Nonprofit Expressions

Internet Explorer version 8 just went into Beta, and in a stunning announcement from Microsoft it’s time to get your website up to standards.

As a web designer I already urge people to use a standards compliant browser like Firefox. By doing so not only will you get to see the web the way it is meant to be, but you will help push companies like Microsoft (who up until now ignored standards almost completely) into using standards in new browsers.

Standards compliance has been an issue on the web for a long time. For the most part, the design and development community comes up with standards we would like to see the browser creators, like Mozilla, Safari, and Microsoft, use in new releases. The reason is to create an internet that does not require 3 or 4 versions of websites to work on all the different browsers. Many of us who have been working on the web for the last decade can remember the days when we had to have two versions of websites. One version for Netscape and another for Internet Explorer. Having two different website versions is a very expensive concept, and it is for this reason many companies pushed for a standard all browsers could use.

Until now, Microsoft has had most of the browser market, and has had no reason to even care about standards. This has made every web designer’s job harder. We have to create pages that are standards-compliant, and then come up with hacks to make the sites work right in Internet Explorer (what a dumb way of doing things…it’s reasons like this that many tech-savvy people hate Microsoft).

Microsoft is feeling the pressure as 28% of the internet choosing to see the web the way it was meant to be (in Firefox). So in Internet Explorer 8 they are going to implement standards compliance (at least to some degree). This is a great time to be in web design, as this will allow for a better internet as a whole. The problem was that Microsoft was going to make the new version 8 browser behave in the same way as version 7 unless designers use special code to tell the browser to behave the right standards-compliant way. So what then is the point of having a standards-compliant browser if it will not read websites that way naturally? This has been the complaint of designers the globe over.

That is why it is so great to see they reversed their decision. The new browser will indeed be more standards-compliant!

What this means to your site

If you have a highly non-standards compliant website (and a designer you should fire) that website might break in Internet Explorer 8. Yes you read that right, if your code is not up to snuff, your site might not work right in the new browser. This can be a big problem for those with older sites, or newer ones that were not built well.

So if you are considering a re-design you should keep standards in mind. It will not be long before standards-compliant browsers are the norm, and badly designed code won’t work. If you know for a fact that your site is not standards compliant, you don’t have to get a re-design going tomorrow. Internet Explorer 8 is only in Beta and it will be months or years before it becomes the norm on the Internet. But that day is coming, and its just one more good reason to get your standards up to snuff.

If you are not sure if your website is standards complaint you can contact me, and our staff will do a “site report card” on your website. Part of our analysis includes standards compliance!

Do your email newsletters get read? Do they go straight to the SPAM filter? Do you get a lot of people unsubscribing?

There are plenty of factors contributing to the effectiveness of email campaigns. We are going to examine four main criteria and formulate a report card for you to use on your email campaign: first impressions, value of content, SPAM prevention and convergence effectiveness.

The purpose of an email campaign is to create convergence with the end user: build top of mind awareness, increase sales, drive people to a website or create warm leads. There are many different aspects of an email newsletter campaign which play into the effectiveness of that campaign. Of course, the ultimate test is the converge rates after an email has been mailed, but there are many methods of increasing click through rates, as discussed below.

1. First Impressions

The look & feel of the e-newsletter should match that of your organization’s branding. It should draw the reader in and create a feeling that matches it’s purpose: for example, if you are The American Red Cross, it should be professional and serious. If you are a children’s athletic organization, however, it may need to be fun and friendly. Brand repetition and top of mind awareness are very important!

The newsletter should be conventional with other types of online news sources. It should include a newsletter title, date and maybe an edition number.

The SIZE of the email should fit inside the average email inbox. An average email is 500 pixels wide, and your newsletter should not exceed the length of two page scrolls. The size of the email alone can drastically change a user’s experience. A newsletter which is so large that it is overwhelming may prevent the user from reading it at all.

Pleasing to the eye:
Dimensions in Pixels:
Reflection of branding and purpose:
GRADE:
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2. Value of Content

This is where you want to make sure you give readers a reason to stick around: a place to  donate, volunteer, visit your website, etc. News Flashes create a sense of urgency while a Tip of the Day suggests valuable solutions.

The newsletter may also includes a letter from an individual in the organization that helps the newsletter to be more personal.

FREE RESOURCES are an excellent method to pick up warm leads (people who are interested in your products). If someone will pick up a free resources by clicking through to go to your website, they may also want to donate or contribute in another way.

Sense of Urgency:
Timeliness:
Relevancy:
Engaging:
Develops Trust/ Credibility:
Offers valuable resources:
GRADE:
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3. SPAM Prevention

It is extremely important that your emails, especially if they are sent regularly, get past SPAM filters. SPAM filters rank incoming emails on a scale of 1-10. If the newsletter has too many “red flags,” for example, using words like “free,” “$$$,” “Save,” “Discount,” etc, then the email will be sent straight to a user’s junk mail.

Audience Acceptance:
Subject Line:
‘From’ and ‘To’ Lines:
Non-use of SPAM alert words:
Non-use of SPAM alert colors:
Use of bold, blue, plain text links:
One-click Unsubscribe:
GRADE:
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4. Convergence Effectiveness

As discussed in the beginning, the most important item at the end of the day is whether or not your purpose was met. I would suggest sitting down with a few staff members, defining a purpose for the campaign, and brainstorming about how you could increase your click through rates.

We have chosen criteria based on proven methods of effectiveness. It is also important to note that although you may have a number of click through links, the likely hood of readers actually clicking through is based on the value of the content combined with giving readers a reason to converge.

Inclusion of a Navigation Bar:
Forward to a Friend Link:
Placement of Images vs. Copy:
Personalization:
Placement of Most Important Information:
Click-through Links:
Subject Line:
GRADE:
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BRAIN STORM ON WAYS TO IMPROVE!

Notes: Although it is good to have the newsletter match the branding of your website, it should be different enough to identify it as an email newsletter. Another rule of thumb is that newsletters should be conventional to web standards. For example, many websites and newsletters offer click through links in their headers!