Can’t code? No problem!
Not all marketers have the skills or are comfortable enough with HTML to produce newsletters using code alone. Luckily, almost all email marketing software tools today provide users with the option to use a WYSIWYG HTML editor.
With this type of editor, all you have to do is choose a layout, input the content, and tailor the formatting according to your vision. In addition to being quite simple to create, an added benefit of using this type of editor is the fast turnaround time. Once you’ve created your first newsletter template, a considerable amount of the grunt work is done and future versions can be quickly crafted. A great example is the block editor feature offered by our tool of choice, ClickDimensions.
Now that you are familiarized with some of the benefits of working with an HTML block editor, consider the following tips when building your next newsletter:
1. Invest in a few basic design pieces. You are communicating your message to a number of valuable contacts, including prospects, customers, and more. Ensuring that your newsletter stands out is key! A few simple design elements can easily enhance your final product. Call upon the resources of a designer to put together a header and footer (around 600 px wide) and social buttons that are aligned with your brand’s identity. In many cases, this is a one-time investment, as this material can be repurposed for future newsletters.
2. Keep it simple. Should this font be larger and in blue? Should I center the photo or keep it left-aligned? Because there is room for customization, it’s easy to get lost in the details. However, as previously mentioned, one of the benefits of using a WYSIWYG HTML editor is its simplicity. Use this as a guiding principle when building your newsletter and remember that your message and the quality of your content is priority. Start small and make sure every piece included serves a purpose and can be tied back to your overarching goals. When something feels out of place, consider subtracting before adding.
3. Test, test, and test some more. Beyond grammar, accuracy and readability, there are other things you should consider before hitting send as certain variables can impact your newsletter’s final output:
a. Mobile devices – Ensure your email design is responsive across a number of display types including desktops and mobile devices. Send test emails and employ features like Inbox Preview to check across devices.
b. Email clients – Not all email clients are created equal. Test the appearance of your design across various clients, including Outlook, Gmail, and more using Inbox Preview.
c. Avoid spam – Make use of tools like Spam Assassin to assess your email’s spam score. On that note, it is a recommended best practice to create an alternative plain text version too as it brings down the spam score.
We recently built our quarterly newsletter using the HTML block editor from ClickDimensions.
