If you are getting ready to evaluate your e-newsletter design there are some things you should know about how the email environment has changed and can differ from the web environment.

 

Email clients tend to have a variety of security features that can make your newsletter appear differently to different users based on specific settings.  These security features can make your email look differently in an inbox than on your microsite. Here we will discuss some things you can do to ensure your messages reach your audience as you intend them ...

Blocking images from an unknown sender has become increasingly popular among mail clients these days. When a subscriber first opens their inbox to find your message they may see only the HTML text surrounded by broken images. This is due to the mail client blocking the display of images. Unfortunately not all mail clients are the same in how you actually download the images. This can make it more difficult for subscribers that want to see your message in its entirety if they are unable to figure out the option to download the images within their specific mail client. Fortunately there is something you can do to ease this process.

Have you ever received an email that has improper formatting, a typo, or a link that doesn’t work? Have you ever sent one?  Embarrassing, isn’t it?
 
eNews Builder's service gives you the opportunity to send a test message to yourself and your editing team before sending it out to your entire subscriber base. While this might seem like an unnecessary step – not to mention extra work – the benefits far outweigh the extra time it takes to do it.

 

Why Spend the Extra Time to Test?
Your e-newsletter is the voice of your group and a reflection of the publisher. As soon as your e-newsletter hits the inbox of your readers, they instantly form a perception of your company. As publisher, you want to ensure that when they finish reading your e-newsletter with an impression that your company has integrity, values high quality, and respects its readers.  You can only do that if your e-newsletter is top notch – typos, a graphic that doesn’t show, missing or broken links and other miscues will chip away at that, one mistake at a time.

 

What to Test For
When you send a test message, you want to look at every aspect of your e-newsletter. Here are some common areas that you want to pay particular attention to...

eNewsBuilder has released an improved User Interface(UI).  Most of you may already be using this improved user interface(UI) with new and easy to use navigation. This month we will repeat the details of this change in greater detail and what it means for your account.
 
The improved UI now includes a Framed Preview. See a preview of the new look by clicking the thumbnail to the right. This new Framed Preview allows you to immediately see the issue you have selected, right from the Main Menu. In addition to this new preview function you will also see that the navigation has changed. The new navigation simply lists all of the main functions of your account within the navigation at the left of the page; this new navigation makes finding what you're looking for faster and easier.