Many people attempt to do their own email marketing, often making mistakes that in turn, do not get the message across to potential customers. One common mistake in an email campaign is incorrectly using images. While individuals can maintain email campaigns on their own, many choose agencies to handle their email marketing. DigitalChalk has these helpful tips for course creators trying to better their email campaigns while using images:

The Image

No email should be just text; images catch the eye and draw in the audience. That being said, images should be relevant to the message you are trying to convey. Only use legally available photos and high quality (even if you take them), and make sure there is no fine print or copyrighted material in use. When using an image that has text on it, use the appropriate file type – PNG files are best for this, do not use JPG’s.

For the aesthetics of your brand, be sure to use colors associated with your company within the image. Visually appealing images are those with centralized subject objects and colors, amid others that are less prominent. Additionally, ensure links are not broken to images and do not use images as calls to action. If the image does not link correctly or load, your call to action will fail.

Text Included

Always include a message with your images and keep it concise and clear. Ensure that text on top of an image shows up well, and that (should your image not load due to blockers) it is not white – the text will not appear on a white background. Always provide alt text that mimics the message of the image, as briefly as possible. Use alt text as a call to action – if the image does not load, there will still be a link to follow which will also increase your click through rate.

Use a Template

Email marketing software usually does (and should) include templates for easy and streamlined campaigns. Templates should include a pre-made area for images. The best place to include an image is in the header or the top two inches of a template, usually no more than that. Email viewers scan this section first and decide whether or not to continue reading below. Images should not take up your entire email and should be kept to a minimum, (as we have stated) since images sometimes do not properly load. Ensure that your image is properly sized and formatted within a template; you can check this by sending a test email to mobile devices and opening in different browsers.

After going through the routine mentioned here, you should be all set! Have a friend or co-worker double check your work before sending out.