Mail HTML and the Email System

Email is a common fixture in the internet driven world of today. It has all but replaced fax communications in many offices and become a powerful tool for businesses looking to drive home their marketing message. Email definitely has its advantages, but the integration of HTML adds a degree of complexity to the simple process of sending a message.

The Mail HTML Concept

Hyper Text Markup Language or simply HTML, is the primary language used to create web pages. It serves as the foundation for a number of dynamic scripting languages, including ASP, PHP and Cold Fusion. Aside from building websites, HTML is also good for creating graphically appealing emails that greatly enhance the reader experience. Popular mail clients from Outlook to Eudora now support the format. The lingering downside is that it was designed for the web and still has not been standardized for the email system. This very factor means that mail HTML integration will not always be a seamless process.

Creating HTML Email

HTML calls for you to do much more than write out a simple message and send it off. You just can not attach a file to your email and be done with it. HTML requires you to do some coding and possibly get out of your comfort zone. It can be confusing and difficult at times, but many tools exist to minimize the learning curve. For example, there are HTML editors such as FrontPage and Dreamweaver, as well templates that give you the essential building blocks to work with. The design process is a critical stage and one that weighs heavily on the final product. All it takes is a simple mishap to cause compatibility issues for mail readers that already have a difficult time rendering HTML.

Common Usage

One of the most common ways to use HTML email involves the integration of images and graphics. In order for this to work, those images or graphics must be uploaded to a web server. Either type of enhancement can be inserted in a standard IMG tag and appear anywhere in your message. So when someone opens your email, the image is fetched from the website and displayed. You have many options here, ranging from free image hosting to website hosting services. If you have a website, then using the features of your web hosting plan would certainly be the more reliable option. Free services tend to have limitations that can hinder the effectiveness of your campaign. They also tend to be a haven for spammers and malware writers.

Enter the MIME

A multi-part MIME format is key to successful mail HTML integration. It is essentially a feature email software performs by combining an HTML and text version of your message together in a single package. This basically means that if the recipients mail program does not support your beautifully designed HTML message, they can view the text version and still get the most important elements. Because using MIME incorrectly could leave you with less than desirable results, you may want to consider an easy to use email program or a third-party service that can do it all for you.

Gary San is a best practices activist and advocate for Benchmark Email (http://www.benchmarkemail.com/resources/email-marketing-articles/Opt-In-Email-Vs.-Bulk-Email-Spam), a leading Web and permission-based bulk email service.

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