Blog: Observations & Answers

Despite the odd request for an opinion, we've been reserved when it has come to speculating about what Facebook Messages will mean to email designers and their clients. Facebook announced this under the ominous 'Project Titan' label in mid-November - predictably, over two months (and much hysteria) later, we're only just starting to see these updates get rolled out, let alone the 'emailpocalypse'.

Finally, a couple of folks on our team gained access to Facebook Messages and to be honest, the sentiment has been pretty flat. Our friends at Litmus obviously felt the same when they got a early sneak-peek and declared it to be 'irrelevant to email marketers'. But the awkwardness of not having subject lines in replies and segregation to the 'Other' pile aside, we thought we'd provide some practical observations on how Facebook Messages deals with email campaigns.

Text yourself before you wreck yourself

The first thing you'll notice when looking at an HTML email in Messages' 'Other' inbox is that the plain-text alternative is displayed by default. The column width is roughly 60 characters wide, meaning that Facebook forces lines of text to wrap if they extend beyond this:

It's often really easy to ignore the text version of your campaign (unless you're sending plain-text emails, of course), so this is a solid reminder that it's worth putting a bit of effort in, also for the sake of mobile device users and anyone who prefers to read their email sans HTML support. We've even got some plain-text templates and formatting tips to help you back on the path.

Note that Messages does not automatically turn URLs into links, which to us is a real usability boo.

Not quite the CSS support we were hoping for

There's a little 'expand' link next to the plain text version, that loads the HTML content of an email campaign in a lightbox window. The link may not be the most obvious thing in the world, but after the initial coverage on Facebook Messages, I guess we were glad to see HTML email support there at all. Or, so we thought.

You see, every month, we send out an HTML email newsletter. We test it. We keep it simple. Here's what it looks like in most email clients:

With Facebook overriding, or ignoring our CSS styles, we were in for a bit of a surprise:

Admittedly, our newsletter isn't perfect and we haven't tested Facebook's CSS support down to the smallest attribute. But as we all know, it only takes a few properties to knock down all the fences. So far, we've found that:

• padding is not supported, thus the collapsed sections
• background-color is also not supported
• Link colors are overridden with color #3B5998
• p tags have a margin of 10-15px applied to both the top and bottom (unless explicitly defined in your styles)
• Some class names are stripped, so please inline your CSS

I'm sure there's more to find, but those were the most visible rendering issues. Overall, we'd say Messages' HTML email rendering capability is on par with Gmail's - not bad, not awesome - with a few points in the positive for having images turned on by default, but a few points docked for fickle CSS support.

Should I be concerned about Facebook Messages?

I personally don't think this version of Facebook Messages will become a rising star in the email client world. Geared towards short form, text-only messages, its certainly a step up if you value chattering within your Facebook friend network (and its text messaging support is a bonus in this regard), but its limitations as an email platform will most likely prevent it from being widely used as an everyday email address. Plus, would you take a job applicant really seriously if they were sending from a @facebook.com address? Really?

Then again, Facebook Messages may be the unified communications solution of the future and I may live to eat my headband. But for a couple of reasons, I don't think that will be the case anytime soon.

We speak to countless individual customers each day, each with unique experiences, requests and ideas. Sometimes, the conversation goes on for years, as is the case with David Ditges. Over the last decade, he’s held a variety of roles - one-time missionary in Africa, long-time UX & creative guy and Campaign Monitor customer since 2004. So, on the launch of his new rebrand, we thought it was time to drop by for a chat regarding what got him started with email design, what’s kept him going in both Africa and the US and his aspirations as a newly-minted Campaign Monitor reseller.

Hi David, tell us a bit about what got you into email design and some of the projects you’ve been working on over the last few years.

Wow, 6 years now? Time flies by when you are having fun and doing what you are passionate about.

Call me a tech geek, but I really enjoy designing e-mails. It’s even taken me to far off countries. I first started creating emails for clients when I worked for a web company in 2003. Its always been fun figuring out the best times to send and making email campaigns better value for clients and subscribers alike. However, I don’t think I really grasped the power of email newsletters until I moved to South Africa to work as the creative director for a Christian ministry.

“I had to carry a charged automobile battery up a mountain every week, just so we could have the Internet”

I did this for 5 years working with a ministry organization in South Africa, where Internet and web applications were not always quick and readily available. I had to carry a charged automobile battery up a mountain every week, just so we could have the Internet, but that’s another story. During this time, I was always thinking of better ways to connect with our supporters and saw the potential e-mail marketing had in allowing us to connect with our audience in a clear and specific way, while meeting their needs as well as ours.

Photo courtesy of David Ditges

Through the monthly e-mails we sent out using Campaign Monitor, people were motivated to give and the organization, Thrive Africa, continued to serve and minister to thousands in South Africa. We were able to incorporate pictures, short excerpts, and featured articles that enabled people all over the world to know what was going on in our little town, in our corner of the world thousands of miles away, in South Africa. Gone are the days of mail merges and expensive mass mailings that took days and days to get to people. Technology was at our fingertips and information was shared in seconds, not weeks!

“There is so much potential for companies to connect with their customers and email is a great (and inexpensive) way to do that.”

Not only did I use Campaign Monitor for the ministry, but I also designed my own e-mails to stay in touch with those supporting me. Through monthly e-mails, I was able to raise enough financial support to stay in South Africa for 5 years. Now that I am back in the ‘States, I see the same need for companies here to communicate with their clientele. There is so much potential for companies to connect with their customers and email is a great (and inexpensive) way to do that. My job now is to make organizations more successful. 
 
On a very personal note, I created and designed my own wedding e-mail to keep our guests informed and updated with everything they needed to know before the event. Email isn’t just for business, after all.

Recently, you started your own rebrand, Skyhigh. What makes it different from other email marketing services?

I love technology and how it can help people. It’s my focus at work, at home and now through this business. Skyhigh* was born with my own sweat and blood and that’s what makes it special. I am a designer who loves the pure and simple, the quick and easy, plus getting the most bang for your buck. That’s why I offer two different options through Skyhigh - either you can run with custom or free templates. Different users have different needs and I’ve been on both sides, both ends. 
 

Through Skyhigh, I also get to concentrate on what really drives me: figuring out what customers and subscribers really want to know. Let’s face it, there is a great deal of information that companies want to communicate to their customers, but figuring out what is really relevant and the best way to present it is my expertise. After helping raise thousands of dollars for a non-profit, I’ve come to appreciate the power of creating engaging emails and what this can achieve for clients overall.
 
On that note, getting to know the client, their purpose and goals is a necessity when assisting them in getting the best outcome from their email campaigns. I research new clients and make myself available through e-mail, phone calls and in person. 

Finally, what’s your advice to other designers and developers out there that are aspiring to offer email marketing themselves?

Give it a whirl! I have really enjoyed digging deep into my creative side and seeing what new things I can come up with. You can do the same, so show us what you’ve got! We all can benefit from this.

Really, do your research and try it out - rebranding Campaign Monitor is a quick and easy way to start your own business. I know this will create more competition for myself, however I enjoy the challenge. Watch out though, I’m paving the way!

* It’s important to note that we don’t specially endorse, or refer customers to Skyhigh - its awesomeness speaks for itself!

Over the weekend, I was booking airline tickets from a certain carrier that will remain unnamed. Just when I thought I was getting an awesome deal, I noticed in the periphery that the price had shot up... However, by that point I'd already hit the 'Purchase' button and was well on the way to having my credit card docked. A few moments later, I received an additional email on top of my tickets - it turned out that I had 'accidentally' signed up for insurance, too.

Up there on the annoyance scale with unsubscribe links that don't work are check-boxes that are already checked for you. In this case, some clever sales hack decided that all customers should get signed up to a policy by default... But is this really different from assuming that everyone wants to get signed up to an email newsletter?

Many may say, 'Oh, but famous retailer X does it!' and sadly, they may be accurate. However, there are two simple reasons why us folks at Campaign Monitor don't accept lists that have been collected in this manner, being:

• It's not right to send email without prior consent - Email recipients don't like it and it's against the law in places like Canada and Australia, so we've worked an opt-in requirement into our terms of use to keep our customers on the right side of the tracks. As a result, everyone enjoys high delivery and low spam complaint rates.
• It makes you a nice guy or gal - Choice is a wonderful thing. I can be a friend to someone and love their personality, dress, or Minecraft addiction. However, I may choose to not take an interest in their LinkedIn, their dog park group or what they're having for dinner. But say I started getting 'accidentally' signed up to updates about dog parks (even though I'm not interested), then things will get a little awkward. Same applies to email - sending without consent is just bad manners.

So, word to all the designers out there with keen clients on the list-building front. Sometimes permission can be a difficult topic to get get started on, but when it comes to 'affirmative consent', having your opt-in check-boxes unticked isn't just about choice, its the law. On a positive note, here's an example of a newsletter opt-in checkbox that's doing the right thing:

Finally, we'd love to hear about how you've discussed issues surrounding permission (and sign up forms in particular) with your clients. If you've had a curious experience, a pushy corporate client or simply a funny quip, please let us know about it in the comments below.

PS: I still haven't been refunded for the insurance policy yet.

If email's been your thing since Thanksgiving, then Santa probably couldn't come soon enough. However, with our 5th Annual Christmas Email Competition, all that hard work may well pay off. That's right, this year's contest is bigger and brighter than ever, and you could win amazing prizes, just by sending out a Christmas-themed campaign in December!

There's still a few weeks to go until Christmas Day, so it's time to kick the elves and get the toy workshop pumping out those quality email designs. The winning entries will not only covet our amazing stocking stuffers, but have their designs immortalized in the blog, to admire for generations.

What's up for grabs?

Unless Rudolph contacts the union again, this year we'll be sending our winner...

• A Parrot AR Drone. If you haven't played with one of these amazing iPhone-controlled quadricopters, then you're seriously missing out. Regardless of whether you're into augmented reality gaming, or simply like scaring the neighbour's dog, they're loads of fun.
• $100 in Threadless vouchers. It seems like every other day, the good folks at Threadless are sweeping out their stock at $10 a pop. So, $100 is like, 10 t-shirts. You'll be like the Imelda Marcos of t-shirts, sugar.
• 50,000 Campaign Monitor email credits. Did you ever wish you could have a tower full of email credits, Scrooge McDuck style? Well, we've got $500 USD worth of credits reserved for our winner... Tower sold separately.

In addition, the winner and runner-up entries will be displayed on the blog, for all to see. You too could be up here in lights, simply for sending a Christmas-themed campaign!

Lets get sending!

Now you know the drill, it's time for you to get those festive campaigns out during December. We'll be taking a squiz at your campaigns as part of our usual review process, so no extra work is needed on your part to enter.

In early January, we'll be contacting the winners by email and putting their work up on display. But considering that you'll probably need some inspiration before then, here are some of our previous winners to get you started (click to view):

Finally, we're not looking for something overflowing with the usual baubles, trees and Yuletide tackiness - if your design is different, displays nicely across the major email clients and makes the most of the format (over say, being designed like a website or paper card), then there's a great chance of it being shortlisted. As you can probably guess, email campaigns that consist of one big image aren't going to cut it.

But enough lecturin' - go send some Christmas emails and good luck!

We're perpetually honored by the generosity and whole heartedness of our customers, alongside the design community as a whole. In recent memory, the Kill the Spill campaign (in conjunction with MetaLab, SquareSpace and WooThemes) raised more than $21,000 towards wildlife rescue in the Gulf. Authentic Jobs' charity:water hit a similar target with help from their friends. Now, one of our resellers has set their sight on a positive goal - raising money towards cancer research.

In the last week, we've been speaking to Nick Aitken from The Studio at Grayrock about their pledge to donate 5% of all proceeds from 'She's Got Mail' to the Canadian Cancer Society. In regards to what motivated him to raise funds for this cause, Nick explains:

"The Studio at Grayrock website and all of our collateral feature tributes to a dear friend and colleague who lost her battle with Cancer in 2008. Each of us here has lost friends, family and colleagues to Cancer and this year was especially tough on us. This site and project is dedicated to them."

As someone who has personally had family members affected by the big "C", I'm touched by the generosity of spirit on display by The Studio at Grayrock. Given a little time and talent, The Studio's work shows that we can all do our bit to give a little something back.

Many thanks to Nick and the team at The Studio at Grayrock for walking us through their rebrand and charitable work, plus for being unbelievably awesome. Finally, do you work for a charity or non-profit? If you also support a great cause and use Campaign Monitor, tell us all about it in the comments below.