Is minimalism nonetheless in? Is it higher to maintain it easy, silly? Or do you have to attempt to stun your subscribers with animated photos and colours galore? Plain textual content versus HTML emails: which one do you have to use on your subsequent electronic mail marketing campaign?
When electronic mail entrepreneurs and builders take a look at an interactive electronic mail marketing campaign with an eye-popping design, they might see a masterpiece. However the reality is, there are some individuals who take a look at emails like that and see nothing however slick advertising and marketing. They usually don’t actually belief it both.
So, what’s the appropriate alternative on your advertising and marketing technique? Must you be sending plain textual content emails or are enticing HTML emails higher at getting folks to interact and convert?
First, let’s be certain we perceive the technical variations between these two sorts of emails. Then, let’s focus on an method that will provide you with and your listing the perfect of each worlds.
What’s a plain textual content electronic mail?
Okay, this sounds just a little self-explanatory, however bear with us. A plain textual content electronic mail is an electronic mail message that solely contains textual content. There aren’t any photos, graphics, columns, layouts, or formatting. Your reader’s electronic mail shopper renders the font as their default electronic mail font. To not point out, hyperlinks aren’t hidden. As an alternative, they’re absolutely written out.
Right here’s an instance of a plain textual content model from certainly one of our newsletters:
Appears fairly boring, proper? However generally, boring isn’t a foul factor. Let’s take a detour to have a look at HTML emails earlier than we unpack their variations and undergo some professionals and cons of each. Cling tight. We’ll present you the place plain textual content emails shine!
What’s an HTML electronic mail?
Whereas a plain textual content electronic mail retains issues minimal and, properly, plain… HTML emails are the precise reverse… at the least they definitely have the potential to be rather more.
Whereas there are limits to what you are able to do with HTML and CSS in electronic mail growth, the massive distinction between the 2 is the usage of any code in any respect. HTML emails will embody components like headings, completely different fonts, photos, hyperlinks, buttons, animations, carousels, and even interactivity.
Check out this HTML model of an E mail on Acid publication:
Much less boring than the plain textual content model, proper? However with nice energy comes nice accountability. When utilizing HTML, you’ll need to deal with a brand new batch of points, like making your emails accessible to all of your readers and creating responsive designs to accommodate subscribers who open your emails on cell gadgets.
Plus, the largest problem with creating HTML emails is inconsistent rendering amongst electronic mail purchasers. The HTML and CSS code that works in Apple Mail, might look completely different in Gmail, and horrible in Outlook inboxes. Fact be advised that’s why an electronic mail testing and optimization platform like ours exists.
Plain textual content vs HTML emails: What are the variations?
Visible variations apart, what makes an HTML electronic mail higher (or worse) than sending plain textual content messages to your subscribers?
Alright, brace your self. This isn’t a plain textual content electronic mail:
What? It’s nothing however textual content and hyperlinks, proper? Aha! However there are hyperlinks with anchor textual content on this message. Meaning there must be some HTML code making it occur. In our unique instance of a plain textual content publication, the dwell hyperlinks have been all full URLs.
HTML emails aren’t only for advertising and marketing. Should you composed an electronic mail in Gmail and also you added an emoji, bolded some textual content, or included a hyperlink – it wasn’t plain textual content in any respect. Listed here are three key variations between plain textual content and HTML emails:
| HTML electronic mails | Plain textual content electronic mails | |
|---|---|---|
| Hyperlinks | You may set the anchor textual content for hyperlinks. | The anchor textual content is the URL itself. |
| Columns and sections | You may design as many or as few columns and sections as you want. HTML creates an effective way to visually break up the textual content. | You may’t create columns or sections. However you possibly can create areas between strains of textual content – moreover that, there’s no different technique to create layouts. |
| Fonts and styling | Utilizing HTML and CSS, you possibly can specify font sort, colour, and measurement. Use font stacks for unsupported fonts. | Your textual content at all times renders with the e-mail shopper’s default font. |
Let’s break issues down just a little additional. What are a number of the particular benefits or disadvantages of sending your listing plain textual content emails versus these with a number of design and performance?
HTML electronic mail professionals and cons
| HTML electronic mail benefits | HTML electronic mail challenges |
|---|---|
| Design flexibility: Code emails to be colourful, participating, multimedia experiences. | Inconsistent electronic mail shopper help: Your electronic mail designs might not render as desired in some mailboxes. Meaning it received’t look or operate as anticipated. |
| Thrilling inbox experiences: Add personalization with dynamic content material, graphics, variable mapping, and extra. | Accessibility: Further steps have to be taken to ensure subscribers of all talents can view and have interaction with HTML emails. |
| Efficiency monitoring: HTML emails present plenty of metrics to assist entrepreneurs measure success | Mail Privateness Safety: New security measures forestall monitoring pixels from precisely reporting metrics similar to electronic mail opens. |
Plain textual content electronic mail professionals and cons
| Plain textual content electronic mail benefits | Plain textual content electronic mail challenges |
|---|---|
| Constant show: You received’t want to check how plain textual content emails render. The one distinction would be the electronic mail shopper’s default font. | Low engagement: It’s robust to persuade folks to learn and click on with nothing however boring textual content. |
| Look private: These messages typically appear to be easy emails from as a substitute of fancy advertising and marketing. They’re additionally accessible for folks utilizing display screen studying software program. | Lack of branding: Your emails received’t have the ability to embody your model’s brand or comply with any of your most popular type tips. |
| Deliverability: Plain textual content emails are barely much less more likely to be filtered into spam folders. | Lack of monitoring: With out the flexibility so as to add monitoring pixels or UTMs, you received’t get any data on open charges or different electronic mail metrics. |
Plain textual content vs HTML emails: Do I’ve to decide on one?
Right here’s the factor – you don’t actually have to decide on. HTML and plain textual content emails shine in other places, they usually complement one another very properly. So why not ship each on the identical time?
This is named Multipurpose Web Mail Extensions (MIME). Most electronic mail service suppliers (ESPs) can convert HTML to plain textual content so you possibly can ship each on the identical time. Then, your reader’s electronic mail shopper can select what model to position in your readers’ inboxes primarily based on their specs.
Minimalist electronic mail design: A cheerful medium
Guess what? There’s a technique to get a number of the better of each worlds. By that, we clearly imply you possibly can ship HTML emails which have the feel and appear of a plain textual content electronic mail.
The fantastic thing about HTML electronic mail design is you get to resolve how a lot branding, imagery, colour, and interactivity goes into it. Because it seems, anti-branding and minimalism are two very talked-about electronic mail design tendencies.
Minimalist graphic design methods make use of fresh strains, loads of white house, and restricted or monochromatic colour palettes. Consider a minimalist electronic mail as being a plain textual content electronic mail with just some important prospers. Anti-branding is a motion by which shoppers attempt to keep away from massive, company manufacturers. It’s a type of model aversion, which is mainly the alternative of name loyalty. Right here’s how Envato describes the anti-branding design pattern:
“The anti-branding pattern typically options monochromatic packaging, barely-there branding, and minimalist messaging…”
Kelsie Rimmer, Envato Author
With a minimalist electronic mail design, you may make the marketing campaign really feel extra like a private message. Right here’s an instance from E mail on Acid. We requested our clients to participate in a survey.
The e-mail above undoubtedly isn’t plain textual content solely. It features a brand, headings, a button, textual content formatting, and hyperlinks. So we clearly used HTML and CSS to construct it. However when mixed with the message, it feels much less like pushy advertising and marketing. As an alternative, it has the extra private appear and feel of a plain textual content electronic mail.
When to make use of minimalist electronic mail designs
There are some conditions by which mimicking a plain textual content electronic mail may very well be a greater method than designing one thing flashy and complicated. Let’s check out the sorts of emails by which minimalism may assist maximize your outcomes.
Gross sales outreach emails
We’ve all most likely acquired a couple of emails from gross sales reps seeking to arrange a demo. They give the impression of being private, they usually normally look pretty plain. However there’s a excessive chance they’re really automated HTML emails.
Gross sales outreach emails, particularly chilly gross sales emails, want that non-public angle. It’s extra essential to begin an interesting, private dialog than to wow them together with your electronic mail design capabilities. Because of this, it’s most likely higher to make use of a minimalist design method.
Necessary bulletins
Typically, electronic mail is used for disaster administration. If in case you have crucial info to move alongside to your listing, chances are you’ll not have time to develop an HTML electronic mail. And truthfully, it is probably not acceptable given the circumstances. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, the precedence wasn’t having flashy emails, the objective was getting messages about security and availability out to the general public.
Nonetheless, just a little little bit of branding makes these sorts of emails look skilled and makes it clear who they got here from.
Transactional emails
Transactional emails, like order confirmations or password reset emails, might be plain textual content emails. You don’t really want to trace these emails. Plus, it lowers the technical overhead of coding HTML electronic mail templates. Your readers are skimming these transactional emails for info, so it’s greatest to maintain them brief and to the purpose.
Nonetheless, just a little little bit of design can enhance model recall and create a extra memorable and even pleasurable electronic mail expertise. Have a look at the best way Nike designed this order affirmation electronic mail. Get extra concepts for transactional electronic mail design.
What about advertising and marketing emails and publication design?
You definitely can use minimalist electronic mail design for newsletters and promotions. Nonetheless, in case you’ve obtained a colourful model, eye-catching merchandise, or participating imagery in your content material, you may wish to do one thing greater than minimal. Plus, in case you’ve obtained a proficient electronic mail workforce, you’ll need them to get artistic, construct lovely HTML emails, and push the envelope of what’s attainable contained in the inbox.
In the end, what works greatest comes right down to what your target market (or on this case your listing) responds to. For instance, the Sinch E mail manufacturers have completely different personas that reply higher to sure issues.
- Mailgun by Sinch is for a technical viewers together with software program engineers and IT professionals. We’ve discovered they reply higher to messages and designs which might be much less pushy and flashy – extra like plain textual content emails.
- E mail on Acid by Sinch tends to draw those that are severe about electronic mail growth and wish to attempt new issues. So, we attempt to mirror a few of that in our campaigns and newsletters.
- Mailjet by Sinch has an viewers that features folks from all kinds of selling roles, together with designers. So, they’re extra seemingly to reply to an electronic mail by which it’s clear somebody hung out contemplating design and technique.
There might even be sure segments of your listing that desire one sort of electronic mail design to a different. However how are you aware what works?
Take the time to check your emails
There are two sorts of testing that may allow you to perceive your viewers/subscribers and take your electronic mail program to the subsequent stage:
- A/B testing (aka cut up testing): Take two completely different components or designs and check the efficiency of 1 choice towards the opposite. You could possibly begin by testing how an HTML electronic mail with a busier design performs in comparison with a plain model with a minimalist method. When you’ve obtained your reply, house in on particular design components, like imagery and CTAs. Discover out extra about electronic mail A/B testing and get some guidelines for doing it proper.
- E mail pre-send testing: This type of electronic mail testing is a part of high quality assurance. It ensures you ship campaigns that render constantly throughout completely different purchasers and gadgets. It’s extraordinarily essential for all sorts of HTML emails and it helps A/B testing too. That’s since you’ll wish to ship a constant design to get correct outcomes from a cut up check.
E mail on Acid gives limitless pre-send testing with all our plans. Meaning you possibly can excellent your HTML electronic mail designs and put your greatest electronic mail ahead with out worrying about working out of previews.
Writer: The E mail on Acid Crew
The E mail on Acid content material workforce is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up electronic mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, comply with us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on electronic mail advertising and marketing.
Writer: The E mail on Acid Crew
The E mail on Acid content material workforce is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up electronic mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, comply with us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on electronic mail advertising and marketing.
