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Why Email Marketing and Images Don't Mix

Posted by Mike Volpe on Wed, Jun 23, 2010
 

Email marketing is a powerful tool, when used correctly.  But below is an example of not using email marketing correctly.  Please, please, please, don't use large images in email.  Why?  Because the majority of the time, people won't see your images. Outlook and Gmail block images.  Devices like Blackberries usually don't download them.

Large images are not appropriate for email.  (It is OK to use a small image as part of your email, but not the entire email.)

Want an example? See below.  This is an invitation from the AdClub for an event.  Except I have no idea what event, when or where it is, or if I want to go by looking at the email in my inbox.  Sure, I could click on the link... but the extra 5 seconds that takes makes it less likely I will do it (don't we all have too much email to process?).

Note: I love the folks at the AdClub.  They throw some great events.  I feel bad about picking on their email, but hopefully the additional exposure of the event will make them forgive me.

email marketing images don;t mix

 

What do you think?  Do you use images or text in email?

 

Update: Here is another email with only images, and what it looks like on my iphone:

email images mistake on ipad


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COMMENTS

Totally agree. Too often people use e-mail marketing to distribute giant e-flyers that don't load instantly rather actual content we can quickly read, scan or search.

posted @ Wednesday, June 23, 2010 11:38 AM by Sam Coren


Mike, 
 
Amen! Thanks for bringing that up. Short of a logo or something minimalist, email should be all about the copy. Short, concise copy with a clear call to action can be VERY effective. Graphic-heavy email still has lots of problems in both Gmail (for the reason you shared) and on Blackberries. 
 
Ryan Malone 
SmartBug Media 
A content marketing agency 
@RyanMalone 

posted @ Wednesday, June 23, 2010 12:13 PM by Ryan Malone


Funny. The next e-mail I opened after this one looks exactly like the one you got from AdClub...

posted @ Wednesday, June 23, 2010 2:07 PM by Jane


Of course, even though their email is made up of an entire image. AdClub could have split it up into parts, and use alt/title text in place of the images so that people can at least read something before they decide to click "display images". 
 
Using images in email isn't inherently bad. Forgetting about accessibility and ease of use is.

posted @ Wednesday, June 23, 2010 2:49 PM by Zev


Agree Mike. Most emails today are viewed on mobile devices like iPhones and Blackberries. Tiny images work, but large ones do not. 
 
 
 
Readers are impatient too. Get to the point fast. 
 
<a>www.findnewcustomers.com

posted @ Thursday, August 05, 2010 1:34 PM by Jeff Ogden


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