Beginner Round: Email Basics & HTML

CSO’s 2014 Training & Networking Conference | Austin, TX | Copyright © 2014 CSO Research, Inc.

Beginner Round:Email Basics & HTML

Rebecca GiddingsKeenan Perry


Session startersPlease silence all cell phones

Please hold questions for question breaks

Please state your name and organizationwhen asking a question

PowerPoints and handouts are available at www.csoresearch.com/csoconference

Sit back, relax and let’s have some fun!

http://www.csoresearch.com/csoconference


Overview• Subject line best practices• Email best practices – content &

formatting• How to navigate HTML• “Quick and dirty” HTML email demo• HTML memo demo• Q&A


Subject Line Best Practices• 50 characters or less• Concise & informative – but show your

personality!• Avoid spam filters:– ALL CAPS–Multiple punctuation!!!– Dollar signs $– “Spammy” language – “free,” “percent

off,” “act now”


Subject Line Best Practices

35%of email recipients

open email based on the subject line

alone(Jay Baer, Convince & Convert

News)

x Too long: 106 charactersx Boring!x Important information is toward the end

Shorter: 49 characters Actionable Concise

Shorter: 51 characters Catchy Relevant Informative


Email Best Practices - Content• Use common sense!

– Communicate:• Clearly• Succinctly• Consistently• With personality

• Keep most important content “above the fold”

• Include a call to action• Include physical address in the footer• Unsubscribe option• Test, test, test!!!

the “fold”


Email Best Practices – the bad

Are you excited to read this??? After reading it, do you have a clear picture of what to do?


Email Best Practices – the ugly

Yes, I’ve seen emails like this. Just don’t let them come from your office!


Email Best Practices – the good

More communication, fewer words

Visually appealing


Email Best Practices - Formatting

• Font size: 13px and up• Width: 600px• Use inline styles• Avoid using red text – can trigger

spam filters• Use “alt” tags for

all images “alt” text


Keep mobile in mind!

From line becomes more prominent

Subject line length

First few lines of your email are important

Mobile now makes up the majority of email opens at

51% (Litmus)

<body><div id="header"> <div id="header_logo"> <div id="outcomes_logo"><a href="http://www.theoutcomessurvey.com"><img src="../images/logo.png" alt="The Outcomes Survey" width="560" height="97" border="0" /></a></div> <div id="cso_logo"> Powered by<br /> <a href="http://www.csoresearch.com" target="_blank"><img src="../images/cso_logo.jpg" alt="CSO Research" width="90" height="38" border="0" /></a></div> </div> <div id="top_menu_bar"> <div id="top_nav"> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.theoutcomessurvey.com">Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.theoutcomessurvey.com/why_outcomes.html">Why Outcomes?</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.theoutcomessurvey.com/the_survey.html">The Survey</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.theoutcomessurvey.com/team.html">The Team</a></li> </ul> <div id="demo_button"><a href="http://www.theoutcomessurvey.com/demo.html" class="demo_button"><img src="../images/icon_demo.png" alt="" width="21" height="20" />Request a Demo</a></div> <div id="grad_nav"><em>Taking the survey and need help? Read our <a href="http://www.theoutcomessurvey.com/grads/faq.html">FAQ</a></em></div> </div> </div></div>

When you see this

Do you feel like this?


HTML Overview• Syntax

<p>Your text here</p>

• Nesting tags<p><u>Your underlined text here</u></p>

opening tag

closingtag

displayed content

<p> tag is outside

<u> tag nested inside

Your text here

Your underlined text here


Customizing Emails in CSO• Use HTML and embed images into

your message to give it life!– Images must exist on the internet in

order to be pasted into the email body• If your image is still located on your

computer, we can upload it for you!

– Use the following code: • <img src=“image.jpg”>


Live Demo - Email


Q&A

<p>I have a <strong><em>question!</em></strong></p>

I have a question!


Thank you for attending!If you have any additional questions, please

contact the Support Team or your CRM.

What’s next?Evening event – Abel’s on the Lake!

6:00 pm

Join us at Abel’s on the Lake for drinks, dinner and a live karaoke band! Meet us in

the Sheraton lobby at 5:45pm for free shuttle transportation to the event.

Sponsored in part by:

Beginner Round: Email Basics & HTML

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Transcript of Beginner Round: Email Basics & HTML