These two clients each require a different strategy.
For Barrett's I create a unique design for each mailing. This is because each mailing is usually seasonal or for a specific holiday, and I tune the look for that purpose. Also, there are different visial elements for each one of their mailings, so reusing a template is not the best solution. We untilize a handwritten "guest book' on the counter at their location and a mailing list sign up form on their website to harvest addresses. I also add any users who submit the contact form from their website to the subscriber list. At the time of this post the mailing list has 551 subscribers. I am most proud number of users who actually open the emails which is approximately 43%. I am not aware of what a normal rate would be, but that is close to half the list opening messages. Also, since I am CC'ed on their website forms, I see that users are sometimes referencing items from the most recent mailing. That means they are actually looking at the content.
New Leaf Farms, a tree and pecan farm in Florida, is a project in development right now. They sent me an example html email from a competitor and asked me to make something similar. In this case they want to send out the mailing twice a month, so a template with updateable elements seems to be the best solution. There are three elements of their mailing that will change each iteration:
- Deals of the Month list - For this list they supply a text document which I need to transpose into spreadsheet form with alternate color rows. From there I make a PDF version of the table, and use the PDF to make a jpeg of the table. The jpg gets embedded in the html email, and it is clickable to open the printable PDF in a new window.
- Photos of Deals of the Month Trees - They send between 6 and 8 images of DOM trees, I process them to all be the same size and post them.
- Availability List - They send a spreadsheet of their complete inventory list which I do a bit of editing on to make into a one or two page printable PDF. I upload the PDF version and make a graphic on the template clickable to the PDF.
New Leaf is the first time I've been able to maximize the efficiency of using a template based system. This has allowed me to give them pricing for the original template build and first mailout, then a reduced price for each iteration afterwards. Below is the template that I constructed for them as a user would see it in their email client (note: it is just a jpg, links do not work).
Couldn't Clients Just Make HTML Emails Themselves?
Yes they could. Mailchimp allows clients to run a mailing list of up to 2000 contacts for free. However, my potential clients can benefit from having me do the work for them in several ways:
- Graphic Design - Since I can do graphic design I can make their HTML email look really professional and different from a standard email. I can give it the high quality edge it needs to boost the companies image. Graphic experience also comes into play when designing elements that work well for both desktop and mobile environments, as these messages will be viewed on both.
- Familiarity with Mailchimp's Drag n Drop Design Interface - Even though Mailchimp have done a fantastic job of making it -easy- to create html emails, it does take a bit of trial and error to become familiar with their builder interface, and also the terminology/UX of their website as a whole. My clients often don't have that kind of time, but they do have money they are willing to pay for the service.
- HTML/CSS Coding Experience - Since I know HTML and CSS fairly well, if an element created using the Mailchimp wysiwyg interface is not behaving or looking exactly as I would like it, in a lot of cases I can edit the actual HTML code the system creates to meet our needs. This usually isn't necessary but I do like to have the ability in my toolbox.
So, there is a lot of potential here. The ROI is great for clients, and the chance of consistent business is good for me. My next move may be to send out an actual HTML email that explains some of the features I've listed here and how it could help their marketing efforts in an affordable, professional way.
