Comparing Email Formats - Pros & Cons
Text emails. HTML emails. Multimedia emails. What's an e-marketer to choose? Before making that choice, stop and consider the following:
- Budget - what kind of marketing dollars
and resources do you have?
- Objectives - what will it take for
you to maximize response rates? Conversions?
- Audience - who is your target audience
and what level of email sophistication can they handle?
So what are your options? What are the pros and cons of each email format?
 Text
Pros: Easy and fast to develop, can be viewed by all email clients,
inexpensive, etc.
Cons: Can't include images or logos, can't track or measure opens
HTML
Pros: Can include images, logos, brand; visually appealing; proven increase in response rates and conversions; measurable results (opens, click-throughs)
Cons: Do get blocked/filtered more frequently; not viewable by all email clients; more timely to develop than text; more expensive to develop than text
Multimedia
Pros: Same pros as HTML but added benefits include the ability to include animation (audio and video); more interactive
Cons: Same cons as HTML but increased viewability challenges given the need for audio and video plug-ins; also more expensive and more timely to develop than HTML or text emails
In closing, our message is simple: don't get carried away! Remember
that simplicity is often best. Multimedia email might be "cool"
and "flashy" but sometimes a simple HTML or text message is
still best. Use multimedia technology carefully and prudently
and it will be much more effective. Not sure what to do? Contact
us today!
About cardcommunications:
As an innovative e-marketing outsource solution,
cardcommunications helps businesses deepen customer relationships,
influence client behaviour, build brand and boost revenue. These benefits are achieved though a wide range of
e-marketing programs including e-newsletters, e-promotions, and e-surveys - all built through a combination
of permission-based strategies and best practices. Serving local and national clients in government,
education, high tech and retail sectors, the reach of cardcommunications is broad.
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