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Lena Waters is the director of marketing for EmailLabs. She is responsible for all messaging, branding and lead generation initiatives, including online, print, search, email, public relations and event programs, with a strong focus on analytics to drive measurable growth in demand and revenues. Lena has nine years of experience in business-to-business marketing, with a focus on interactive and online programs, including marketing and business development positions at Wärtsilä and Thrive Media. Lena received the Stevie Award for "Best Marketer" from the American Business Awards in 2006.

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B2C Email Rendering: The Art of Designing for Preview Panes

Written on
March 8th 2007
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by Lena Waters  |
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From Blank to Beautiful in Six Easy Steps
Effective email marketing in a preview-pane world is all about making your point fast — in the first few inches of your email. Here are six best practices:

1) Make your most important points in words, as well as in graphics, and place descriptive copy under each image. Do not embed copy in images or use single, large images. If the headline, call to action or even the entire email is encapsulated in a graphic, your email will render as a giant blank spot with little red boxes if the image is blocked. You should also place ALT tags—text describing the image—under each image. (This only works for Gmail users. Most others block Alt-tags like they block images.)

2) Ensure that the most important call to action is in the upper left-hand corner of the email. By placing the offer or “shop now” link for promotional emails—or table of contents link for newsletters—in this position you ensure that the call to action will be seen above the fold in both horizontal and vertical preview panes.

3) Do not rely solely on images and buttons in case the images are blocked. Always add text-based navigation to any buttons or offers in the email. For example, instead of a “Buy Now” button that may never be seen if images are disabled, add a “Buy Now” text link that will render correctly in the preview pane. Also, always link to a Web version of your email so the reader can see the complete offer.

4) Design for shrinking real estate. Traditionally, most email marketing templates were 800 pixels wide. Today, 600 pixels wide is typically the accepted standard —but going smaller may even be better. With display ads in some email clients on the right hand side of the screen—thereby shrinking the actual space of the message window—smaller templates may create a bigger impact.

5) Don’t use graphics—use HTML instead. Many of the issues with image-blocking can be avoided simply by using HTML design choices. HTML background colors, font colors, font tags and font sizes can give you a great look and will render correctly.

6) Reduce the size of masthead images and logos and move them out of the upper-left corner. Logos may brand your email, but they don’t drive the desired action of the email—and may not even be seen if images are blocked. The top left corner should be reserved for calls to action, as described above.

If In Doubt, Test…
As with any email campaign, one of the keys to success is testing the template with a third-party rendering tool such as EmailAdvisor. Rendering tools show exactly what the message will look like in most popular email clients. By testing the email in the different types of platforms, marketers can improve or alter the design of the message, ensuring correct rendering and optimal click-throughs.

For a quick analysis of how well your current template might render in the preview pane, take EmailLabs’ preview pane rendering quiz. You can also visit EmailLabs’ Resource Center for additional email marketing tools and tips.



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