A Case for Outsourcing Email Design and Coding
Thanks to the “Outsourced” movie and TV series, outsourcing has got a bad rap. With the economy still struggling, many Americans resent companies that outsource jobs to other countries.
So why would you want to outsource your email design and coding work? First of all, I’m not talking about outsourcing this work to another continent. You’ll find plenty of excellent email designer right here on our shores.
You know your business better than anyone. By outsourcing email design and HTML coding, you free yourself and your team up to focus on the big picture or their expertise. Handing off these tasks to others means you can spend more time on your marketing promotions and less time struggling with creative and technical details. Leave that to the experts.
You’ll not only save time but money too if you outsource email design and coding. By contracting with a dedicated email marketing agency or an experienced freelancer, you don’t have all the costs associated with hiring a full-time employee. “Contracting” is the key word here; make sure both parties sign a contract to avoid any problems down the road.
Email Design
Just because you outsource your email design, that doesn’t mean you relinquish creative control. A good email designer will take your creative direction and apply it to each project. However, you’ve got to have a keen sense of your brand’s tone/voice so that you can share it with your designer.
One perk of outsourcing design instead of hiring in-house staff is that an outside designer works with a variety of clients. What works in one industry may work well in another. You can reap the benefits of someone else’s testing.
Ask any email designer, and you’ll find that too often the client makes requests inconsistent with email best practices – or even with its own brand guidelines. Remember, you’re outsourcing email design because you rely on the expertise of the designer. It’s OK to challenge or push back in order to achieve the best design possible. But listen to the designer. You’re paying for design services, so take advantage of their expertise.
Email Coding
With the vast number of email client’s (Gmail, AOL, and Outlook are just the tip of the iceberg), and devices (PC, Mac, tablets, smartphones), it’s a full-time job just staying abreast of coding updates to ensure your emails render across all platforms.
Responsive email coding and design cannot be ignored. Make sure that the service provider has experience in this area to ensure that your email is actionable on mobile devises.
Most firms and freelances offer both email design and coding, so it’s kind of get a package deal. As you would before hiring any contractor, ask for references and – especially for design – work examples.
The Key Takeaway to Outsourcing Email Design and Coding
To run your business cost-effectively, you’ve got to know when to let go. Whether it’s email design and coding, billing or another task, do the numbers to figure out if you’re better off outsourcing.
About the Author: Scott Hardigree is the Founder of Indiemark and Editor of Email Critic. Connect with him everywhere here.
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