing Tip - Try to put more creative alt tag that could let the user to react on that alt tag text.

eg.

First Step for Emarketing

New on Internet?

Don't know from where to start your i-marketing (Internet Marketing)??

So, here is the first step towards the internet marketing:-

Internet Marketing's first step to have the well informed , well structured and no doubt an eye catching website about your product, service or if its your own personal idenitiy website then also.

The very step should be to have a very well informed and eye-catchy websites * .

A well informed website should have the Clear and Straight Message about What You Are?Who You Are? and for what you are here and that too in 10 seconds from the user came to your webpage.

Why I Need a Website?

As in Internet marketing you wont be able to meet and convince the potential Buyer or User Face to Face you have to virtually make them convince within starting 3 seconds of users...your website should have all the important elements that a user could be looking for. You can see an website as the your face, your office, your Selling Pitch, your Showroom on Internet in virtual market of Sellers and buyers.You dont like to be the Potential customer to be doing the window shopping on your website you would actually want to convert that potential client to be your client.

For ex if a potential user came to your website(form some mode) to get the 80% Discount on any purchase then this message

should be on the top of the webpage and above the half fold don't let the user to search that on your website as it could be a pitfall for you.

*Say NO to Flashy things

Many people think that by making there website Flashy and graphical that would let tham to get maximum traffic but its wrong...yes presentation is imporatant but not on the cost of userability and accessibility.If your website is in Flash it could be a BIG Fallback for your website s flash based websites are based on external media support and there is possibility that many people dont have the flash on there PC which led to displaying a blank page on user machine.

And on same hand if you are using so many images and graphics to make your website beautiful keep an eye on the loading time of that particualr page.If the page will take lot of time to load because of heavy images and graphics it will again affect the users coming on your website.As, they might not wait for long.

So, the best tip is to balance the presentation with userability and accessibility.

Website always have 2 way communication

How would you feel when you to shop something and sales man don't reply to your any query or any question? Same goes with the website you have on internet.

Never make users/Customer to feel that website means 1 way of communication or might be the website is closed(Virtually). For that also make sure you are easily accessible to the users/customers coming to your website.

For 2 way communication make sure you have a working Contact Us Form or Feedback Form, working email Id or a contact number. Online chat or assistance chat will also add lot of points to your website.

As we say the solution of any problem is to TALK..

E-marketing - Who is the Monster in Town?

What is E-Marketing?
E-marketing also know as Internet Marketing, with the emerging internet usage in today's world people are coming with marketing there products and services on internet with the help of the different modes to target the specific user of specific area.

Why E-Marketing?
Internet is the fastest and strongest way of communication and connection to world and with the daily increase users of internet and dependency on the communication through the internet letting it people to actual use the most fastest way of communicating and interacting with the people of the same community and same interest.

Marketing on Internet is free and you don't have to go Door to Door, Place to Place to market your Items or find the customers for your services.you have to simply sit at your home use the internet to choose your target audience with target place and other factors depend upon your requirements.Still not happy...then the most important advantage is that you can actually and easily track each and every step, progress and profit coming out of the emarkting done by you on any stage so can say , you can see actual ROI at every step.


Mode of E-Marketing
With the help of search engines and few user knowledge you can actually can see out a pool of customers who are actually waiting for you or your products.

The best modes are by Search Engines like Google, Yahoo and all.
E mailers, PPC, Banners, Social Networking, a well informed Website and many more

Which are FREE and also Few are Paid too.

So, to start with E-Marketing you dont need to dress up or travel anywhere just log in on internet and with few tips start up your i-marketing!!