Diapers.com – Email Done Right

One of my favorite websites in the world is diapers.com. The site is fun, offers free (and super quick) shipping, and almost everything under the sun that a parent could possibly want or need for their child and parenting needs. Their slogan is “We deliver everything but the baby.” Indeed they do.

I am also a fan of their email. Here is a recent email I received from Diapers.com.



They do everything right in this email

• They have a view online link in the header text.

• The header image has useful links, the company name, slogan, and a shop link.

• The main body image has my name dynamically populated, has a shop now button, and has links to six products. These products are based on the age of my child. This data, I assume, was collected when I signed up for email with diapers.com and when I purchased various age specific products.

• The footer image is also complimentary to the email. Once I have seen all the cool toys I can get, I am gently reminded NOT TO FORGET THE DIAPERS! - Thanks, I almost forgot :)

• The footer text is also well done. There are social media links, a forward to a friend option, a clear disclaimer, a notification of who sent the email, a message making sure the email is age-appropriate for my child (this is a super big plus!!), and the standard unsubscribe and CAN-SPAM content.

Also, in this email, I discovered the diapers.com has a new twist on a common email feature. The HTML and TEXT version of their emails have the common "This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view." feature which opens a hosted version of the HTML email.



Most email marketing programs simply display the hosted version of the email and stop here when this link is clicked. Not diapers.com. The hosted version then contains this message in the header: "If you are still having problems viewing this message, please click here for additional help."




When this link is selected a web page displays. This helpful site helps the subscriber understand and troubleshoot common image rendering issues. This is nice for those subscribers who for whatever reason cannot figure out how to display images. Diapers.com did not give up on these subscribers once the hosted version displayed.

Nice job diapers.com. Keep up the good work.

Little Wonders Can Lead to Big Success- Part 1

A 'little wonder' is a seemingly insignificant action or event that eventually has a large impact on your long-term situation. In this two-part series, Jordan Lane looks at some email little wonders — simple ways to improve your email programs — and the key benefits from each of them.

Like diligently saving pocket change, there are some easy additions you can make to your email campaigns that can bring large rewards in the long run. Today we'll look at two of these tactics that can yield long-term success.

View a hosted version of an email

Providing the opportunity for a subscriber to view an online or hosted version of a message will enable those who might have images blocked or have email rendering issues to be able to view the message. A hosted version, often linked via the text Having trouble viewing this email?, is typically used for HTML and text versions of a mailing. A great place to put this link is in the top or header of an email.

Subscribers now have one less excuse as to why they should not read the content of an email. If the email can be viewed by the subscriber despite content rendering issues, then the email marketer has overcome a significant technical challenge.

View an email easily on a mobile phone or other mobile device

Mobile devices are everywhere. Wirefly.com (who boasts to be the Internet’s #1 authorized retailer of cell phones) recently reported that “the sales of touchscreen mobile devices increased by 56 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2009.” Despite the availability and popularity of mobile devices, there are some drawbacks when it comes to viewing email in the palm of your hand.

One of the most common issues is the rendering and loading of HTML-heavy emails. Inserting a mobile view link into an HTML email will ensure that all mobile users will have the opportunity to view the content of the email. The mobile link should open just the text or rich text versions of the email for ease of viewing. As a general practice, presenting a text version of an email is a much better option than not presenting anything at all.

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Remember to use these simple tools consistently, wisely and appropriately. These little wonders can take time to have noticeable and meaningful impact on overall email performance, so be patient. With the proper use, tracking, testing and reporting, you will eventually reap the fruits of your labor. Little things can make a big difference!