Just a friendly reminder for you to check to make sure your the images in your email have HTML “alt” tags, which displays a text description when the image does not display. Here is why… 

Need I say more? Well yes, I will say more. I have been on Reebok’s list for quite a while. The reason the images were blocked is because they changed the email address used for email.  That removed the inbox whitelist I had previously setup.  While they do have a link to “If you can’t read this newsletter, view the HTML version online”, with no ability to see anything referencing email content, why should I click that link? Because of the subject line?This leads me to another topic: Image only emails - Why? With all of the chatter from ESP’s and the Blogosphere on email rendering and conversion increases from well designed/coded emails, why do people still do it?  I will tell you why, because it is easy. It takes time to code email for optimal rendering. In an image only email, you can create a unique and dynamic experience.  But is that going to pay the bills?Make sure that your designers are aware of the complexities of the inbox BEFORE they start designing.

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 The Nigerian con-artists that once littered your inbox with wire transfer requests have upped their game and infiltrated Facebook. Karina Wells, a Google employee in Australia, had logged on for a little mid-afternoon poke and wall post action when she received a message from what appeared to be one of her friends claiming to be stranded in Nigeria and asking for money to purchase a plane ticket home. The scammer’s use of the term “cell phone” instead of the more common Australian phrase “mobile phone” tipped off Wells (apparently the whole unexplained excursion to Africa didn’t quite set off the alarm) and she contacted authorities. The incident represents a growing trend of cybercriminals moving to the 2.0 world and, despite assertions from Facebook that “only a small percentage of Facebook users have been affected by recent attacks,” the social networking site still plans to boost its security systems. And a little common sense reminder: your friends are far more likely to end up penniless, without a ride somewhere like a bus stop or the mall, but likely not in west Africa.

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Can you guess what words are going to be the “Marketing’ leading words to avoid in 2009? Wth the current economic crisis consumers require straightforward, honest advertising. According to entrepreneur the number one word to avoid in advertising for 2009 is ‘free’. Ads that include messages about a free product or service promotions can work well during an economic downturn, but consumers need to see the products perform well. Other words on the top 10 list include ‘guarantee’, ‘really’ and ‘opportunity’.But are these words that are going to cause you any issues? Well they could depending on all sorts of factors. Now I am not telling you to NOT use these words, but think about them in a larger context around your overall brand and efforts for the year ahead. A quick win can cause long term issues with trying to devaluate your offers and brand in email.Copy is important in the subject line and in the body of your email. As Indiana Jones was told… Choose Wisely.

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While it may seem like the natural partner to web development, the art of email marketing comes with a whole new set of important steps to take if you want that newsletter to pay dividends. Ben Chestnut lays down ten top tips for anyone wondering how best to approach that tricky first campaign.

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