Is the latest email from Michaels ready to hang on the wall ?
Posted by Rob Ropars on August 24th, 2009
I just received the latest email from Michaels and wondered how a company focused in part on artwork/framing would approach email marketing campaigns. Would they ensure optimization of the preview “frame” and layout the information, have a “level” use of text and images, easy to use call-to-action links, and be a masterpiece to hang it on my wall? Based on what I saw, or rather didn’t see, I would have to think twice before decorating any room with it.
The “From Name” was straightforward and to the point “Michaels”, and the subject line was as well “Save 55% on custom framing”. So far so good. I receive their emails to my Yahoo address, so I don’t know at this point whether they used snippet/preview text (Yahoo currently doesn’t display it), but at the very least I know who it’s from and the offer which is a good start.
Upon opening the message and previewing with the default “images off” view I see yet another “all image” email. They have done several things correct in this top area, web copy link and safe sender info, but there’s a lot that’s missing. There is in fact no snippet/preview text so in those emails that display this element, such as Gmail, recipients probably saw the first available text,“This message contains graphics. If you…”, gripping.
I don’t see an alt tag for their logo/company name which is odd. Most marketers have that top left in an email to reinforce brand/name ahead of the message info, but when I view images I was sure I would see where it was lurking. What then follows is a “ladder” or “bookshelf” effect of multiple missing images without alt tags that looks terrible. I don’t know whether to guess what’s missing, climb up on the roof or start shelving books. 
