Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Html Coding Software

Posted by Anonymous on 7/2/2008 at 12:49 PM ET 250 Points
I'm a copywriter who is being asked to do more in the area of designing e-marketing.

I need software that a non-designer can work with to convert text and graphics into HTML code which I can then paste into our email campaign software. Is there an Adobe product that does this? Other software suggestions? Other resources to school me on the art of designing simple yet solid email communiques? Thanks.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by excellira on 7/2/2008 at 1:27 PM Member
    Dreamweaver is a good commercial choice.

    Product page:
    https://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/

    Download the demo here:
    https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=dreamweaver

    Another option is a free, open-source application called NVU:
    https://nvudev.com/download.php
    I haven't used it but it probably would do what you want.

    I hope this helps,

    Greg Hill
    Trinity Search Engine Marketing
  • Posted by Tracey on 7/2/2008 at 1:28 PM Accepted
    It sort of depends on what your design looks like. If you have something that requires tables -- like columns or rows, you will need to know at least a little basic HTML.

    Learning basic HTML is actually pretty easy. Just google it and you'll find some information. It's definitely a best practice even with the software, so you can easily fix things that are rendering incorrectly, which will undoubtedly happen at some point.

    That said, you might try Microsoft FrontPage. It's not the best but one of the easiest to use with zero training. I prefer Adobe's Dreamweaver, but it requires training and it's more expensive. I took a few months worth of evening classes for free at my local adult school to learn it (about 3 hrs/week - makes me intermediate level).

    The other option is to use an email campaign software that comes with easy to use templates that are ready-made. I use Mail Chimp, which comes with a lot of templates that you can tweak on the fly. You can get a free trial so it's worth checking out, but I don't *think* it integrates with a CRM if you need that.
  • Posted by excellira on 7/2/2008 at 1:29 PM Member
    Oh, also you will need to know some XHTML/CSS in order to tweak your layouts. The visual design tools are useful but they sometimes need manual assistance. If you get stuck, go to Lynda.com and for $25 you can easily learn the fundamentals of (X)HTML and CSS. A good value.

    -Greg

  • Posted by excellira on 7/2/2008 at 1:33 PM Member
    Sorry, posted the above at the same time Tracey posted her response. She does bring up an excellent point. Why not use a hosted email solution and use their design functions?
  • Posted by Inbox_Interactive on 7/2/2008 at 9:19 PM Member
    You can not necessarily use the same HTML that you would for a Web page. Your HTML for email will be more "old school" with tables and spacers. Otherwise, it may not render correctly.

    I advise wholly against using Frontpage for this purpose.

    You need to have someone who knows how to code specifically for HTML email.
  • Posted by excellira on 7/3/2008 at 12:13 PM Member
    "You can not necessarily use the same HTML that you would for a Web page. Your HTML for email will be more "old school" with tables and spacers. Otherwise, it may not render correctly."


    Good point. A byproduct is that this makes it simpler and quicker as well.

    "I advise wholly against using Frontpage for this purpose."


    Agreed. Frontpage has a reputation for adding extraneous code. I don't know where the product stands today because years ago I took the plunge and started working with DW and IDEs (Zend Studio in my case).
  • Posted on 7/6/2008 at 9:17 PM Member
    Rita,

    You'll find a wealth of email design information, and free, basic templates at https://www.campaignmonitor.com/.

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