vital marketing

The inbox is overflowing. And if your customer or client is using Outlook Preview Pane (they probably are) or Google Mail (snippets), chances are you have a couple lines of text to entice them to open.

Look familiar? I’m not picking on Corel; most companies are guilty of ignoring what happens in Autopreview. Does an email like this entice you to open? Perhaps the subject line will get you – but Autopreview adds nothing to the equation.

So if you are sending html email – a newsletter or promotion – what do you do?

Here are two valid options:

1. Use alt-text behind your images. From a Jeanne Jennings post on Optimizing for Snippets: “Yes, you can simply place your fabulously engaging snippet/AutoPreview phrase at the very top of the e-mail where all will see it. Or you can use alt tags and place it beneath an image at the top of your e-mail (say, your logo). The alt tag text will come through in the snippet or AutoPreview area, but it won’t be seen once the reader opens the e-mail. This is sneakier — and to my eye, more visually appealing — than having a phrase at the very top of your message.

To learn more, here’s a nice entry from David Greiner on Campaign Monitor’s blog: Optimizing for Gmail’s snippets and Outlook’s AutoPreview.

2. “…place your fabulously engaging snippet/AutoPreview phrase at the very top of the e-mail where all will see it”…. BUT make the text white. You will be able to read the text in autopreview but when it is opened, the text is not seen and doesn’t mess with the look of your email. I saw this effectively done by Adobe.

As always – bottom line in email marketing – Test. Test. And then go test some more.