I have been given the task of sending out a monthly newsletter for our small business and have a few questions. Hopefully this is the right spot to ask. If not maybe it can be moved. I plan to use Mailchimp to send the emails and have been using their templates to design it, but discovered that I still have Iweb on this computer and it seems quite similar to pages, I thought I would design the newsletter in it and then upload it to Mailchimp. Would this work? If it would, how do I save the files as html file? I am new to all this and could use some advice. If Iweb isn't the way to to go could you recommend a similar inexpensive editor. Thanks for any help.
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Help with newsletter deisgn
- Thread starter vandrv
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First you will need to create a site in iWeb which will hold all your files. Once you finish building the HTML page you want to save for your email template, then save the site in iWeb. In the left sidebar of iWeb you will see a folder called Site. Click on it and that will open the Site Publishing Settings. Photo below. Under Publishing, choose Local Folder. Under Folder Location, click Browse and choose where you want to save the file to. In my photo you will see I chose Desktop. Then in iWeb's menu bar choose File, Publish Entire Site. Then you can close iWeb and navigate to the folder you saved the site to and in that folder will be your HTML.
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Thank you for this. It will certainly get me started. I really wasn't sure how to save any file I created. I'm sure I will have more questions as I go along, but thanks again.
Be warned, however, that transforming an iweb site into an HTML email is not as simple as cutting and pasting code into mail chimp... most email clients will strip both the CSS and javascript out of your site... many email clients also have significant limitations when it comes to how they display HTML.
I think you are probably safer sticking with templates specifically designed for HTML emails than designing your own unless you know what you are doing and have the resources to test your work across a majority of email clients.
I think you are probably safer sticking with templates specifically designed for HTML emails than designing your own unless you know what you are doing and have the resources to test your work across a majority of email clients.
I just tried creating a test page and uploaded it to mailchimp and it told me there was an error, so I'm guessing I have to try something else. I started out using a mailchimp template and the problem I have with that is I seem to have a rather slow internet connection and making any changes online seems rather slow. Wondering what would be the best way to create the page offline? Any suggestions for some who while not particularly computer challenged, is absolutely a novice when it comes to html.
You are correct. I was not thinking it all the way through as I do not use a mail client for my emails. I use Apple's Mail App and build my own templates using Mail Designer by equinux which I know works with Mailchimp.
lucidmedia is correct in what he/she is posting. My suggestion of Mail Designer has a cost of $69.99, but will work with Mailchimp if you can afford the cost. I use it at times and it does a real good job. Small learning curve as well.
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You really don't want to be using iWeb to design/build HTML emails...
The problem with emails are that they all render differently depending on which client the user view it in. There are major differences even between versions of Outlook - i.e. 2003 vs 2007 vs 2010 all display the email differently. And then you have to contend with web email clients such as Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook.com.
The templates from Mailchimp will have been tested by them to render correctly in those email clients, so if you are a beginner, then it makes sense to use them rather than trying to come up with your own designs.
If you do still want to create your own, then you'd be wise to consider the following:
1. Use a standard HTML IDE and hand-code the email rather than using a program to do it for you
2. Consider how the email will render on mobile devices as well as desktop
3. Use an application such as Litmus to test your email in multiple clients
4. Ensure that your CSS is inline and try to host your assets in a CDN
Whichever way you choose to go, good luck. Email design and build is a thankless task!
The problem with emails are that they all render differently depending on which client the user view it in. There are major differences even between versions of Outlook - i.e. 2003 vs 2007 vs 2010 all display the email differently. And then you have to contend with web email clients such as Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook.com.
The templates from Mailchimp will have been tested by them to render correctly in those email clients, so if you are a beginner, then it makes sense to use them rather than trying to come up with your own designs.
If you do still want to create your own, then you'd be wise to consider the following:
1. Use a standard HTML IDE and hand-code the email rather than using a program to do it for you
2. Consider how the email will render on mobile devices as well as desktop
3. Use an application such as Litmus to test your email in multiple clients
4. Ensure that your CSS is inline and try to host your assets in a CDN
Whichever way you choose to go, good luck. Email design and build is a thankless task!
I know your question isn't really about which autoresponder to use... but I hated mail chimp. Big fan of AWeber. It's $19/month, but it's so worth it. And better to start with the best company now, because if you ever wan't to transfer your list, you will have to get everyone to re-optin.
Just thought I would throw that out there. Good luck
Just thought I would throw that out there. Good luck