This blog post starts with the blog post EMAIL MARKETING TEMPLATE | 18 TIPS TO BOOST YOUR CAMPAIGNS (Part 1) and contains a free email template.

10. LINK STYLING. Don’t forget to style the <a> tag. This will overwrite the email client’s standard link tags.

11. AVOID BACKGROUND IMAGES. Stick to block colors rather than images for the backgrounds for your text; only use funky gradients, images, etc. when no text is involved.

12. BORDERS DON’T WORK! With emails, you must be aware of all browser and email client constrains so, when you have borders that can either sit outside or inside the <td>, or be included/excluded from the <td> width, there isn’t much you can do. The fix? Drop two extra <td>’s to both sides of the main <td>, and set the background color in each one. This will again “fake” the look of a border and work in all browsers and email clients.

13. HOTMAIL BUG FIXES. One huge bug you will come across is the strange padding added to all images. Why do they do this? Who knows? All I know is, there is a wonderfully easy fix: <img src=”image.jpg” style=”display:block;”>

14. JAVA=JUNK EMAIL. You cannot, unfortunately, include any type of JavaScript. So no fancy pop-ups or auto-scrolling emails please! If you do decide to include it anyway, your email may be sent to the junk folder. Email clients will see you as a threat. And this is obviously not good. So please stick to plain old HTML.

15. GIVE THE USER A WAY OUT. When sending general newsletters to various clients/customers, although you have a lovely designed and developed email, that user may not want your email. Always allow them a way out, by adding an unsubscribe link to the bottom of the email.

16. USERS WANT OPTIONS. Some users may be utilizing a very basic email client – maybe they’re checking their webmail at work or on their phones. Images and complex designs may not be best for these types of clients. Consider, at the top of the email, having a link which points to the email on a web server somewhere, so the user can view the email in all its glory.

17. RESPONSIVE, RESPONSIVE, RESPONSIVE! Mobile email optimization is a progressively more significant practice, as nearly 50% of emails are now interpreted on smartphones, a trend that is expected to accelerate. Different mobile phones display emails differently, so your design has to put up as many platforms as probable. Give special interest to how your email displays on devices that exhibit full HTML emails, as you want to get the highest exposure out of every message. You definitely want any links to go to mobile-optimized websites, so you can maintain a flawless interaction.

18. TEST. Test new ideas using A/B testing. Let your customers decide which message works best for them.

Keep an eye out for new trends and your hunger for knowledge alive. You never know if tomorrow, we will be the ones reading your tips. Let me give you a final warning on quality: Whether you are an advertiser planning your campaigns or a Designer looking to finish a job on schedule, always have quality as your highest standard.

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