HTML email is extremely popular in today’s world where the Internet and email play such an important part in all our lives. Most forms of communication, or maybe even all of it, make use of the Internet mainly because it is convenient, user friendly and, for the most part, reliable. HTML email weaves its way into this spectrum purely because it scores over plain text mail at a time when creativity, appeal and aesthetics matter a lot. At this stage it will be useful to look at a few of the characteristics of HTML email which will help to understand how it works. Consider how you should design each email, how you should code it and what content best suits each email.

• In HTML email, it is possible to use different types of fonts, colors, backgrounds, images and hyperlinks to construct aesthetically pleasing emails. However, the more irresponsibly these features are used, the greater the risk of having compatibility problems with different email clients. The layout and design of the emails are made a lot easier when senders know their audiences and can adapt their style to suit these audiences. HTML email, in this way, gives them the ability to create their emails accordingly. It is also necessary to keep in mind that messages sent in HTML email can also have a plain text format so that users who can’t view them as HTML email, owing to certain issue with their email clients, can still see these messages in plain text.>

• In HTML email, there is a possibility to use an unsubscribe mechanism, and for that matter a subscribe mechanism, when sending emails to prospects. This enables email marketers and advertisers to reduce the risk of their HTML emails being treated as spam. This feature also helps gain the trust of subscribers and provides them with an assurance that their personal details will not be tampered with.>

• · HTML email provides users with the ability to use hyperlinks and images which help facilitate extensions to their websites. This is a useful tool when senders want their readers to make an association between the emails they send and their websites. It suits senders well to do this in order to create a stronger connection with their brands in the mind of the reader. The only precaution to keep in mind is that hyperlinks and images should have very specific paths in HTML mail to enable readers to go only to the intended image or link.>

• You can also use an HTML validator, which helps you find out if your version of HTML is compatible for HTML email. HTML Tidy Online, as the name suggests, can be used to clean up your HTML code. This effectively helps to reduce the chances of your mail being displayed incorrectly in various email clients. The Grease Monkey user script automatically optimizes HTML emails at HTML Tidy Online.>

• HTML email allows you to customize your own templates and save them so that you do not have to re-make them every time you send out mails. This is useful especially for email marketers who send scores of messages to large groups of people for advertising purposes or subscriptions.>

The nuances of HTML email and its features provide great utility to all types of businesses which has evidently made it famous. It has its drawbacks, but the features that HTML email has are very useful and business communication can ill afford to do without it.