Choosing Between Email Marketing Templates

When it comes to email marketing templates, you’ll inevitably see that not all are created equally. There are several different choices you are going to have to make that could have a serious effect on the way your emails are received by your targeted audience. This is before you even get down to the nitty-gritty details of how the email actually looks and presents your information.

The first thing you have to ask yourself is if you want to be using email marketing templates to begin with. The downside to a template is just that; it’s a template. That means that other people will have access to it and will be using it to promote their own messages and products.

Since the name of the game is standing out from your competition, a template can sometimes be dangerous ground. Choosing an email service provider that has a plentiful selection of templates or customizing the templates you work with are two good ideas to help circumvent this issue.

After you’ve made the decision that you do indeed want to use email marketing templates, you then have to consider how you want your template to be constructed. Ultimately, you have three main choices that you can choose between when you’re sending out your emails.

1. Layouts based on images – Some email layouts might be constructed and based around images. Including images certainly can enhance the style and attractiveness of your message. That is, of course, if the people you send it to have images turned on in their email. If they don’t, the people you are trying to impress and win over are going to see a slew of large Xs across and open chunks of space across their computer screen.

That’s not even mentioning the distorting effects that lots of images can have on mobile browsers. Therefore, all things considered, using a layout based largely off of images may do more harm than good.

2. Layouts based on HTML – HTML email marketing templates on the other hand don’t use an excessive amount of images. An image or two may be included as a logo, to personalize a story or to grab attention for a key part of your message. However, the template itself is going to be based off of clean HTML. This will provide a high level of customization as you can easily swap different colors or make small alterations to the layout itself. Not all people have HTML compatible emails, but a far greater amount of people accept HTML than open images.

3. Plain text emails – The third main choice for your emails is the plain text email. This is exactly as it sounds, a straight text message without any frills or additional programming. You won’t be winning any design awards but you won’t be frightening off people that can’t even see the message itself due to image or HTML problems.

So what should you do? The ideal option is to provide a dual choice for your email newsletter subscribers. You can offer a HTML formatted version for those who wish to receive it, and you’ll be able to dazzle them without getting all distorted from images. You can also offer a plain text email for those who prefer that option, including those who check their emails on portable devices. They’ll get the core message that you want to deliver without anything extra they don’t need.

One final note is that you should choose email marketing templates that reflect the personality and values of your organization. Other than that, be sure to consider your audience and their needs, and follow the advice above to avoid some common mistakes.

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