How to Create an HTML Newsletter (Ezine)
In a nutshell, an HTML newsletter is a web page that is transmitted via some email broadcasting service. Because this format incorporates graphics and color, HTML newsletters are more attention-getting than plain text newsletters. Overall, when compared to a plain text newsletter, HTML newsletters:
--Have a higher click-through rate (more readers click on the links contained within your newsletter that link back to your site, affiliate program, or sales offers)
--Permit you to track your open rate (determine how many readers actually open your email newsletter)
--Help you continue to establish your brand in front of your readers, as it may carry the same look as your website or other marketing materials you may use
--Are read more often than plain text newsletters because of the eye-catching graphics
Here are 10 steps you can follow to make the creation of your email newsletter quick and easy:
1. Select your newsletter distribution service. Many small business owners start their newsletters by choosing to send them out via their email program (Outlook). When their list begins to grow to several hundred subscribers or more, this task begins to overwhelm them. The dangers you face by choosing to send your email newsletter out through your email program are two-fold:
a. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) can shut you down if you send out an excessive amount of email each day. If you exceed the daily limit of outgoing emails established by your ISP, they will brand you a spa*mmer and shut down your account, many times without warning and without any ability to reinstate your account.
b. When you start to get a larger number of subscribers, you'll begin to get emails asking you to remove them from the list (yes, it happens to us all!) or to change their email address or requesting your latest newsletter issue. Get 10-15 of these emails per day and you'll soon end up spending all of your time managing your list.
There are a number of distribution options available in various price ranges. If you plan on designing an ezine template yourself using an HTML editor, I recommend aWeber.com, which offers sequential autoresponders in addition to being able to send out your email newsletter. If you don't want to learn HTML and want to use a template-driven system in which all you have to do is cut and paste your text, I recommend ConstantContact.com. Both of these services offer automatic subscriber management (where subscribers can go in and change their email address or take themselves off a list) as well as the ability to customize your opt-in and thank you pages.
2. Determine your software needs. There are several heavy duty website design and HTML editing programs out there to help you design your newsletter template. If all you plan to do is create a newsletter, there's no need to spend lots of money. I recommend that you try this easy-to-use HTML editor found at CoffeeCup.com. If you're really interested in web design, I recommend you purchase DreamWeaver, which has a steep learning curve but will serve you well over the long-term.
3. Create your newsletter template. Your template will probably be a simple table format that incorporates your logo and a few other graphics. Your newsletter should not exceed 600 pixels in width, as you want to ensure that your readers won't have to scroll across the screen to read your newsletter. And, in the case of HTML newsletter, size does matter. A newsletter that is large in size (greater than 25 MB) is tough to deliver through many email systems. Less than 20 KB is optimal for greatest chance of delivery to your subscribers.
4. Link all graphics to the full graphic URL. In order for an image to display, it must be hosted on a website. Some distribution programs, like Constant Contact, will host images on their server. However, if you're creating your email newsletter from scratch, you need to tell the newsletter distribution program the full URL that will help it locate the image. So, for example, in your website design program, you might see an image URL listed as ...images/yourimage.jpg. In an email newsletter, the full path of the image URL needs to be indicated, as in www.yourwebsite.com/newletter/images/yourimage.jpg in order for the image to display. So, be sure that any images your paste into your newsletter are also uploaded to your website, and check to see that the full URL for the image is listed in the image properties of your graphic. If you need an FTP program to help you upload images or pages to your hosting account, I recommend CuteFTP.com.
5. Create the content in a plain text editor program. Have you ever gotten a newsletter and it's filled with funny characters like "youâll"? If you create the text of your newsletter in MS Word and try and cut and paste it into your HTML editor, many times you'll bring unwanted Word formatting in the text. Consequently, when you send out your newsletter, it appears in your subscriber's email client with the funny characters indicated above. In many cases, the punctuation in Word (quotation marks and apostrophes, in particular) are the culprits. To ensure that you've created ASCII text (the most basic, format-free text), you'll want to compose your articles in a plain text editor program, like Notepad, found on computers with Windows operating systems.
6. Finalize your newsletter content. Open your newsletter template and cut and paste your new content into this edition. Save this edition on your hard drive with a different file name than your template so that you don't overwrite your template. If you want to create a newsletter archive, you'll also want to upload the newsletter to your website. Check your content for typos, punctuation mistakes, and grammar mistakes.
7. Sp*am check your ezine. Some distribution services have this feature built into their broadcast service and will evaluate the content, colors, images, etc. of your email broadcast and point out if there are any attributes of your broadcast that might be caught in sp*am filters. If your service doesn't offer this feature, you can run both the body and subject line of your broadcast through this fr*ee evaluation service: http://spamcheck.sitesell.com/. Some subject line sp*am triggers include; all caps, exclamation marks, or the word "fr*ee". If you have a score of 5 or higher, you'll need to change the problem components of your broadcast.
8. Upload the ezine. In most cases, this means you need to copy and paste the HTML coding from your editor into your broadcast program.
9. Use personalization. When a subject line of an email contains your first name, doesn't that quickly grab your attention? If your broadcast service permits you to personalize either the subject line of your broadcast or the content of your broadcast, take advantage of this feature and use it! This is an easy strategy to increase your newsletter's open rate.
10. Send out a test broadcast. To ensure that your content displays like you think it will, send yourself a test copy to yourself. I also send test copies to my AOL, Hotmail, Google, and Yahoo addresses, as many of my subscribers have those addresses. Evaluate your test copy and make any corrections or adjustments needed.
Now that you've completed these steps, you're ready to send your broadcast.
An HTML newsletter that is published regularly is a great "stay-in-touch" marketing mechanism. Showcase your expertise and begin your newsletter today!
Copyright (c) 2006 Donna Gunter
Related Tags: ezine
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps self-employed service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To sign up for more FREE tips like these and claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at Get More Clients Online.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Marketing And Customer Relationship Management
Send your notice of rent in time, for free. His Craigslist ad rental unit will be available on the s - Google Fundamentals - Simple Ideas You Need To Know
Google has made easy the lives of many of us by making it possible to search on the internet. But, t - Rss Feed Marketing Strategy
There never seems to be an end to new marketing buzz words on the internet. You most likely have hea - Common Mistakes You Should Avoid While Twitter Marketing
A Twitter marketer makes his first mistake by bragging about his products and services. But let's fa - A Tactical Approach To Social Network Marketing
For many social network marketing involves joining any of the available online communities, making c - How To Turn Your Website Visitors Into Customers
Some websites only get a dose of the cost from the money they spent on building up the website. Visi - Content Rich Marketing Strategies For Attorneys
More then just a smartly designed website is essential in today's competitive online market. To succ - Should You Include Video Seo In Your Seo Techniques?
Orange County SEO experts always look forward to include newer SEO techniques in their process. This - Internet Network Marketing - Don't Give Up, You May Be Just 3 Feet From Gold!
One of the most common causes of failure in Network Marketing business is people quitting when they - As Recession Persists Small Businesses Record Success Making Money Online
As the third quarter of the year comes to an end by September, statistics from the 'New York Stock E
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Affiliate Marketing: Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway
It sounds funny to be talking about fear and affiliate marketing in the same sentence. You normall - John Reese Review: What makes Traffic Secrets, Auction Secrets, and the Reese Report a Success
John Reese is one of the most experienced people working on the net today, and has been getting atte - Internet Marketing - Selling To Tony
As usual, I was scanning a forum the other day, and the inevitable question arose: What is the best - MySpace Marketing: How To Distinguish Yourself From The Crowd
When I checked my MySpace Inbox yesterday, one of my "friends" had sent me a message asking "What do - How To Avoid Internet Marketing Misery
Every day you can read stories about people who have made a fortune online. Being an Internet entrep - All About Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing is a broad topic that primarily deals with you (the affiliate) selling - Make Money with Niche Health Content
The health industry is much bigger than the internet marketing industry. Billions are spent each an - Why Make Money Online
There are so many opportunities on how to make money online. You can start your own business, sell p - Establishing Your Identity on the Internet
If your business plan involves establishing a personal identity on the Internet, this requires some - Internet Marketing Consultants And How They Help You Market Your Business Online
An Internet marketing firm can offer the push that any business web site needs to be recognized by t