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By Peter Norton

The other day, I was discussing email templates with a client, and the discussion turned to the proper mix of images and text. The generally agreed upon best practice here is to have a 50/50 mix of images and text for promotional emails. All this talk of text vs. image ratios got me thinking about the roles a well-designed image has on the success or failure of an email. Sort of like an Oreo cookie, is it better to have equal portions during each bite, or to start with one side and finish with the other?

The email template

linked here

provides a good example for exploring this question further. The image they use is a good sampling of what this company sells. The image is crisp, clear and reflects the title of the image “Coastal Living Collection” (hence the boat and water in the background).

So, does the text to the left of this email do the image on the right injustice and take away from the great display? Would less verbiage on the left side with a simple message that drove them to the web site be better? This is where the fun comes in as marketers. Instead of guessing, make some variations of this template and send the tests to a sampling of your list.

One thing that I find when talking to marketers is that they often mention that they test on a regular basis or are in the midst of complete redesigns. However, when I dig deeper, the testing is with the subject line 9 out of 10 times. And why complete redesigns? Often, with some minor tweaks and further testing, stale templates that have shown excellent success in the past, are now again performing beyond expectations.

Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes complete redesigns are necessary, but you should first look at what you have and try some tests.

If the Obama team can execute on other initiatives as they have in the email channel we are in for a period of real progress in the US. Interested in how the transition team has leveraged the email channel and what you can learn from it...check out my new blog post at MediaPost's Email Insider!

It seems even our new president can’t escape the inevitable change of email address. According to The New York Times, Obama had four different email addresses during his transition to the white house. With industry estimates pegging annual email address list churn at 30%, this underscores the importance of implementing list hygiene practices to stay current with your subscribers addresses and improve deliverability. What’s the best way to do this? Make it easy for them to change their email address with you when they move. This can be handled efficiently through an easy to use preference center, such as the ones from Baby Center and yes… even The New York Times.

Every Jan. 1, I get the urge to "refocus and realign" my personal and professional goals. I think the self-inspection is healthy and helps set the tone for a productive start to the New Year. Not surprisingly, some of my reflections applied to email marketing, so I'm presenting them here to help you get your programs on the right track in 2009.

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