![\"HTML](\"http:\/\/blogs.constantcontact.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/hints-html-email-example-338x600.png\")
<\/h3>\nEmail marketing messages come in two different forms \u2014 HTML email and plain text email. \u00a0What\u2019s the difference between the two and which works better for your business? \u00a0We use constant contact for our email marketing. \u00a0We prefer HTML emails. \u00a0 Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n
An HTML email is what you typically see from other businesses and organizations. They contain images, colors, formatting, and often start with an email template.\u00a0Take a look at this example of our Hints & Tips newsletter. Everything from the logo at the top, to the colors, image, and call-to-action button are only possible in an HTML email.<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\nPlain text emails are exactly what they sound like. No bells or whistles here \u2014 just plain text without graphics, formatting, or buttons. \u00a0Here\u2019s that same newsletter example, this time shown as a plain text email:<\/p>\n
![\"plain](\"http:\/\/blogs.constantcontact.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/plain-text-email-example-338x600.png\")
<\/p>\n
From the examples above, it should be pretty clear that plain text emails limit your options.Here are four main advantages of HTML emails:<\/p>\n
Creating a visual impact is key to successful email marketing. By customizing an email template you\u2019re able to add your business\u2019s colors and logo to reinforce your brand. Your product promotions become stronger when you can show images of your product and offer additional information through a clickable call-to-action. \u00a0Here\u2019s a great example from Taza Chocolate:<\/p>\n
![\"taza](\"http:\/\/blogs.constantcontact.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/taza-chocolate-image.png\")
2. More conversions<\/h3>\nEffective emails are easy to act on. With HTML emails, you\u2019re able to format your message so the call-to-action stands out, and add clickable links so readers can easily engage with your message. The simpler you make it for your reader to act the more likely they are to do it.<\/p>\n
To really know how well your email performed, you need to track your results. Using an email service to send HTML emails gives you access to email tracking tools and reports so you can measure your audience engagement and determine what information resonates best.<\/p>\n
![\"Constant](\"http:\/\/blogs.constantcontact.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/constant-contact-email-tracking-tools-and-reports.png\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n
Your email readers typically aren\u2019t looking to read paragraph after paragraph of information. They want to scan your email quickly, pick out the main points, and determine what\u2019s important to them. Because visuals are processed faster than text, HTML emails help you get your message across more effectively. \u00a0Also, with better formatting options you can break up large chunks of text or show information in a graph or table.<\/p>\n
With an email service like Constant Contact, you can choose from hundreds of professionally-designed email templates and customize your email to fit your business brand.\u00a0If an email client cannot display the design version for any reason, your contacts will automatically be shown a plain text version.<\/p>\n
You can also optimize your HTML version to avoid major discrepancies. Avoid\u00a0common image mistakes. For example, don\u2019t send an image-only email. Image-only emails are commonly associated with bulk spammers and could send your email to the spam folder.<\/p>\n
A good rule of thumb is to make sure your message still makes sense, even if the images are turned off. To help, add an image description so that readers can understand what they should be seeing.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n
![\"html](\"http:\/\/blogs.constantcontact.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/html-email-with-image-descriptions-600x291.png\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Email marketing messages come in two different forms \u2014 HTML email and plain text email….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n