If you're wondering how to avoid this mishap without using any complex coding methods, Mail Designer 365 automatically creates a mobile optimized version of every email design. Switch to the mobile view and you can create content especially for people viewing your email on a smartphone. Clever right? Things like shorter text segments, single-column layouts, and mobile-friendly fonts are all great for your responsive design.

A picture DOES NOT speak one thousand words...

...If your customer's email client doesn't automatically display images! We know it's tempting to create email designs that are all image based. They look cool and you can probably enjoy more design freedom, but it's not good practice.  Here's a few reasons why you should avoid image based emails where possible:

They're way more likely to end up in the spam folder
Spam filters are getting stricter and most spam filters are programmed to watch out for all image emails; probably because it's not good practice and not something to expect from a pro designer! Once your emails start landing in the spam folder, your deliverability rates are going to start going downhill, and the content you spent so long working on will be missed. Is it worth it? Definitely not!

This email design from Mara Hoffman sure looks cool, but it would have been 10x more effective if it didn't land in my spam folder.

They load much slower
It's fairly clear that an image (especially a high resolution image) will load slower than text. This is why we always advise a healthy balance of both image and text in email newsletters. The images keep things interesting, whereas the text ensures readers still have some content to consume if the images take too long to load - especially important when using a slow public WiFi or mobile data.

Obviously an all-image email won't provide this balance, and if it doesn't load, you're left with something like this...

...Not really a great selling point for your product.

If you want to create a similar effect to the previous design from Mara Hoffman, try using a photo background. This way you can still incorporate real text in your email, as well as creative, colorful design.

If you think this is bad, even big name brands are guilty of it too! Yes we're looking at you Google.. This all-image email design is definitely not on point.

HTML horror stories

Many common email mistakes often arise from bad HTML or coding gone wrong. HTML can be tricky to work with. Even if you make one tiny mistake, it can have massive consequences on your email design. To save time and money, there are quite a few businesses who attempt to use DIY coding methods which don't always go to plan. This paired with a lack of proper testing can lead to email blunders such as this one from West Elm... This is exactly why a WYSIWYG editor is always a good idea guys!

Segmentation Gone Wrong...

Segmentation can also be a huge problem when it comes to email marketing. Just one wrong click and your email could be sent to a completely different target group than what you expected. Take this example from PopSugar: "Win a trip for 2 to Sri Lanka" - sounds pretty exciting, right?! Too bad you can't enter because of your location... Oops!

Another shudder-inducing example was the infamous baby registry email from Amazon a few years back. A harmless transactional-style email designed to inform parents-to-be of a new gift went terribly wrong and turned into a PR nightmare for the global brand. Instead of sending the email to expecting couples, it went to people not expecting a baby at all! Awkward for Amazon and another reason to pay close attention when hitting that send button.

Catastrophic Call-To-Actions

Any email marketer will tell you that the call-to-action (CTA) is the heart of your newsletter. If you get this wrong, then your email isn't likely to succeed. Despite having this drilled into them since day one, many designers still manage to get it wrong. Generally speaking, your CTA should be prominent and easy to find. In this design from Macy's, there are so many different CTAs that the customer doesn't know where to look (or click.) If it were me opening this email, I wouldn't be inclined to click through to their website. Too much choice is never a good thing when it comes to email marketing...

On the other hand, with this email from Tom Ford, it seems the designer was trying a little too hard to be minimalistic. So much, that the reader can barely find the CTA.. Your customers definitely won't click on your links if they can't even see them in the first place!

Hopefully you've found these epic newsletter fails somewhat amusing if not helpful! If you come across any more cringe-worthy email fails you want to share with us, drop us a tweet or send us an email!

Until next time!

Your Mail Designer 365 Team

A key factor behind successful email marketing is the ability to produce interesting content for your subscribers. One popular trend which has really taken off over the past few years is sending anniversary emails as a way to keep subscribers engaged with your business.

In this guide, we're showing you step by step, how to create awesome anniversary emails and sharing our favorite examples from the past few years.

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• What is an anniversary email and why should I be sending them?
• Anniversary emails for customer milestones
• Anniversary emails for business milestones
• How to create anniversary emails

What is an anniversary email and why should I send one?

An anniversary email is sent to commemorate a special event or milestone. This can either be a customer's own personal milestone, or a general business milestone. Typically, the main aim of these emails is to maintain the relationship between your business and your email subscribers.

Here are some great advantages of sending an anniversary email:

• Make customers feel special. Anniversary emails can easily be integrated into your existing automated email workflow and sent out after certain triggers (e.g. 1 year after signing up). This is a great way to use email to make the customer journey more personalised.
• Create a new sales opportunity. Many businesses take anniversary emails as an opportunity to launch a sale or offer a discount code.
• Showcase your achievements. Use your anniversary email as a way to share your success with customers and other key stakeholders.
• Provide interesting email content. An anniversary email gives you the chance to put a unique spin on your typical marketing emails and provide new content.

Anniversary emails for customer milestones

Every business has a unique customer journey and aims to create a specific experience for both new and existing customers. This plays an important role when considering which milestones to celebrate.

Anniversary emails are a great addition to your automated email strategy, as they are unique to the recipient and therefore offer much more potential in terms of open rates and clicks.

Examples of customer anniversary emails

Here are some great examples of emails sent by businesses to celebrate customer anniversaries.

Grammarly

In this fun, birthday-themed email design by Grammarly, the customer is offered an exclusive discount. We especially like the way the white space in the design makes the messaging even clearer.

ModCloth

Keeping to the birthday theme, this email by ModCloth uses a colorful center graphic to win over customers and get them shopping on their site.

Twitter

This anniversary email by Twitter has a prominent CTA (call to action), prompting the recipient to spread the word on Twitter right away.

Uber

In this anniversary email, Uber reminds drivers of all they've achieved during their time together. Celebrating those key moments is an important part of improving the user experience for all and helps motivate drivers.

Playstation

In this mesmerising anniversary email design by Playstation, the customer is rewarded with fun bonus content. Thumbs up for the use of personalization in the main design of the email!

Anniversary emails for business milestones

As well as gaining access to the latest information on your products and offers, many customers signed up to your mailing list to learn more about your business. For this reason, sending out updates on important milestones your business achieves can also be very interesting to your customers.

These emails differ greatly from the customer-specific email examples we just showed. Generally, a business event such as a birthday or sales milestone is a big occasion and an excuse for a grander, one-off mailing.

Examples of business anniversary emails

Here are some examples of firms who have used email to creatively celebrate their anniversary with customers and stakeholders:

Casper

Casper stay nicely on brand with this fun anniversary email, sent out to celebrate their 2nd birthday.

Fitbit

The Fitbit team takes a slightly more formal approach in this email statement celebrating their 10th birthday. This kind of email is great, as it is also suitable for investors and stakeholders. We love the numbers section in the middle which recognizes their achievements so far.

DAVIDsTEA

This anniversary email by DAVIDsTEA is unique, as it combines the customer's personal milestones with the anniversary of the business. This helps the customer to feel like part of the business and strengthens the B2C relationship.

Harley Davidson

Harley Davidson sent out this impressive mail to celebrate the anniversary of one of their classic products. Releasing a unique, anniversary edition is one creative way to get more customers on their site.

Best Practice Tips and Ideas for Anniversary Emails

Now you've seen some great examples of anniversary emails, here are some best practice tips to abide by.

Use personalization

Emails are proven to be much more effective when speaking directly to the recipient. Use personalization in your anniversary emails to capture the reader's attention and let them know it's all about them.

Adding a first name placeholder is a simple way to ensure your automated email will address each recipient personally. Mail Designer 365 supports a wide range of placeholders, including Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, and custom placeholders.

Offer a gift

Every anniversary is a special occasion and warrants a gift. In this case, it's just the same. Say thanks to your customers for their loyalty over the years and reward them with a free gift or special offer.

Vimeo offer customers an exclusive discount to celebrate their anniversary.

Highlight your shared experiences

As we mentioned, the customer experience is an important part of how your business connects with users. Particularly in service-based businesses, it's a good idea to celebrate your shared experiences with customers to help them feel more connected to you.

In this email by theSkimm, customers are reminded of their personal experience with the business over the last 5 years.

Reflect on shared experiences with customers to help strengthen their connection with your business.

Include a CTA

Every email needs a clear call to action and anniversary emails are no exception. Include a prominent CTA button in your email design to show the reader what their next steps are.

Here are some ideas:

• Shop now (i.e. with discount or promo code)
• Refer us to a friend
• Log in (i.e. to your service)
• Share the news (e.g. on Twitter)

How to Create an Anniversary Email in Mail Designer 365

Got a big anniversary coming up? Mail Designer 365 makes it easy to celebrate your success with customers and stakeholders.

Choose from one of our many HTML email templates, or use the drag & drop editor to build your own design using an impressive set of creative tools.

Once you've finished building your design, check out the huge range of export options to send your template to your chosen email service provider for a mass, one-time mailing, or a long term, automated campaign.

Not got a Mail Designer 365 plan yet? Download your free trial to get started.