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"The Lowdown:
How To Create And Send HTML Email"
by Steve Shaw
I am frequently asked how to create
and send HTML email, usually with regard
to how to broadcast it to a mailing list. This article presents the
various options
available to you.
How to create HTML email:
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Creating the content of an HTML email
is very similar to how you would create
a basic web page. Just use your normal web page editor, such as FrontPage
or
Dreamweaver (or even Notepad can be used, in conjunction with a browser
to
preview the code), and construct a web page in the normal way, saving
it as an
.html or .htm file.
You may consider creating an HTML
email template that you can use as a basis
for all your future HTML emails. If so, once you're happy with the
basic look, save
it and then just open and re-edit for your future emails.
There is an important difference
that you need to remember between writing HTML
for your web site, and writing HTML for email.
All the URLs in your code need to
be absolute, rather than relative, for all links
and images, eg. http://www.yourdomain.com/image.gif, rather than
something
like just image.gif. This also means of course that any images used
in your
HTML email need to be stored on a web server, the same as when you
use
images on a web site.
How to send HTML email:
To send the HTML email to an individual,
such as to yourself in order to check
on its appearance, you can open the web page (i.e. the HTML email)
you have
created in the latest version of IE (File -> Open....), and then
click File -> Send.
However, if you're creating HTML
email for use in email marketing, you will
normally want to use a completely different tool in order to send
it to numerous
recipients. There are two main options to enable you to send email
to a mailing
list - you can either use some special software on your own computer;
or use a
web-based solution, either on your own web site, or via a service
run by a third
party.
If you are looking for software,
you can find a variety of solutions by going to
somewhere like download.com, and searching for 'send email'. You
can also
install some software onto your own web site, which can give you
more control
but also gives you all the responsibility for maintenance of the
software/script if
things go wrong. However, I personally have a preference for using
a third-party
web-based service when sending out my newsletter. For one, it means
my
broadcasts are not reliant on my own Internet connection or PC, and
it also let's
someone else take care of delivering my messages to several thousand
recipients.
There are literally hundreds of third-party
web-based services available, all
varying widely in quality and ease of use, and suiting different
budgets and email
requirements. One of the best ways to do your research on this is
to check out
your competitors or your favourite newsletters and ezines, and, if
they send out
HTML email, find out what service they use. Often the unsubscribe
link, that
should be at the bottom of their messages, will point towards the
relevant web
site.
(HINT: By signing up to my own newsletter
at http://takanomi.com/newsletter, you will be able to find out which
service I personally use.)
Finally, and importantly, should
you send out HTML email? It entirely depends on
the preferences of your own list. But, in general, look towards big
business. Most
big businesses tend to send out HTML email, and there's only going
to be one
main reason for that - response rates. But you do need to ensure
that your HTML
email is professional, easy to read, and has an attractive layout.
Steve Shaw creates systems & software
for effective e-marketing. His powerful PopUpMaster Pro software
creates popups that beat the popup blockers, are compatible with
Google Adwords and can significantly increase your conversion rates.
Contact Steve Shaw at: steve@takanomi.com or
Visit: http://www.popupmaster.com or http://www.takanomi.com
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