Stop the E-mail Formatting!

This seems to be a topic that keeps coming up and requires repeating. Just because you can doesn’t mean you do when it comes to formatting your e-mails. ISPs are cracking down on their network. They are trying to minimize all the junk mail that uses their resources and costs them money. If you are on a decent hosting platform; they are doing the same.

Embedding your photo or logo is one red flag. Formatting including changing from the default font, the color of your text, italicizing and bolding — all add up to more red flags. The combination of these factors are plain old spammy. Throw in overly large attachments and you’ll get a bounce back that states something like:

Your message wasn’t delivered because of security policies. Forbidden for policy reasons. Microsoft Exchange will not try to redeliver this message for you. Please provide the following diagnostic text to your system administrator.

Why do you think that services like Vertical Response are so popular? Because the formatting is coded by pros who know what to do and not do and they work with networks to ensure a open door for their subscribers who are not spammers. If you want to send a marketing e-mail; us VR. If you are just communicating — use the power of the written word.

So, we’re back to where we’ve started — plain old text e-mails. And what’s wrong with that? I rarely use formatting to get a point across, rather I choose the words that do so for me. I don’t embed a photo of myself and my company logo — that’s what my Web site is for. And, if someone would like to jump in on this one, what is the point of turning your entire e-mail text to blue, green or gray?

Yes, e-mail is not business letterhead but it should be thought of as seriously. Not only so you can give the best, most professional, tech savvy impression you can, but now with the added benefit of ensuring your e-mails get through. Formatting in most cases looks amateurish and not polished. Don’t do anything in an e-mail that you wouldn’t do on your business letterhead and you’ll never go wrong — and your e-mails stand the best chance of getting through.

Don’t complain about your e-mails getting blocked or returned because you do not like the reality of the current online environment. It seems some folks are addicted to their formatting; they can’t stop! Rather than rely on formatting to be special or different, how about communicating with clarity, proper structure and grammar — believe me, online that will make you special and different!

If you don’t like spam — make an effort to not type like spammer. Then, all the efforts ISPs and networks are doing to minimize this drain on everyone’s resources may actually have some impact!

Some More Info for You:

1. For Business E-mail, Choose Words not Formatting
2. Emotional Formatting and Discretion in Business E-mails
3. Business E-mail Etiquette: Stop the Forwarding Form Letter