As an individual? Probably not much. But as a marketing example, possibly quite a bit.

A couple months ago, we posted about a possible compromise in the Text vs. HTML debate.

Inspired by a MarketingExperiments study on formatting, we discussed the idea that not all HTML was created equal, and that you might improve response by using a “Lite” (or if you prefer, “Text-y”) HTML — taking some advantage of HTML’s formatting flexibility while preserving much of the overall simplicity of Text.

A great example of this just popped up on my radar.

If we didn’t test our messages before sending them to our subscribers, I’d be in a lot of trouble! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had typos and broken links caught only by reviewing messages before sending.

Not only do we all make mistakes, but sometimes when we look at our work only from our own perspective, we don’t see the forest for the trees.

Testing can help with both problems. I’d like to briefly share a few ways successful email marketers test their messages, including benefits and limitations of each.

Just when you think a hotly-debated topic like whether to send messages in plain text or HTML has died down, along comes another angle to look at.

This time, the folks at MarketingSherpa bring us a case study from minor-league baseball where a combination of Text AND HTML messages boosted ticket sales over 260%.

So how do you incorporate this new data into your decision to use Text or HTML?

This morning, I was checking the Windows Live Hotmail address I use for testing. I also receive messages from XBOX Live at this address, since using it made the sign up process for the Microsoft’s gaming service easier.

I was curious to see how Microsoft would communicate with a new gaming customer. Would they try to immediately sell me on a longer billing term or related products? Or, would they provide value, such as information on how I could best use my account.

So, I opened a message I received from them to see what I could find. I did get that question answered, but I couldn’t help but chuckle a little about what I found first:.

The debate over whether to use plain text or HTML never really stops, it just gets quiet for a while before someone brings it up again.

MarketingExperiements just brought it back up by blogging their recent research on how well each version converts.

Their team makes an interesting assertion…

Email readers, like web surfers, are ruthless in their decision making. They aren’t going to search around in our email for something to click on, nor are they going to sit and make a drawn out decision on whether or not to click when they see one.

Have you ever thought specifically about whether your links are optimized in your messages?

The first of a series of messages covering this broad topic, today we’ll focus on the placement of links in email.

By now, you’ve read a number of posts in this space about Text and HTML, their respective pros and cons and what to bear in mind when writing each.

The one thing you haven’t heard anything about is how to tell which version your subscribers are viewing.

Today, I’d like to show you a way that you can use to approximate the reach and effectiveness of your text messages.

Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of your subscribers for a second, as we often suggest. Take a look over their shoulders as they open their email service first thing in the morning.

What do they see? A list of messages that trickled in overnight — some from friends and associates, some from email lists they’re subscribed to (including yours), and probably a whole lot of junk.

Once they get to your email, if their email program has a preview pane, they see the top of the message. If they’re interested, they’ll open the email and read the first paragraph to see what it’s all about.

My guess is that skimming for a second, then trashing it is not your desired goal from there. So, how can you take a quick preview of your message and turn it into a lasting relationship?

Read More on the AWeber Blog

We field a lot of questions from customers about the pros and cons of using HTML in your messages.

Like them, you may not know the major pros and cons of sending a multipart message (Text/HTML) versus sending text-only emails.

There are a lot advocates on both sides of the fence when it comes to Text and HTML.

In my experience everybody tends to focus only on the pros of what they do, and the cons of what they don’t. You rarely get a balanced view.

So… right here, today, let’s size ‘em up:

Text. HTML. Toe to Toe in the Ring.

Somebody get Don King on the line.

Read More on the AWeber Blog

Images provide a great opportunity to break up the text in your message and add a powerful visual component to your copy. In our Intermediate Webinar, Justin and I cover how to insert an image into an HTML message.

It’s easy to do, but where do you get your images from? You can’t just snip them out of a magazine or pull them off of someone’s website, and drawing up your own requires quite a bit of work without a graphic design background.

Read on to explore two ideas on where to get the images for your messages.

Read More on the AWeber Blog