10 things to consider before sending out your next email newsletter

There are many key attributes which contribute to a successful email marketing campaign. Smart well written content, relevance, timing, and accurate targeting are of course hugely important, but to be as effective as possible there are specific design/build aspects which also need careful consideration. Here’s a quick list of 10 things that you should be thinking about before you send out your next newsletter:

1. How it’s built
   Insure that your newsletter is coded correctly and renders well across all major email clients. There is huge variation between how these engines will render html and CSS, some are good, some are terrible. To insure that there is design consistency over these clients, the design should be kept simple and coded using tables and inline CSS. This approach is preferable than using one static graphic as the newsletter content, as some email clients may block the embedded images. 
2. Versioning
   Not all email clients render html. Cover yourself by having a plain text version. 
3. Scan-ability,  Hierarchy  and prioritising content
   Your email has a lot of competition in any inbox. People are not going to spend a lot of time reading your content, keep it short simple and to the point. People scan for content that is of interest to them. Don’t overwhelm your customers with a glut of information, make your sentences succinct, use shorter paragraphs and bullet points were possible. 
4. Call to actions
   Have clear call to actions throughout the content of your newsletter. Using a well designed call to action should dramatically increase your click through rates. Define clear goals for your newsletter and make it easy for your customers to achieve them. 
5. Flash use
   Flash will be blocked or stripped from the content by most of the major email clients. Refrain from using it. 
6. What are the correct dimensions?
   Your newsletter should be no wider than 650px, this eliminates the risk of horizontal scrolling. 
7. When should I send my mails?
   Nobody wants there inbox bombarded with emails first thing on a Monday morning. Find a consistent time that users will become accustomed to. The less you catch readers by surprise the less likely they’ll unsubscribe. Sending too many emails can annoy and lead customers to unsubscribe, find a happy medium and don’t overdo it. 
8. Test what you’ve created
   http://litmus.com/ is a great resource, allowing you to preview your designs in 33 different email clients. Use it to retain design consistency. 
9. How are you tracking your campaign?
   Utilise a good email marketing tool to measure, track and manage your campaign e.g. Mailchimp 
10. How do I incentivise my readers?
    Offer deals that are exclusive to your readers. Incentivise users to recommend you to their friends, e.g.  freebies promotions etc...