‘HTML’ Articles

At times simplicity is the most effective means of communication. To get your point across with an email, there are occasions when all you need is a simple white background email with text.

There is more than one way to go about creating a plain white-paper email, but the most simple way is to do a plain text email. A plain text email is just text. There is no HTML code included in the message at all. While this means that there are no complications and that your message is slightly (though likely by a negligible amount) more deliverable, it also means that your message will not be able to include links, images, or advanced formatting of any kind. Emails like this are useful if you think your clients will be viewing them on a mobile device, if their email clients don’t allow HTML code, or if you simply want to deliver a complication free, simple, but highly deliverable email.

The other way to create a email with a white background and text is to use one of our white-paper templates. These templates are created to be as simple as possible but still allow you to include links, pictures, font formatting and other content features only available with HTML code. Not only will you have more control over the content of your email, but you will get more information from Accu Trak when using a white-paper template as opposed to a plain text email. Clickthrough tracking is available only in full HTML emails.

Each method has its own pros and cons, you can use the information in this post to pick which is best for your campaign. No matter which you choose, always remember that content is the most important part of your email both for deliveribilty and effectiveness.

You don’t have to be a programmer, developer, or graphic designer to be a good email marketer. You certainly don’t have to be a wiz with CSS or Javascript. Good email marketing requires nothing more than an employee who understands their customers and who can provide valuable content. That being said, having a basic understanding of the technology you are dealing with can be a great help and it may just save you from some serious technology induced headaches.

When something goes wrong and your email doesn’t look or function the way you want it to, what do you do? Many email marketers use HTML creation programs like frontpage, dreamweaver, or other template based systems to create good looking emails with little to no knowledge of HTML. These can be extremely helpful tools but they don’t always translate perfectly to email. So when a problem does arise where will you turn?

By learning some rudimentary HTML code you could solve many of these problems yourself. I’m not suggesting you spend days or even weeks to become an expert or even to memorize any code. If you’d like you could simply print out this blog or any of the more complete HTML cheat sheets online, and use it as an instant reference. At any rate, understanding some basic HTML code and finding out how it all functions will give you a valuable tool set and make you a greater asset in the workplace.

I’ve listed and explained some of the most simple and common HTML tags here.

<p>: This indicates the start of a paragraph, as with all HTML code the tag must be closed after the element is complete. Therefore at the end of a paragraph you would complete the tag by putting a closing tag like so </p>

Example: <p>This is my newest email!</p>

<img src=”insert location here” />: This is the appropriate tag to insert an image into html. Note that if you use a image location on your local machine others will NOT be able to view it. This problem occurs when using pictures from your computer in frontpage and then copying that HTML code. You will be able to see the pictures but no one else will. You need to use a location that is hosted somewhere on the web, in my example you will see that I used a image hosted on Admail.

Example: <img src=”https://www.admail.net/thumbnail/154/”></img>

<a href=”insert internet address here”>link </a>: This is the HTML tag to create a link. The word or phrase in-between the opening and closing tag will be made into the link.

Example: <a href=”http://www.admail.net”>Visit Our Website!</a>

Other tags include <b>, this will make your font bold, and <i>, which will make your font italic.

These are very rudimentary tags but they will help you understand some of the more simple elements of HTML. For those interested in learning more, websites like www.w3schools.com provide an online knowledge base and free online training.

Armed with this knowledge you will have a better grasp of your medium and, with a bit of study and training, you may be able to troubleshoot your own problems, saving you and your company valuable time.

To recap:

<p>: Paragraph </p>
<img src=”/>: Image
<a href=”>: Link </a>
<b>: Bold </b>
<i>: Italic </i>

Thaddy Claus (Thaddeus) is tying the bow on our seasonal present for our customers. With the arrival of Email Builder 2.0 we hope to answer some of your email marketing holiday wishes. Email Builder 2.0 is an improved version of our already powerful template system. It has many new features, of which include:

1. Controls and editing tools that are more familiar and more accessible for users.
2. Emails are now saved more often and the “Resume Last Email” function allows users to #  Admail Services # design # Email Marketing # HTML # Ncome back to work they may have previously lost.
3. Templates are easier to modify and format. Changes to background color and field sizes can be made with simple drop down menus.
4. Undo and redo buttons have been introduced.
5. Images are now easier to re-size. Images can be formatted by dragging the edges until it meets the desired height and width. (Not available in Safari)

Email Builder 2.0 provides these features and many more! We at Admail.net look forward to the New Year and the full implementation of Email Builder 2.0. If you’d like to try the beta version, please select the beta category when choosing a template in Email Builder. *Please note bugs may be present that will not be included in the final release.